Wilderness Trail 6 Year Bottled in Bond Review

About – This latest release from Wilderness Trail was released in two variants. Their wheated bourbon saw a six year release that was distillery only. Their rye recipe bourbon was released with small distribution for those of us not able to make it to the distillery, and is what we will be reviewing today. The mashbill is 64% corn, 24% rye, and 12% malted barley. This 6 year bottled in bond is the oldest release so far from Wilderness Trail. It is non-chill filtered, bottled at 100 proof, and retails for $69.99.

Nose – Apple kicks things off accompanied by cinnamon graham crackers. Fresh milled grain wafts in and out throughout the nose. Vanilla and cherry move in on the backend as it opens up. There is quite a bit going on here.

Palate – Oily mouthfeel coating the palate. Sweet cinnamon sugar hits first follow by bitter oak tannin. One the mid palate the apple comes through in a nice juicy wat. Cinnamon comes back in now on the back palate, but this time brings a darker brown sugar with it. This leads into a medium finish that is a tad on the bitter side for me, and surprisingly there is still a faint trace of youth.

Score – B

Verdict – The more I sip this the more I find myself enjoying it. When I first opened the bottle I hated it, but now it is casting some type of spell on me. This is the first thing I have tasted from Wilderness Trail that I have enjoyed. Some bourbons just require a longer aging time and this seems to be one of them. Hopefully this is an indication of what is to come for Wilderness Trail. If their bourbon is something you already enjoy I would recommend picking up a bottle. Alternately if you have been thinking about trying Wilderness Trail for the first time this is the one to go with.