The Story

Here at Homebar we’re pretty big fans of wheat whiskey.

Well, both wheat whiskey and wheated bourbons. And we know we’re not the only ones; plenty of folks go the extra mile to get their hands on wheated bourbons (or ‘Wheaters’, as they’re sometimes called) by paying a lot extra for bottles such as Old Fitzgerald, Weller, or even the famous Pappy Van Winkle.

Since we don’t really have the money to buy those fancy Wheaters at secondary prices, we have to be a bit more judicious; instead finding craft Wheaters or wheat whiskey that will satisfy our wheated mashbill desires without breaking the bank.

Enter Middle West Spirits‘ Cask Strength Wheat Whiskey. We had our first encounter with their 92 proof expression during Bourbon on the Banks, and we definitely liked it. It was thoroughly sweet, with a nice ratio of baking spice – definitely a pleasant wheat whiskey. So it wasn’t too much of a stretch to think we might like the cask strength version too. This one comes in at a bold 123.5 proof and aged 3+ years.

Let’s pop this one open and see what it has to offer.

Nose

The nose gives scents of baking spice, sweet notes like caramel and brown sugar, and a touch of dill.

Palate

The palate doesn’t deviate much from the nose; plenty of clove and cinnamon (baking spice), and a surprising amount of heat.

Finish

The finish keeps those baking spice notes but begins to really showcase the sweet notes of brown sugar and caramel. There’s also a nice orange peel note on the finish as well.

Verdict

We’ve had our share of Wheat Whiskeys in our day, and this cask strength version ranks rather high among the competition. We love the fact that it just feels so much like holiday in a bottle. The only bottle we felt rivaled this level of holiday notes was the TC Whiskey Holiday Reserve, which is very much a sipper during the holiday season. By comparison however, that was a 13 year aged bottle; we can safely guess this one is nowhere near that age. We’re also really excited to see if we can use it for holiday cocktails and see how much it amps up the holiday spirit(s) this year.

Overall we’re rating Middle West Spirits Straight Wheat Whiskey an 8.3 out of 10.

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Cheers friends!