Milam & Greene Whiskey is releasing Unabridged Volume 2: A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskies, a cask-strength blend that incorporates some of the rarest casks from the distillery’s library. The expression is the first release of the Autumn 2023 Blender’s Reserve Collection, a selection of high-proof bourbons that will be introduced during the next four months.
Milam & Greene Unabridged Volume 2 flavors showcase the talents of the distillery team under the direction of CEO, Heather Greene, who was recently honored as the “Master Blender of the Year.” The distillery team selected this blend of straight bourbons after an extensive evaluation of numerous whiskey barrels.
“Only a tiny percentage of our finest casks make it into Unabridged Volume 2,” says Heather Greene, Milam & Greene Whiskey Master Blender and CEO. “Some of these vintage casks lost 68% of the liquid in them from evaporation over time. What’s left is a rich and luxurious bourbon that adds the perfect amount of wood notes. We also selected young casks for bright flavors popping with fruits and florals. The lucky seven-year-old casks were influenced by the hot summer Texan climate, adding a richness you wouldn’t otherwise find at this age. Blended together, the whiskey from these barrels creates an exciting novel.”
To create Unabridged Volume 2, the team chose bourbon that they distilled in the small copper pot still in Texas and in larger column stills in Kentucky, both using malted rye in the proprietary mash bill. The malted rye rounds the flavor of the grain. Tennessee barrels of different ages add structure and tannins to round out this exciting blend.
“Both pot and column stills bring enticing characteristics to whiskey, “says Marlene Holmes, Milam & Greene Whiskey Master Distiller. “Pot Stills are more difficult to work with, and a little bit wild but they create a toasty and rich profile. Whereas the traditional column still I distill with in Kentucky creates a more refined distillate.”
Adding to the complexity and flavors of the Unabridged Volume 2 are the dramatic climate swings in Texas where many barrels are aged. Milam & Greene continually tastes and monitors barrels in four different states.
“Climate is yet another ingredient that contributes to the flavors of all our whiskies, including this one,” says Rikk Munroe, Milam & Greene Whiskey Distillery Manager. “The distilling team monitors our cask maturation closely to ensure we have just the right flavor profiles. A few of the casks used to create Unabridged Volume 2 required storage in a vatting tank to halt the effects of aging and evaporation in anticipation of creating this whiskey.”
The Milam & Greene distilling team blind-tasted five different blends to get a consensus on the exact recipe for Unabridged Volume 2. The team of 10 people made a unanimous decision on the final blend for this release, something that has never happened at the distillery.
Milam & Greene’s Unabridged Volume 2 is cask strength and bottled at 117.6 proof. Fifty-six barrels distilled in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas were used to create Unabridged.
Milam & Greene’s Unabridged Volume 2: A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskies is available for $94.99.
