Milam & Greene Whiskey has released Gray Wolf Straight Bourbon, a blend of two six-year-old, cask-strength bourbon casks, the latest in its Wildlife Collection.
The first release in this year’s collection is named for the largest species of the wolf family, which historically hunted the lands where the distillery is now located in Blanco, Texas. Gray Wolf pups are born in Spring, just like this release.
This limited cask-strength expression was distilled at the Green River Distilling Company, in Kentucky, with a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley. It was barreled on May 18, 2018, and aged in Owensboro, Kentucky for three years, eight months, and 25 days before being transported to Blanco and aged for an additional three years and one month on the north side of Milam & Greene Rickhouse 2. Gray Wolf Straight Bourbon was bottled at 125.5 proof on March 14, after aging for a total of six years, nine months, and 25 days.
“The Wildlife Collection is more than just an incredible collectors’ bourbon, it is also an opportunity for us to test how climate impacts the aging of whiskey,” says Heather Greene, Milam & Greene Whiskey master blender and CEO. “Whiskey barrels aging in our rickhouses are open to natural airflow, letting the Texas weather make its mark on it. The Gray Wolf barrels spent roughly half their time aging in Kentucky, and the other half in Texas. The climatic whipsaw over the last three years in Hill Country with some of the coldest cold we’ve ever experienced, along with extreme drought and long periods of intense 100+ degree heat had a tremendous effect on the rate of maturation and the final flavors that you just won’t get in other locations.”
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each bottle of the Milam & Greene Wildlife Collection will benefit the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation.
284 bottles of Milam & Greene Gray Wolf Single Barrel Bourbon is available for $149.99 on the Milam & Greene website and in the distillery tasting room.
