Ammunition Bourbon and Rye Whiskey
I know what you’re thinking, because I’m guilty of it myself.
Another MGP-sourced whiskey. Yeah, a lot of places do it, yeah some are great, some not, but ultimately why should I care about another one?
I hear you. It’s easy enough to buy a barrel from MGP (or any other distillery that’s selling them, for that matter) and many of those buying barrels just slap on a label and call it a day.
Plenty of those are good, too, but there’s no artistry there. There’s nothing that differentiates it. I LOVE 7 year old MGP 95/5 rye, it might be my favorite rye overall, and I’ve got 7-year-old 95/5 rye under at least 7 different labels on my shelf.
To be honest, though, I don’t know if I could differentiate brand-by-brand when it’s all single barrel 7-year-old MGP rye.
So again, why care about another non-distilling producer buying barrels?
Because there’s serious artistry here. There’s care and attention. There’s thought and balance. There’s the addition of a second sense of place - terroir, if you will - through finishing MGP whiskey in Ammunition’s own Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks, adding new dimensions and flavors.
Let’s take a closer look at Ammunition Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Cabernet Sauvignon casks and Ammunition Straight Rye Whiskey finished in Pinot Noir casks.
The Wine
In an interesting twist, this is the first pair of whiskies that made me think deeply about the wine with which the whiskies were finished. I’ve had plenty of wine-finished whiskies, even if you restrict that to non-fortified wines (e.g. no sherry, Marsala, or fortified whites or reds). Just taking “regular” wine-finished whiskies, there are at least a few dozen I’ve had the chance to try. Some were successful in balancing the wine and whiskey - see M&H Distillery’s Red Wine-Finished Single Malt, for example. The large majority fail on one of two counts:
First, the flavor pairing doesn’t work between the chosen wine and the whiskey. Maybe a bourbon didn’t work with a chardonnay, or a single malt didn’t work with a Bordeaux. In this case, the whiskey and wine are balanced, but the flavors aren’t paired well.
Second, the flavors are paired well, but one element overpowers the other. For my palate, it often falls more towards the finish overpowering an under-proofed whiskey - usually from over-finishing - but it can easily be the other way around. Especially with bourbon, the thinner corn distillate is easily overpowered, so producers playing with finishes: beware.
Then there’s your own palate. A whiskey and wine can be paired perfectly and have great balance, but if you’re someone who hates Malbec down to your bones then you’re not likely to enjoy a whiskey finished in a Malbec cask, are you?
Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of California wines, particularly those out of Napa. It’s a pretty across-the-board feeling, too, so I don’t blame it on any one producer. After thinking about it a lot over many different bottles and vintages, I genuinely think it’s the water.
Growing up on New York water, it’s just better - yell and scream at me all you want, it is. And even if it isn’t, it’s the water profile I’m used to. Either way, wine has much more water in it than whiskey, anywhere from 3-4 times as much as an 80-proof whiskey to even more as the proof rises. A wine at anywhere from 10-15% ABV doesn’t leave a lot of room to hide a bad water profile.
To be clear, that’s not a judgment on the grapes or the production methods or anything else - it’s just me rationalizing why I dislike California wine so greatly.
To give this whiskey its due, however, I needed to try the wine. As a reviewer/taster, you rarely get that chance since wine barrels can come from anywhere. It’s only in this case we have that option simply because Ammunition uses its own barrels to finish the whiskey. If it’s an undisclosed winery, you have to take it as it is - it’s red wine finished? Take a general red wine profile and go with it. If you’re lucky you’ll at least get the varietal.
At the end of April, Ammunition (really Daylight Wine and Spirits, but Ammunition is the brand name) invited me to their New York City launch party, and I got to try the pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon wines that seasoned those finishing casks. I also got to sip their chardonnay, which I’m incredibly sad to say they’re no longer producing according to co-founder and Director of Winemaking Andy Wahl. I interviewed Andy on episode 32 of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, but hadn’t met him in person until this event. He was as enthusiastic and easy-going as he was on the podcast, a true California personality.
The wines were, to put it bluntly, different than what I think of as a California wine. I’m no sommelier and am much more comfortable in either New York or Italy and Greece when it comes to wine. I make no claims to deep wine knowledge, just enough to know what I like and what I don’t.
I tried them in backwards order, starting with the cab. The Ammunition Cabernet Sauvignon was jammy, unctuous, but not too heavy and nothing close to what I’d call oaky. It left a pleasing, light lacquer of stewed berries on the tongue and lower palate. It’s a wine that has the potential to lean sweet, but doesn’t, remaining a lighter Cabernet Sauvignon than I’m used to but one I could easily down a bottle of before realizing it.
The Pinot Noir was closer to what I think of when I hear “Pinot Noir” - bright, with more red, fresh berries than dark and stewed ones. Interestingly, I got a bit more oak on this than on the Cab, with subtle black pepper further brightening the profile.
Neither were tannic at all to me. Oak pepperiness, perhaps, but I got almost none of that dry-your-mouth-out astringency an overly tannic wine can bring. Both were wines I would happily buy if I weren’t about 3 years behind on new whiskies to taste (I exaggerate…but not by much).
The Whiskey
I know that was a long tangent on wine, and if you’re a whiskey lover just wanting to know if these are good or not who couldn’t give a damn about the wine, thanks for staying with me. For the reasons noted above, I rarely get an opportunity to know what wine is used to finish the whiskey let alone try the wines independently of the whiskies, and in this case it was so useful to have the opportunity that I couldn’t pass up the deep-dive.
With the wine discussed, let’s revisit why most wine-finished whiskies fail - and why Ammunition’s Bourbon and Rye succeed.
The Bourbon
We all know how easy it is to buy a barrel, especially from MGP (much love to them, by the way!). They’ve got five different bourbon mashbills/recipes to choose from, from the barely-legal 51% corn to a 99%/1% corn-to-malt ratio. Ammunition, though, doesn’t use any one of those regular mashbills, instead using a custom blend of 60% corn, 25% wheat, 10% rye, and 5% malted barley. For any bourbon, that’s a relatively low corn percentage. Having wheat as the primary flavoring grain provides a rounded, chocolaty undertone punctuated by a rye that, while low in volume, is peppery and oily enough to stand on its own in the mix.
Nick Maas from Dancing Goat Distillery mentioned that a four-grain bourbon - as this is - can curb youthful notes in a younger bourbon, even more so when wheat is the secondary grain/primary flavoring grain. In this case, it also curbs the overt sweetness corn distillate brings to the party. That’s where the Cabernet Sauvignon pairing starts to make even more sense.
The Cab also plays with that could-be-too-sweet line, with the sugars kept in check by a stewed, unctuous, even tart fruitiness. Multiple “ifs” could have derailed this. If the bourbon were too sweet. If the Cab were less tart. If the oak were more present on either the wine or the whiskey.
Thankfully, none of these “ifs” happen. Here are my tasting notes for the Ammunition Bourbon Whiskey finished in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.
Ammunition Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels: Specs
Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Whiskey from MGP, Finishing Casks from Daylight Wine and Spirits (Ammunition)
Mashbill: 60% Corn, 25% Wheat, 10% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
Age: 3 Years Old (Plus Finishing Time)
Location: California
Ammunition Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels Price: $47
Ammunition Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Orange blossom honey. Thin-to-medium bleeding rims and quick drops.
Nose: Mandarin orange slices and grapefruit pith. Some youth initially fades quickly into a vanilla and oak wave. No proof, some astringency. The red wine is in the background here.
Palate: Some heat comes out on the sip, as oak first rather than proof. A slightly grainy start, but not one that dissuades from continuing. The Cabernet Sauvignon rolls in quickly to fill in some gaps and complete the profile. Mixed berry fruitiness and oak tannins coat the tongue. Mouthfeel is on the thin side but leaves a lacquer, pushing the Cab to the front and using the bourbon as the base layer.
Finish: The tannins turn creamy as the red fruit expands into every corner of my mouth. Medium length and light, while the youthful notes fade behind a balanced wine finishing.
Overall: Initially, I was surprised at how much I liked this given the proof. The few youthful notes are quickly overtaken by the wine, which then retroactively matures the grains as you drink it. A well-balanced pour that’s a crowd pleaser showing a great combo of whiskey and wine.
Final Rating: 6.5
The Rye
With their bourbon, Ammunition used a custom blend of MGP bourbons to create a four-grain bourbon mashbill. The rye, however, is straight up 95/5 MGP rye.
At nearly any age, 95/5 MGP rye is dilly, herbaceous, spicy, and instantly identifiable. It’s a mashbill that defines dozens of brands, and it’s just as clear in Ammunition’s Rye Whiskey Finished in Pinot Noir barrels.
Ammunition’s Pinot Noir is bright, fresh berry-led, with a touch of peppery oak and a perfumed nose. It’s an objectively stronger wine than the Cabernet Sauvignon - surprising, to be sure, since a Cab is normally the big bold red while the Pinot is lighter.
In that twist comes the perfect pairing of a powerful 95/5 rye with a red wine that can hold its ground and elevate the rye. Think about some of the more unusual pairings of fruits and herbs - strawberries and basil, lemon and thyme, plums and dill (try it - trust me), and watermelon and pepper. This whiskey is dead-center in that lane, where berries and tart red fruit meet dill, herb, and black pepper.
Ammunition Rye Whiskey Finished in Pinot Noir Barrels: Specs
Classification: Straight Rye Whiskey
Origin: Whiskey from MGP, Finishing Casks from Daylight Wine and Spirits (Ammunition)
Mashbill: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
Age: 3 Years Old (Plus Finishing Time)
Location: California
Ammunition Rye Whiskey Finished in Pinot Noir Barrels Price: $47
Ammunition Rye Whiskey Finished in Pinot Noir Barrels Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Black iced tea. Thin rims, slow droplets on thick legs.
Nose: Tighter than the bourbon, hints of herbal, minty rye peeking out. The Pinot is a pleasant overtone, though I struggled at first to find the rye. A little air - we’re talking just a few minutes - makes a huge difference in opening up the nose.
Palate: Here, the rye is far more prominent. It’s peppery, dilly, and has some eucalyptus, all mixing well with the Pinot Noir style - sort of a red wine honey that’s sweet but bright and berrylicious. Mouthfeel is silky and light, less spicy than the initial sip but more coating and rounded.
Finish: The two flavors coalesce quite nicely on a short-to-medium finish. A dark berry note builds and stays in the background.
Overall: Less punchy than the bourbon and more subtle. The rye and herbal Pinot notes play beautifully together. Another crowd-pleasing profile and great entry point both for rye and wine-finishing American whiskies.
Final Rating: 6.6
Ammunition Whiskey at Cask Strength
At the New York launch event, head whiskey-maker Andy Wahl brought along some wonderful little gifts for attendees - the Ammunition Bourbon finished in Cabernet Sauvignon, at CASK STRENGTH (120 proof). He “turkey basted” the barrels just so we could try it as he does.
Proof hound mode: activated.
It’s less obvious from my tasting notes than I initially thought, but I didn’t mind the lower proof on the “regular” bourbon. American whiskies below around 100 proof usually get slightly lower scores from me, and I’ll own that. I love a solid mouthfeel and lots of flavor, and it’s difficult for American whiskies to achieve that at the same proofs at which Scotch whisky or Irish whiskey can.
For Ammunition’s Bourbons and Ryes at 90 proof, the wine finish equalizes a thinner, proof-limited mouthfeel, meaning the overall whiskies didn’t suffer points-wise from a lower proof.
At cask strength, though? Different ballgame, in the best way. While they are excellent whiskies to introduce people to bourbon, rye, and wine finishing at 90 proof, I like some burn. I want the whiskey to punch me with flavor. At cask strength, they do exactly that.
Ammunition Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Straw/light apple juice. Splotchy rims and irregular ringlet drops.
Nose: A bit tight, but immediately creamy. Red berries slowly open, fresh on the bush. The berries turn into a coulis on a sweet grain base. Bourbon lurks in the background, offering more body than flavor here.
Palate: The bourbon is oh-so-good ere, a controlled burn opening slowly across the palate with a clear wheat head. The Cabernet and bourbon are still paired well at cask strength, the lower corn ratio keeping the stronger sweetness from the wine in check. Mouthfeel is velvety, textured, chewable, and slightly astringent with a late proof wave.
Finish: The oak leads the finish, creamy, peppery, and drying. Plums in sangria evolve from the berries as the wine finishes gently.
Overall: Damn that’s tasty. The pairing remains in balance with each elevating the other, adding depth and complexity.
Final Rating: 7.4
Ammunition Cask Strength Rye Whiskey Finished in Pinot Noir Barrels Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Brewed green tea. Medium rims and growing teardrops.
Nose: Grape candies, but naturally flavored ones. No hint of proof. The rye is subtle under the wine’s power, even for a 95/5.
Palate: Ooh - there’s the rye! In all it’s fully dilly and herbal force. It’s a formidable punch, and after that punch comes a beautiful wave of bright Pinot Noir flavor. Rather than the delicate dance of the 90 proof version, this is a gloves-off tete-a-tete tango that goes from one side to the other just when you think the dance is over. Mouthfeel is peppery and chewy, coating, less textured than the bourbon.
Finish: Blackberry and plums studded with cloves and cinnamon. Long and vinous, the wine again asserting dominance over the rye.
Overall: A hell of a dance and a hell of an experience. This is the type of pour that’s a step-up challenge, to see if you can handle some extra proof and flavor on something that’s otherwise a crowd-pleaser. If you’re up to it, wow - what a reward.
Final Rating: 7.7
In Conclusion
I’ll keep it simple - Ammunition Whiskey and Daylight Wine and Spirits are here to play. Who cares if they’re not distilling the bourbon and rye - they’re doing something with it that makes it uniquely theirs. The bourbon finished in cabernet sauvignon casks and rye finished in pinot noir casks are shelf-space-worthy for sure at 90 proof, and at barrel proof they’re flat-out hunt-able (I don’t know if they’ll be publicly releasing a cask-strength version, but if they do, get it).
The wines are also worth trying, especially if you want to understand the whiskies better. Ammunition offers you a chance to try wine-finished whiskies done the right way and a chance to try the very wines used to finish them, all at reasonable pricing and wide distribution.
I’m a fan. And I look forward to trying what comes next from this up-and-comer.
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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