Driftless Glen Straight Bourbon
Sometimes you need to look beyond Kentucky and Tennessee for your next whiskey. In my case, I had two separate people point me towards Driftless Glen, a relatively new distillery in the heart of Wisconsin.
The first was Mike over at The Bourbon Culture, who was blinded with Driftless Glen and rated it quite highly alongside some heavy hitters. The second was Bill Robarge, a.k.a. @beerloversofwi and a fellow This is my Bourbon Podcast group. Bill shared some Driftless Glen alongside some other Wisconsin distilleries - I’ll get to those in separate reviews.
Founded in 2012, Driftless Glen - of its own notice - sits on a unique geographical site called the Driftless Area. Named for the lack of glacial “drifts” during the last glaciation period, the area is unusually filled with limestone hills and filtered aquifers well-suited to everything from trout fishing to wine-making. From the air, it looks cleaner, in a way, than areas that were covered by the glaciers, lacking the gravel, boulders, and deep valleys cut and moved by the ice.
The distillery itself is proudly local and grain-to-glass, having never sourced. Using a 10,000-pound, 44-foot column still and a custom made pot still, Driftless Glen produces a variety of bourbons, ryes, and other spirits, 17 in total according to their website.
But how does it taste - that’s the real question. Plenty of distilleries from the last decade have similar claims of grain-to-glass greatness, uniqueness of their geography, state-centric distilling techniques, blah, blah, blah. I’ve got to tell you, most would rate in the “Let’s Have a Conversation” category at best. A few have promise, and a few are truly great and living up to their claims.
Reading through Driftless Glen’s own tasting notes and sell sheets, I have to say they’re pretty on point. In trying to write objective reviews, I never read a distillery’s own notes before tasting. At most, if I’m really unsure of something, I’ll look at a technique to make sure I’m appreciating it (or at least looking for it). Afterwards, I look through to see if my notes are at all similar to theirs, both as a measure of my own tastes and, in rare cases, to call bullshit on brands overhyping unready product.
At 96 proof, for me, it could use a little extra oomph, but I won’t hold that against it considering they do put out a cask strength version that I intend to try. It’s well-balanced and flavorful, rye-forward with multiple black tea flavors and a pleasant spice from the higher rye content. It’s also a relatively unique mashbill, or at least an uncommon one (few are unique anymore, after all).
Overall, this accomplishes exactly what an entry product should: it makes me want to try Driftless Glen’s other expressions. This particular bottle won’t become my daily drinker, but that’s more for the proof than the flavor. I would definitely share this with others who #drinkcurious, to steal my friend Whiskeyfellow’s catchphrase, and it gives me a solid foundation upon which to build a tasting.
Thank you to Driftless Glen for providing this bottle with no strings attached.
Driftless Glen Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Driftless Glen Distillery
Mashbill: 60% Corn, 20% Rye, 20% Malted Barley
Proof: 96 (48% ABV)
Age: 4+ Years Old
Location: Wisconsin
Batch: 96
Driftless Glen Straight Bourbon Whiskey Price: $47
Driftless Glen Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Green iced tea. Medium rims and sloughing droplets.
Nose: Rye-forward bourbon, pepper spice and creamy oak. Dry nose, masa, woody spice, a spice drops box emptied. Black tea leaves - Assam, perhaps?
Palate: Pepper and allspice on the tip of my tongue, dry and astringent. Unsweetened black tea, chewing on cloves and cinnamon sticks. Apple chips and barrel char. Mouthfeel is creamy and coating despite the astringency. Filling on top of the tongue and in the corners with dry spices growing.
Finish: Some dried citrus peel and pith, enters as does Dutch cocoa powder and chocolate shortbreads. Medium-to-long.
Overall: Different for sure - the astringency adds mouthfeel and flavor without being woody. The spice could use just a bit of a boost, but this is solid for a brand’s entry-point and promising for future products.
Final Rating: 6.6
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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