Oklahoma Joins The Bourbon Distilling Crowd With A New Whiskey

Oklahoma, as far as craft distilling goes, is still getting its feet wet with the establishment of new spirits making operations. Only a handful exist to this point, with an accident recently severely injuring the operator of one. Of those which are up and running, the young Scissortail Distillery recently began bottling a baby bourbon said to be the Sooner State’s first of its kind.

Scissortail Bourbon, which is available in various liquor stores around Oklahoma, prices for around a reasonable $20 per 750 ml bottling. It is a very young, aggressively aged whiskey that saw just three months in small, new charred oak five gallon barrels (older bottlings look to be coming later according to the distillery’s Facebook page from barrels that are 15 and 53 gallon capacities) and comes in at 90 proof. The man behind it, one Garret Janko, recently told the Oklahoman that the mash bill is made with “corn, barley and rye” which were grown locally and mostly came from one milling company.

Tasting notes from Scissortail Distillery for its new bourbon, which debuted at the start of May, indicate a spirit that is light for a whiskey of its type, slightly sweet and with vanilla undertones.

Besides Scissortail Bourbon, another upcoming release of planned whiskey is named Wild West Whiskey, which looks to have been aged in cherrywood barrels. There may be a rye in the works as well, known as Oklahoma Redbud Rye, that is 90 proof and aged with cinnamon. It reportedly will be out in time for the holidays, if not sooner.

[this is a piece I did for Examiner.]