The latest from Milam & Greene Whiskey in little ole Blanco, Texas is The Castle Hill Series Batch 1. Batch 1 combines hand-selected vintage 13-year-old barrels at cask strength. The name references the historic Texas Military Institute overlooking the Capitol Building in Austin. “The Castle” as it is known is home to the Milam & Greene blending lab where a private whiskey tasting room will soon debut. Master Distiller Marlene Holmes still runs operations at the main distillery.
The Castle Hill Series Batch 1 is 108 proof (54.25% ABV) with a beautiful brassy chestnut appearance. On the nose, I instantly picked up on sandalwood and tobacco leaf. Cocoa, fig, and vanilla mingle while yeast lingers in the background. The palate is soft and creamy. It reminds me of a Lindt milk chocolate truffle. Subtle cherry, bold fig, and tobacco round out the middle. Near the finish, the whiskey is dry with wood and pepper. A bottle of this extremely limited whiskey prices at $119.99 at select retailers.
Of course, a tasting event with Heather Greene would not be complete without a little blending exercise. Greene, my idol and CEO of Milam & Greene, is known in the industry for her incredible blending talents. The Castle Hill Series showcases Greene’s skill and the art of blending. Greene said in a prepared statementBardstown’s World’s Top Whiskey Taster Finals, I was still insecure in my blending abilities before this virtual tasting. For the first round, I went with 50% Grain-to-Glass Straight Bourbon, 31.25% 4-year-old Straight Bourbon, and 18.75% 12-year-old Straight Bourbon. It was remarkably close, but my second round was even closer with 50% G2G, 26% 4yo, and 24% 12yo.
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I am still playing around with trying to get an exact match. However, it feels great knowing that blending whiskey could be a legitimate career option for me down the road.
