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Bourbon

High Wire New Southern Revival Bourbon

$70.00

OVERALL
RATING

Whiskey Review: High Wire New Southern Revival Bourbon

Tasting Notes:

About:
94 proof. My sample from batch 004, bottle number 449. Mash made from corn, rye, wheat, and rice. No age statement, and no information online about aging regime. $70 for a 750ml bottle.
Appearance:
Medium amber with a reddish cast
Nose:
Supremely nutty – walnut and pecan practically leap out of the glass. More focused nosing unearths some dark fruit like cherry and plum, cinnamon stick, mushroom, and a bit of high school woodshop – sawdust, linseed oil, and a faint waft of automotive grease from the garage next door. There’s also a lot of grain character here, though it’s not particularly biscuity – more like a cooked grain porridge, something healthily whole-grain.
Palate:
Mild on the entry, with soft notes of plum jam on fresh, untoasted white bread. The mid-palate takes an odd turn, however, with tons of spicy cinnamon atop a sweetness that alludes to Red Hot candies as well as a tantalizing sensation of mint and eucalyptus. The finish is of moderate length, and on the astringent, oaky side (I wonder if this is a small barrel release?). Conclusion: High Wire New Southern Revival Bourbon is a decent first offering from a new company. It tastes young, and perhaps a little rushed, but there’s a nice richness to the grain flavor and a surprisingly substantial amount of nuttiness, especially in the nose. The wood character expressed here, however, is neither nuanced nor well-integrated, instead offering the familiar flavor palate of cinnamon and sawdust that seems to characterize many craft releases. And yet. The good parts about this release solidify my belief that flavorful grains could make for a more flavorful whiskey, and I look forward to tasting more from High Wire Distilling Company. FINAL SCORE: 78/100
Finish:
Comments:

High Wire New Southern Revival BourbonEditor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a free sample to review by one of our retail partners, along with a discount code you can use, mentioned at the end, that you should enter on the linked retailer’s site if you choose to buy the bottling.

The Whiskey Wash, while appreciative of this, did keep full independent editorial control over this article.

High Wire New Southern Revival Bourbon is a new release from High Wire Distilling Company, a craft outfit owned by a husband and wife team and based in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to bourbon, they also offer a standard and aged gin, sorghum whiskey, madeira-finished bourbon, and an amaro made with southern ingredients like mint, black tea, and yaupon holly.

This bourbon takes a cue from South Carolina’s current culinary renaissance, led by ringmaster Sean Brock, and relies on Southern-grown heirloom grains rather than commodity stock. Its mash bill consists of four grains: heirloom white corn, white winter wheat, malted barley, and Carolina Gold rice bran. (Carolina Gold is a long-grain rice variety grown for generations in the South and essential in many creole dishes; it was recently added to the Slow Food Ark of Taste).

While bourbon is virtually synonymous with the South, the vast majority of the corn used in the manufacture of major bourbon brands is brought in from outside of the region. It’s usually commodity dent corn, the same variety that finds its way into tortilla chips, processed foods, corn syrup, soda, animal feed, cooking oil, and fuel ethanol. It’s bred for field hardiness, uniformity, and yield, not flavor. Because of that, it’s quite inexpensive, which is critical if you go through millions of tons annually.

So it makes sense that craft producers would turn to other more flavorful grains as they create new products. It’s a rare instance where their small size is actually an advantage, since price matters less when purchasing small quantities. Local grains also offer the opportunity to express regional terroir, another major goal for many craft distilleries.

Those are goals I can get behind, so when I received this sample I was excited to taste something distinctive and unique. The bourbon is packaged in a heavy, masculine bottle with a vintage-inspired label topped off by a silly little brown paper hat tied with a striped string (there must be a story behind that).

Tasting Notes: High Wire New Southern Revival Bourbon

Vital Stats: 94 proof. My sample from batch 004, bottle number 449. Mash made from corn, rye, wheat, and rice. No age statement, and no information online about aging regime. $70 for a 750ml bottle. 

Appearance: Medium amber with a reddish cast

Nose: Supremely nutty – walnut and pecan practically leap out of the glass. More focused nosing unearths some dark fruit like cherry and plum, cinnamon stick, mushroom, and a bit of high school woodshop – sawdust, linseed oil, and a faint waft of automotive grease from the garage next door. There’s also a lot of grain character here, though it’s not particularly biscuity – more like a cooked grain porridge, something healthily whole-grain.

Palate: Mild on the entry, with soft notes of plum jam on fresh, untoasted white bread. The mid-palate takes an odd turn, however, with tons of spicy cinnamon atop a sweetness that alludes to Red Hot candies as well as a tantalizing sensation of mint and eucalyptus. The finish is of moderate length, and on the astringent, oaky side (I wonder if this is a small barrel release?).

Conclusion:

High Wire New Southern Revival Bourbon is a decent first offering from a new company. It tastes young, and perhaps a little rushed, but there’s a nice richness to the grain flavor and a surprisingly substantial amount of nuttiness, especially in the nose. The wood character expressed here, however, is neither nuanced nor well-integrated, instead offering the familiar flavor palate of cinnamon and sawdust that seems to characterize many craft releases.

And yet. The good parts about this release solidify my belief that flavorful grains could make for a more flavorful whiskey, and I look forward to tasting more from High Wire Distilling Company.

FINAL SCORE: 78/100

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