Milam & Greene Whiskey just released its Castle Hill Series Batch Two, the second in its limited-edition batch of 13-year-old straight bourbon whiskeys bottled at barrel proof.
The Castle Hill Series celebrates what’s described as the art of batching well-aged casks, one of the methods Milam & Greene uses to create its range of whiskeys.
In this expression, 26 vintage barrels were married to create this liquid, making it the most limited release from the distillery that recently earned the title “Best in Show” whiskey at The American Craft Spirits Association competition.
The Castle Hill Series carries the oldest age statement in the Milam & Greene family of whiskey, and each batch includes the distillery’s rarest casks.
The series is named for the historic Texas Military Institute, also known as “The Castle” in Austin, Texas. While the Milam & Greene distillery operations and warehousing are in Blanco, Texas, The Castle is home to Heather Greene’s blending lab, and it serves as an inspiration for the Milam & Greene CEO and master blender.
Greene is known for her whiskey blending skills, and The Castle Hill Series aims to showcase what’s described as her ability to select the right casks to blend to develop complex flavors.
Greene honed her whiskey blending skills while evaluating Scotch whisky for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Scotland, as well as while working with numerous distilleries around the globe before joining Milam & Greene in 2018.
“The guiding principle in blending The Castle Hill Series is to create a traditional bourbon that whiskey drinkers will love,” said Greene in a prepared statement. “Each cask used to create The Castle Hill Series has a different personality. Those personality traits are developed through aging over a long period of time with influences from the environment. We hand-selected each barrel aged between 13 years, 10 months, and 17 days at the youngest, and 14 years, two months, and 13 days at the oldest, to identify specific characteristics that we want in the finished product. The result is a multifaceted bourbon with layers of nutty, spicy, fruity, and oak flavors.”
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Milam & Greene The Castle Hill Series, Batch Two distiller’s notes:
Batch Two features a deep, burnt amber color. On the nose, it has aromas of warm peach cobbler, brown sugar, and vanillas with hints of almond and milk chocolate. The palate features notes of caramel, cinnamon, cherry, vanilla, and tobacco with a warming and long finish.
It’s bottled at a cask strength of 111 proof (55.5 % ABV). Twenty-six barrels were used to make The Castle Hill Series Batch Two. The ages of each barrel are:
- 4 barrels aged 13 years, 10 months, 17 days
- 8 barrels aged 13 years, 10 months, 18 days
- 4 barrels aged 13 years, 10 months, 19 days
- 4 barrels aged 13 years, 11 months, 6 days
- 2 barrels aged 14 years, 1 month, 20 days
- 2 barrels aged 14 years, 2 months, 13 days
- 1 barrel aged 14 years, 2 months, 16 days
- 1 barrel aged 14 years, 3 months, 6 days
Castle Hill Series Batch Two is available for a suggested retail price of $149.99 at retailers in CA, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, KY, MD, NJ, NY, OK, TX, WA, WI, and in Alberta, Canada. It’s a limited release of 3,000 bottles.
The Milam & Greene Whiskey team includes Heather Greene, CEO, master blender, and author, as well as 30-year whisky veteran and master distiller, Marlene Holmes.
They distill in Blanco, Texas on small pot stills as well as in Kentucky on classic column stills, using proprietary yeast and grain recipes. Aging takes place in rickhouses located in four states in different casks for a variety of flavors.
For more information, check out www.milamandgreenewhiskey.com.
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