Distillery Single Barrel Release
Part 4 of my High Wire review series and I’m jumping ahead of the core range bourbon releases and right into a distillery-only single barrel.
After I had finished my rye flight and gotten myself a bit of food, I took the opportunity to enjoy the distillery tour. High Wire is a relatively small distillery but the story behind their Jimmy Red corn was fascinating. A “legendary moonshiner’s grain” as they say, was saved from the brink of extinction thanks to a local mill that specialized in cultivating heritage grains.
There’s a mythical, storytelling element to the grain that enamored me as I was listening to my tour guide. Actively distilling at the time, the entire place was saturated with this oily, cornbread aroma you couldn’t escape. The dried grain was fragrant and earthy. You could immediately appreciate the care, consideration, and lengths High Wire went into their “Spirit of Revival”.
I’ll have to finish writing up my tour experience but in the meantime, I’ll leave you with two interviews from NPR and another from Columbia Metro. Both go into further detail about the grain’s history and also the founder of Anson Mills, Glenn Roberts.
Distillery: High Wire Distilling Co.
Region: Charleston, South Carolina.
ABV: 58.7%.
Age: NAS. Greater than 4 Years.
Cask type: New Charred Oak. Barrel #808.
Price: $100.
Color: 1.7, Burnt Umber. Natural Color. No chill filtration.
Tasting Notes
Tasted neat in a Glencairn with 15+ minutes of rest. Dilution was added for the second half of the tasting with an additional rest of half an hour. This review encompasses my initial impressions while at the bar, as well as a bottle purchased and tasted at home.
Nose: An incredibly sweet nose that contains all the syrups. Molasses, corn syrup, and a hint of maple even. Cherry preserves over toasty, burnt ears of a baguette. The earth note I recognized from the dried grain comes through even after distillation. Rich soils, straw, and reeds. There’s a heavy iron aroma included in those terroir notes. It’s the fragrant vegetable or peanut oil warming up in a cast iron pan. Lastly, and almost completely unnoticeable, a sprinkle of nectarine citrus is hidden away.
Palate: Viscous, oily, and clings to your palate. It was evident standing next to the still during their cuts, it’s even more concentrated after aging. Where it was all sugar on the nose, the baking spices come through clearly on the palate. Cinnamon, toasted cloves, and black peppercorns. Savory beef tallow melting in a dutch oven, heating those peppercorns until fragrant, readying a fried cornbread fritter.
Finish: Here is where the whiskey starts to slip. Youthful, tannic oak takes over the finish. Peanut shells and harsher, more bitter molasses flavors. The baking spices now taste slightly over toasted but not quite burnt. Intense clove notes and fennel seed, alongside a star anise herbal element. The citrus is more prevalent on the finish and comes across as orange extract. Finally, this unpleasant tar or pitch note. Like a warm rubber used on gravel roofing.
Overall
Each glass transported me dockside on a warm, late summer evening out on the lake. It tastes so familiar, yet new at the very same time. The comparisons to Beam’s profile are intended. It’s one of my favorite bourbon distilleries and I fell into this welcoming familiarity. It’s a comfort bourbon that could easily replace your daily.
Exploring each and every glass I poured for myself was a treat, even if my enjoyment decreased on this single barrel from nose to finish. I cannot praise the mouthfeel enough as this is the thickest, oiliest, bourbon I’ve ever had. My appreciation for the grain is fully realized. Being able to handle the raw kernels and understand the process behind the whiskey, certainly plays a role.
This single barrel’s shortcomings have not discouraged me from buying another in the future. If anything, that Southern charm has made me fall in love with the distillery. This tasting flight was the introduction I needed to High Wire.
Final Score: 85
