MGP of Indiana is known for their ubiquitous 95% rye whiskey as well as their high rye bourbons. In 2013, the company added a number of additional mashbills, including a wheated bourbon. When I was offered a sample of Spirit of America bourbon, I was interested to see that it was a bottling of the MGP wheated recipe. I'm not aware of any other wheated MGP out there right now, though given how much MGP there is under other labels, it's certainly possible that there is more. In any case, I was excited to give this one a try.
Spirit of America comes is a highly patriotic bottle, like Sam the Eagle levels of patriotism. The label is owned by Indiana based Hobson & Roberts who donate a dollar of every purchase to Hope for the Warriors, a support group for veterans and their families. This MGP bourbon (which they openly disclose is from MGP in their materials) is two years old and has a mashbill of 51% corn, 45% wheat and 4% malted barley.
Spirit of America Bourbon, 2 years old, 43% abv. ($35)
The nose has very light caramel notes; it's sort of Maker's like. The palate is light and fruity but a bit thin. Toward the end, it picks up some nice oak notes which carry into the finish where it is joined by light mint.
For a two year old bourbon, this stuff is not bad. It's light but not particularly youthful in its profile. Tasting blind, I might have guessed that it was standard Maker's Mark, though I did not do a side by side comparison. While there's not much in the way of complexity, there's nothing off-putting about it. I don't know that I'd run out and buy a bottle, but it definitely has potential. It will be interesting to see how this wheat recipe develops with some more age.
I'm looking forward to trying the juice straight from MGP when they come out with their own lineup. It should add some nice options to the shelves.
ReplyDeleteMGP of Indiana made its first wheated bourbon in the spring of 2013.
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