I've got an interesting new distillery to put on your whiskey radar. Middle West Spirits out of Columbus, Ohio is serving up well-aged craft whiskey with few frills and full transparency these days. The bottle is adorned with all the marketing accoutrements you would expect, such as "small batch craft", "smooth full bodied four grain", and "handcrafted in the heart of the Ohio River Valley". They lean heavily on their local grain to glass techniques, and all of these blurbs are surprisingly resonant if you dig deeper on the brand. I get the sense that this is a pretty legit operation.
This "Michelone Reserve bottling" pays homage to the grandfather who inspired it all. They use Speyside bourbon cooperage in Jackson, Ohio and distill on a 68 inch diameter column still that runs 68 feet tall. They're a surprisingly large operation that seems to be just hitting stride this year. I'd like to thank Middle West for providing Amongst the Whiskey writer Jes Smyth with this bottle, which she passed along to me for review with no strings attached.
I'd like to say I'm just exploring this for my third tasting, the norm for AmongstTheWhiskey.com reviews according to our editorial policy, but I'm actually three quarters of the way through this bottle. It was put out on the table at my last Texas Hold'em table and few could withstand its powerful allure as I continued to rake chips into my pile. My best friend Zach, who is more of a whiskey novice, was waxing poetic about how good it was. I readily agreed. So now we're here, with a bottle nearing empty and no review to show for it... but an empty bottle is kind of a review in and of itself, isn't it? I usually only bring and share my best, so if you're in my company and a bottle is getting low, you know it's going to be good. Such is the case for Middle West's cask strength wheated bourbon. Let's get to the real notes, shall we?
Company on Label: Middle West Spirits
Whiskey Type: Straight wheated bourbon whiskey
Mash Bill Percentages: 68% non-GMO yellow corn, 16% Ohio soft red winter wheat, 11% dark pumpernickel rye, and 5% malted 2-row barley
Proof: 122.2°
Age: 4 years
Further identification: This is batch 001 of the cask strength wheated bourbon (four grain) series, one of three new flagship offerings from Middle West, now available at an MSRP of $69.99
Nose: Lovely barrel funk escapes the glass en masse upon first lifting it to my nose. Sweet caramel, molasses, and waffle breading jump out at me before more subtle graham cracker and cinnamon layer in behind. If you're not a proof hound, this one's probably going to make you cough a little on deep inhales. Nosing this reminds me a bit of a slightly younger Stagg Jr and I'm totally here for that. There's subtle allspice, black pepper, and dank woodshop aromas galore. It's bold, but not out of line in any way. Time for a taste.
Returning the nose after a few sips brings forth sweet Whoppers, funky toffee, praline, and the dense, ephemeral beauty that inherently comes with well-aged whiskey. I'm liking whatever the Speyside cooperage is doing for these guys quite a bit. As my glass runs dry, I find subtle hints of grilled pineapple, honey, and Cherry Garcia ice cream.
Palate: My first sip presents like your first bite of cinnamon coffee cake. It's soft, flaky, and doughy in the mouth before the perfect balance of sweet and spice trickles from front to back across the tongue. The lingering mouthfeel is a touch of wild mint on the tip of tongue and Werther's everywhere else. Another sip shows off caramel popcorn, crunch chocolate bar, and peanut butter granola—I really dig everything about this whole profile. Overall everything is surprisingly subtle for the proof point. Cherry syrup and grenadine linger long after a taste. At the end of a long savored glass, I taste beignet, ganache, and raspberry tart. It lingers long into the 4th quarter, and I swoon with every sip.
TL;DR: This might just replace your favorite allocated bourbon
Rating: 4.5/5
This feels like the perfect fall whiskey, bottled at just the right proof. No water necessary. I'd say this falls somewhere between my enjoyment of Weller Antique and your average Stagg Jr batch. While the nose and finish matches the vibe of Junior pretty well, something in the middle presents just a little bit lacking, but still very clearly crushable. It's certainly a whiskey worth visiting—and then revisiting—as cooler weather comes knockin' in the Northeast.
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