Wheat bread | Amaretto | Black cherry | Marzipan | Touch of licorice

Prune | Burnt brown sugar | Nutmeg | Black cherry | Black tea

Maraschino cherry | Dark chocolate | Molasses | Charred oak | Black pepper | Very light clove

During the late 1800s, Peoria, Illinois, was one of the largest whiskey-producing regions in the world, with numerous distilleries and breweries operating throughout the city, and it soon became known as “Whiskey Capital of the World.” However, the industry collapsed during Prohibition and never regained its former glory. Black Band Distillery opened in 2021 and was created as a modern effort to restore and honor that lost distilling culture. The distillery takes pride in their locally sourced grain and is MOSA certified as a 100% organic operation.

The whiskey’s aroma opens with a wheat bread graininess that quickly gets overshadowed by strong scents of amaretto, black cherry, marzipan, and light licorice. These latter scents carry over into the palate with complementary notes of prune, burnt brown sugar, nutmeg, black cherry, and black tea. The finish follows admirably with maraschino cherry, dark chocolate, and molasses.

Throughout the whiskey’s sip, it features a light youthfulness that carries through it. Part of this is accented by the grain-forward nature of the whiskey. Being 100% organic, this is often a common trait, as producers want to put their grain notes front and center. Though tasting a strong grain note in a whiskey isn’t always loved by all whiskey drinkers.

The whiskey also features a surprisingly dark color, given that, at maximum, it can’t exceed 5 years old, given the distillery's starting date of distillation. The key here is that the distillery ages their wheat whiskey in 5 gallon barrels, giving the bourbon its dark color, but also its potent flavors. That color is a good indicator of the whiskey’s flavors, as they are dark-fruit-focused with strong charred oak on the backend. It’s these same flavors that will ultimately win you over, though. Despite being the company’s earliest distillate and needing more time to develop a better body, the flavors are spot on as is. Where a smaller barrel size was once looked down upon, they are having a creative resurgence, and Black Band Straight Wheat Whiskey is a showcase of it.

The bourbon in review is bottle number 240.