Strawberry | White grape | Prune | Seasoned oak | Leather

Raisin | Apricot | Cocoa powder | Charred oak | Honeycomb | Juicy red berries

Prune | Cranberry | Black cherry | Dates | Dried cherry | Dry charred oak

Remus Master Distiller Experimental Series is part of the company’s direct-to-consumer whiskey club. MGP has its fans, but because it's so plentiful in the market, many will wonder why anyone would want to sign up for a whiskey club to buy more of it. Having had conversations with Ross & Squibb Master Distiller Ian Stirsman in the past, our takeaway is that when he offers you something that has garnered extra attention from him, you should take note. He had big shoes to fill after taking on the job as master distiller after longtime distiller Greg Metze retired in 2016. Stirsman, having worked at MGP since he was young, was still considered young by master distiller standards when he took the head job, but that youthfulness has helped breathe new life into Ross & Squibb Distillery, and the Experimental Series is a testament to that.  

We’ve seen plenty of tawny port, ruby port, Oloroso sherry, and a few white port finished whiskeys before, even a triple port finished bourbon too, but never one with all four in one whiskey - and a wheat one to boot. MGP announced in mid-2014 that they were starting to distill wheat whiskey, and Experimental Series: No. 2, distilled in 2017, is among the oldest wheat whiskeys the company has released. Though plenty of other companies have finished Ross & Squibb Distillery’s whiskey, it is far less common to see it from MGP itself.

Given how this wheat whiskey was finished, it should be no surprise that its flavor profile is sweet and juicy. Red fruits in their many different shades make up the majority of its flavors. But slowly over the course of its sip, some of its sweetness falls away, replaced by more dark fruits and a dried cherry note, before ending with noticeable dry charred oak. It’s a very dynamic sip that never stays in one place for too long. Its complexity, paired with staying power, will make an immediate impression on you. Featuring 95% wheat in its mashbill might not be for everyone, but it's yet another layer that adds intrigue to this release. If company-created whiskey clubs are the future, it's releases like this that will help justify them to whiskey geeks.