Roasted grain | Barrel char | Fruit cake | Mixed nuts | Herbal | Rich

Stewed dark fruit | Roasted grain | Silky smooth mouthfeel

Prune | Seasoned oak | Fudge | Toffee | Faint tannic oak | Coffee bean

It seems like with every passing year, we’re hearing more and more from Minnesota based distilleries. You might be surprised to find out that J. Carver Distillery was founded in 2012 and has been making bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskey ever since. The distillery’s “Spirits of Discovery” is their motto, which is exactly what Two Souls is doing by bringing this release into the spotlight. Pulled from some of J. Carver Distillery’s oldest whiskey stock, this wheat whiskey is also noteworthy as it was aged in an Atlas cooperage barrel, a now-defunct cooperage that Two Souls Spirits says were known for their barrel’s unique-tasting influence on aging bourbon.

Featuring an impressive 8+ year age statement, this wheat whiskey is bold from start to finish. A big roasted grain scent flows nicely into heavy barrel char, fruit cake, and mixed nut scents. The aroma is herbal-leaning on the backend and is wonderfully complex. The palate features less flavor notes, but they come in the form of a big stewed fruit note that is dark and brooding. Combined with more roasted grain notes and capped off with a silky smooth mouthfeel. Finally, the end of the sip focuses on a velvet prune note before seasoned oak, tannic oak, and a hint of coffee bean conclude the long finish.

Two Souls Minnesota Straight Wheat Whiskey “Packin’ Wheat” is another example of how important curators like Two Souls Spirits are. They are helping bring attention to distilleries that either get overlooked or have a hard time standing out in a crowded whiskey marketplace. Combined with a release that was hand-picked based on its high age and robust flavor profile, “Packing Wheat” is another winner from Two Souls.

Two Souls Minnesota Straight Wheat Whiskey “Packin’ Wheat” is a 105 bottle release and the bottle in review was #6.