Fresh fruit salad | Slight vanilla | Light brown sugar | Fruit-forward

Crisp apple | Rye spice | Cinnamon stick | Vanilla powder | Faint butterscotch candy | Green peppercorn spice

Dry oak | Leather | Cinnamon powder | Faint mixed dried fruit | Rye spice

High Bank Distillery Co. is located in Grandview Heights, Ohio, and was co-founded by Adam Hines, who also serves as one of the company’s master distillers. Established in 2017, the company distills their own bourbon. However, the whiskey used in this Whiskey War Barrel Proof bottle is sourced and blended by the High Bank Distillery Co.

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The trend for blended sourced whiskey over the past few years has been to release as much information as possible. Whiskey War Barrel Proof takes things in the exact opposite direction and doesn’t reveal the whiskey’s age, mashbill, or distillery(s) the whiskeys in the blend were sourced from. The only information on the bottle is that it was “Blended & Bottled by High Bank Distillery Co.” along with a batch number.

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The first thing that’s noticeable about the sip is how fruit-forward it is on the nose. A strong scent of fruit salad stands atop vanilla and brown sugar. A crisp apple note carries the fruit theme forward to the midpoint, with a palate that focuses on various spices along with cinnamon and vanilla in various forms. The whiskey ends with more traditional notes, along with a faint mixed dried fruit note, which adds a nice touch of variation. While the sip delivers a nice fruity take on a more traditional whiskey, it’s a shame the company is willing to provide so few details to the consumer on even what state(s) this sourced distillate comes from. In 2025, consumers deserve more transparency, and Whiskey War Barrel Proof is certainly lacking.

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The bottle in review comes from batch number 96.

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