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Please read and drink responsibly.
Driftless Glen Distillery was founded by Brian and Reneé Bemis, and is located it in the Baraboo Valley of Wisconsin. This is near a region known as the Driftless Area which escaped the flattening effects of glaciation during the ice age. The result is an area that is in stark contrast to the flatness of the broader Midwest and central Plains regions. According to the company, the region is “rich with peat, bogs, an amazing aquifer, and uncommon sandy soil for our grains to grow in,” which provides a favorable environment for spirit production.
The whiskeys come in impressive custom designed bottles that feature embossed glass fingerprints of the company’s owners on either side, “Driftless Glen” on the front, and the company’s windmill icon on the back. Contrasting the beautiful bottle, is the distillery’s label that is largely unimpactful and is in need of a revamp.
The company produces all of their whiskey from locally sourced grain and currently sports a 4+ year age statement. They age their whiskey in 25 and 30 gallon barrels in order to accelerate maturation. This is probably why their whiskeys feature a darker-than-expected color.
The company also allows private selections of their products in single barrel form and at barrel proof. Impressively, the price is reasonable for a craft distillery where such attributes are usually come at a premium price. Seelbach’s sent us three of their current private selections to taste and provide our tasting notes for.
Classification: Straight Bourbon
Company: Driftless Glen
Distillery: Driftless Glen
Release Date: Ongoing
Proof: 125
Age: 4 Years, 2 Months
Mashbill: 60% Corn, 20% Rye, 20% Malted Barley
MSRP: $58 (2019)
Nose: Pecan, dish soap, mustiness, wet rock
Palate: Butter pecan pie, corn, walnut, cinnamon, slight clove
Finish: Oak, leather, dark chocolate
Overall: The nose is certainly unique. It’s not so strong that it detracts from the rest of the sip, but is also hard to forget. The palate also has a unique tasting element that I can’t quite put my finger on. I’m not sure if it’s the result of a bunch of different flavors interacting with each other, or one note on its own. In the end, this is interesting bourbon to say the least. It clearly won’t be for everyone, and will appeal to the more adventurous type.
Classification: Straight Rye
Company: Driftless Glen
Distillery: Driftless Glen
Release Date: Ongoing
Proof: 125.2
Age: 4 Years, 3 Months
Mashbill: 75% Rye, 25% Malted Barley
MSRP: $58 (2019)
Nose: Youthful grain, light rye spice, strawberry cream, minty pine
Palate: Sugar cookies, peanuts, orange marmalade
Finish: Hot, mixed fruits, rye spice
Overall: It comes off a bit hot and does better when a few drops of water are added. I enjoyed the flavor profile quite a bit, but it’s slightly marred by youthful grain notes.
Classification: Rye
Company: Driftless Glen
Distillery: Driftless Glen
Release Date: 2019
Proof: 123 Proof
Age: 4 Years, 3 Months
Mashbill: 75% Rye, 25% Malted Barley
MSRP: $58 (2019)
Nose: Roses, green candied apples, fresh mint, grain
Palate: Caramel creams, rye grain, candy corn
Finish: Mellow oak
Overall: It comes down a little hot on the finish but overall this is a sweet and easy drinking rye. Its flavor profile is on the simpler side, but it works well combining caramel creams and candy corn against its hot oaky finish.
The samples used for this review were provided at no cost courtesy of Seelbach’s. We thank them for the samples and for allowing us to review them with no strings attached
