BARREL SELECTION (RICKHOUSE C)
Bottled: March 2023
Floor 7: 0%
Floor 6: 16%
Floor 5: 0%
Floor 4: 52%
Floor 3: 0%
Floor 2: 14%
Floor 1: 18%
Rickhouse Proof:
59.5% ALC./VOL. | 119 (PROOF)
Kyle’s Notes:
Holladay Soft Red Wheat Bourbon is the newest addition to our bourbon family. Soft Red, as we call it, is aged six years, bottled-in-bond, and is made of the same mash bill as our Ben Holladay Bourbon with one exception – we switched wheat for rye. It’s amazing how one ingredient can make a world of difference in bourbon. By changing out one ingredient, we have created a flavor profile that is sweeter and softer than our original recipe.
Now, how does changing out grains make this much of a difference? It’s all in the protein. Soft red wheat is known for having lower protein levels and minimal gluten. This wheat also has a different gelatinization temperature than rye and a distinct chemical breakdown due to differing amino acid concentrations between wheat and rye.
During the fermentation process, the yeast will consume the sugar that was extracted from the grains during the cook process to create ethanol. However, amino acids are also extracted from the grain during the cook process and yeast will consume those during fermentation as well. The yeast will use this to produce higher alcohols and esters, which are known as congeners in our industry (meaning any compound besides ethanol). Essentially, by switching the grains we are changing the congener profile of the distillate before putting it in a barrel.
