Milam & Greene distilled bourbon and put it in casks to age. Half were aged five years in Kentucky, and half were aged five years in Texas, specifically Blanco, Milam & Greene’s home. This was to answer questions about the effects of different climates on aging. Many had been saying that Texas whiskies just age much more quickly. As my wife and I sampled and compared, my take is that the two locations make a profound difference, but it is not as simple as one aging more quickly than the other. The basic juice was corn, malted barley, and malted rye, and 53 gallon barrels were used. M&G of course did a pretty detailed chemical analysis, but the real test is in the Glencairn. While you can clearly taste that the same mashbill was used, that is, to this palate, where the similarity ends. The Kentucky had a pronounced fire on the front end and a very unctuous malted grain mouthfeel. The Texas was much smoother and more refined, a beautifully balanced whiskey. The Angels of Blanco are more tipsy, and the much higher evaporation loss led to the Texas barrel proof being much higher. Note that higher barrel proof does not necessarily mean less smooth. It would be fascinating to continue playing with the Kentucky aging and see if two to four more years in the rickhouse brings the two approaches into closer alignment. If you can find The Answer, this was a cool experiment.
For Father’s Day I visited Blanco. My son in law built that initial distillery, and his original mashbill, barreled in his cask specifications, was getting bottled. Having rested from late 2017/early 2018, I am confident it will be at or near perfection. It has been a long time since my last test, taken from the barrel with the tube after about a year. I even liked it when it was white lightning!
