Out of the four grains used in making whiskey, wheat is the one least represented. During my research, I found very little information on the topic. Most of my literature concerns itself with Rye, Scotch, and Bourbon. Wheat is mentioned, but as an additional ingredient to a mash, not as its own whiskey. The internet followed a similar line of reasoning, but it had a few more bits of information. Whiskey.Com had more information on wheat whiskey than any other resource I could find.
So what is wheat whiskey? Well, as the name implies, its whiskey distilled from a wheat mash. I was only able to find two sources on its regulation. They both agree that the whiskey be distilled from a mash bill of at least 51 percent wheat, with the rest of the mash made up of other grains. Bernheim Whiskey states that its whiskey is aged for two years in a new, charred white oak barrel. This conforms to a similar requirement in the U.S. for a rye whiskey to be labeled as “straight.” Whiskey.Com states that the age requirement is three years. Neither site states the ABV of the whiskey before maturation.
As I mentioned earlier, wheat whiskey is under represented in the whiskey world. For my experimentations, I was only able to find two locally, and neither can be considered straight whiskies.
The first whiskey my friends and I tried was Koval Midwest Wheat Whiskey. It is made using 100 percent “organic” wheat. It is un-aged, so it’s perfectly clear. The bouquet was baffling, in that all of us came up with different scents. Aside from different noses, we all let our drinks breathe for different lengths of time, which had a noticeable effect. I got a light bread or doughy smell, while my friends got hints of vanilla, licorice, and unripe banana/green plantain. On tasting, I had white pepper “tingle” on the tongue with a finish that was short and sweet, like frozen green grapes. Not everyone got the pepper, but they all got some sort of fruity/citric character from it. We all agreed that for an un-aged whiskey, it was smoother than expected.
The other whiskey we tried was Buffalo Trace White Dog Wheated Mash. They state, quite proudly I might add, that it is un-aged. It, too, is perfectly clear. Now, the difference from this whiskey and Koval’s is that it is not 100 percent wheat. In fact, it is very likely that wheat makes up less than 51 percent of the mash bill. So why did I get it? Well, I like Buffalo Trace as a company and this product is very similar to their bourbon recipe, replacing the rye with wheat. Also, the selection for wheat whiskey is fairly limited. But I digress. The bouquet was the first cause for debate. We came up with all sorts of descriptions: active dry yeast (the kind you add to warm water), grappa, sourdough, and sour wine. Again, scents waxed and waned when it was allowed to breathe. The second debate was the taste. I got a light oatmeal taste with a smooth finish, while someone else got Easter Bunny eyes (a kind of “dull” candy taste) with a cognac-like finish. I didn’t get any of the pepper I tasted with the other whiskey. Again, it was smoother than what you would expect from an un-aged whiskey at 114 proof.As with Rye, there seems to be an increase in the demand for wheat whiskey. Whereas Rye is having a revival, Wheat is having its dawning. From what I have gathered through research and shopping for wheat whiskey, it has only been in small batch production since 2005. Perhaps it is the novelty of trying something new and different that is creating the demand. I should also note that both of these spirits were not aged, which segues into the moonshine/poitín fad that seems to be developing. Whatever the reason, whether it enjoys the same level of success as its brother and sister grains is anybody’s guess.
