Situated in the old town district in Baraboo Wisconsin, the Driftless Glen Distillery was founded and constructed in 2012 by Brian and Renee Bemis. Two short years later Driftless Glenn was distilling their own spirits. The name of the distillery pays tribute to the Driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin not affected by the glacial movements that flattened the remainder of the Midwest. In contrast, the Driftless region has a more rugged landscape with rolling terrain and dramatic cliffs. The grains used at Driftless Glen come from local farms in Illinois and Wisconsin. Driftless Glen also says their fermentations are relatively long utilizing groundwater that flows up through a natural basalt providing crisp, pure, naturally sand filtered water. The distillery uses a 500-gallon Vendome pot still and a 44 foot 18 inch diameter column still that is used to produce all their bourbon, brandy and rye. This selection sounded very interesting and luckily, I was able to win a chance to snag it, so here it goes.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 5 minutes.
Distillery: Driftless Glen Distillery.
Barrel#: 2925 picked by Jay West.
Proof: 118.
Age: 6.
Mash bill: 60% Corn, 20% Rye, 20% Malted Barley.
Price: $69.
Appearance: Golden amber.
Nose
Upfront there is a lot of caramel with honey, toffee, green tea, mint and lots of orange citrus. In the mix is also a healthy amount of vanilla bean with peaches and a hint of cherry, cinnamon spice and sweet oak. The flavor profile is unique and incredible with very sweet and fruity flavors, with a great balance of herbal notes and lot of orange citrus. The nose is complex and delicious with no proof heat getting in the way.
Palate
Medium thick creamy mouthfeel. Sweet caramel, honey, orange citrus, tea, and vanilla cover the palate nicely with cinnamon spice and oak. This is on the sweeter side, but there’s just enough herbal notes and oak keeping it in check. Well-balanced cinnamon spice enters the sip with not much proof heat in the way.
Finish
Cinnamon spice continues to stay in the cheeks and tongue for a while. A good amount of oak and leather stay mostly on the back of the palate with vanilla bean, orange citrus and toffee. You are left with some nice tannins in this medium finish that last long after the spice is gone.
Conclusion
For such a new distillery, Driftless Glen has done a great job of creating a very likeable and unique bourbon. I love the elevated orange and vanilla notes with a great mix of sweet toffee and green tea and oak. This barrel tastes older than 6 years with a very good balance that drinks way below its proof.
Update
When I originally wrote this review this bottle had been my first experience with Driftless Glen. I had no way of knowing if this barrel was a typical profile for them or not. The answer is, not quite. However, there are many similarities that I’ve found in other Driftless Glen whiskeys both bourbon and rye that are similar and stand out as unique to their brand. The bottle I reviewed here in 2022 had more orange and vanilla upfront than the 2023 bottle I have. Nonetheless, Driftless Glen is an excellent craft distillery that is putting out some very good whiskey, and one to watch.
Rating: 6.510.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
