Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon Review

Castle & Key
Wheated Bourbon
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Batch 1, 49 Barrels
Age: 5 years
100 Proof
MSRP: $59.99
Review

Please enjoy our Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon Review!

First There Was Castle & Key “Rye” Bourbon. Now There Is Castle & Key “Wheated” Bourbon.

Castle & Key Releases Their First Bourbons

Earlier this year, Castle & Key Distillery released their first bourbon to be bottled under their own label. It was a “rye” bourbon, meaning that it used the traditional bourbon mashbill consisting of corn, rye and malted barley. There have been 6 different Castle & Key “Rye” Bourbon releases as of October 2022, all being different small batch bourbons. Fast forward to earlier this month, when Castle & Key released their first “wheated” bourbon. What’s a wheated bourbon, you might ask? Well, instead of using rye as the secondary grain after corn, wheat is used. In this case, the mashbill is 73% white corn, 10% white wheat, and 17% Kentucky malted barley.

Why Wheat?

Wheat adds a different character to bourbon than rye, notably a softer, sometimes fruitier, character. Think of Maker’s Mark or Weller, which are both wheated bourbons, yet both quite different. So far there are two different Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon releases, Batch 1 and Batch 2. Batch 1 was the one that I was able to purchase at their release event, and that’s the one I am tasting. So, how is the new Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon? Let’s find out!

Tasting Notes

Let’s taste it:

🛌 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉Nose: Syrupy sweetness, brown sugar, dark cherry, cookie dough, cinnamon, graininess, almost like graham crackers & hint of maple syrup and floral notes; moderate alcohol
👉Taste: Simple syrup sweetness, graininess, caramel, cinnamon, barrel char; some cookie dough later on
👉Finish: Oak and light barrel char rise to the forefront, graininess remains, cinnamon lingers, some spice comes forward as the other flavors fade into the moderately long finish. Relatively mild burn.

Wheated Bourbon is a little “Softer”

The Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon Batch 1 is a bit “softer” than their original “rye” bourbon. After all, that was the goal. However, it has a noticeable graininess throughout, almost graham cracker like at times, and at times a little reminiscent of a bowl of oatmeal. Or, maybe that should be wheatmeal, if that is a thing? Cinnamon adds a bit of spice, particularly towards the finish, but there is plenty of sweetness, too, especially early on. After the bottle has been open for a couple of weeks, cinnamon becomes even more prominent throughout the sip and the graininess & graham cracker less so. That’s interesting, since I got a considerable amount of cinnamon in the batch 2 of the Castle & Key (“rye”) Bourbon that I reviewed a few months back, also.

Conclusion

Overall, I am enjoying this bourbon. It still has some telltale flavors, including the cinnamon that I often get from younger column distilled bourbons. If these are flavors that you enjoy, then give Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon a try!

(Note: As of late 2024, Castle & Key released a 7 year old cask strength version of their wheated bourbon. It has more mature full bourbon flavors, and may appeal to a wider range of bourbon drinkers. Review coming soon!)

We hope you have enjoyed our Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon Review! If you would like to read about other Castle & Key Whiskeys, check out our Castle & Key (“Rye”) Bourbon Review and our Castle & Key Restoration Rye Review! Also, check out our article: Wheated Bourbon: The Ultimate Guide to learn about more bourbons in this category.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!