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One thing I find interesting about the Castle & Key brand is how they leaned into wheated bourbon early into their inception. You might say “so what? wheated bourbon isn’t special” but out of all the types of bourbon to get right when you’re first starting up, it seems like wheated is the hardest to nail.
I think part of the reason why good wheated bourbon is difficult to create is because it usually requires extra maturation time in order for the spirit to really shine. I’ve had some young (under 4 years old) wheated bourbons that taste like astringent dough and magic marker. And no, I’m not making those flavors up, they’re common across the board in young, wheated products I’ve had from craft distilleries.
Castle & Key seemed like they were willing to devote the time and resources to making sure they got their recipe right from the start. Marianne Eaves developed a mash bill that used two unique grains – white corn (which is used more for human consumption, like in cooking) and white wheat. These were chosen more for their mellow characteristics which would allow the flavors that the yeast produces to shine more brightly in the final product. The final mash bill she came up with was 73% White Corn, 10% White Wheat, 17% Malted Barley. Of note, that’s a huge amount of malted barley compared to other bourbons out there. The average for Kentucky bourbons seems to be around 10%.
Some other characteristics that should make Castle & Key’s wheated bourbon stand out from the rest include using a sweet mash (as opposed to a sour mash), a low fermentation temperature and low barrel entry proof. In regards to the low fermentation temperature, I find that interesting because almost every distillery ferments their mash between 70 to 90 degrees (Fahrenheit). Go below that and the yeast will take forever to digest the sugars. Go above that and the yeast will start dying off. Apparently the optimal fermentation temperature is 78 degrees, so what temperature exactly does C&K ferment at?
As far as the proofs go, Castle & Key seems to be low across the board. They distill to 135 proof (most of the industry is a few proof points above that) and barrel at 107 proof. That’s lower than Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace (Weller), MGP and Heaven Hill. Then the barrels either get rolled into Warehouse B (a super-long, low lying warehouse known for its low temperatures) or Warehouse E (a multi-story concrete warehouse with thick floors and walls). Either way, these warehouses run much cooler than any of their competitors which results in barrels typically losing proof as they mature.
When Castle & Key originally rolled out with their first wheated bourbon in 2022, it was still young at just five years old. Initial reviews were not positive and likely set the brand back many years because enthusiasts made up their minds on the quality of distillate the distillery could put out. And whenever I’ve stopped into liquor stores around Kentucky, I noticed many of these bottles marked from 2023 still remain on the shelves.
But a new day is upon us – in late 2024, they took the next logical step to persuade enthusiasts that their wheated bourbon is the real deal. Wrapped up in a shiny new red label, Castle & Key Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon is begging for our forgiveness. I didn’t get my first chance to try this until the Spring of 2025 (straight from the barrel, that’s my picture above) and then again in the late Fall of the same year (from the bottle I’m reviewing today), but I must say that comparing my notes from both, they’re very similar. So what was it like? Read on. For my tasting notes, I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: A big sweet and floral nose awaits as I poke my nose into the glencairn. The sweetness comes from caramel, powdered sugar and vanilla cupcakes while the floral notes smell like a bouquet of flowers (lilacs and mums). Baking spices are robust, but do not come off as spicy or hot. That’s probably because the proof isn’t above 106 on this one even at cask strength. There are some fruit scents, although I was expecting a little bit more – mainly citrus flesh and some light cherries. The oak is beginning to develop nicely in this bottle and it’s already beginning to smell much more mature than the last batched version I tried. Overall, the nose is competent without having any youthfulness drag it down.
Palate: The youthfulness is almost completely gone from the liquid. Instead, I’m surprised to find a very viscous, sweet bourbon. Gone are the underdeveloped powdered sugar notes and instead it’s replaced by a nice caramel. I wouldn’t say it’s developed into a butterscotch note yet (the official press release states it has that flavor, but I disagree). But I can see it gaining that holy grail of bourbon notes in a few more years. Tannic notes are nicely offset by the sweet notes, but I am picking up on some seasoned and musty oak notes. Both add some good character to this dram that was missing with the 5-year-old version.
Spice notes maintain the perfect balance of attention grabbing (soft nutmeg is dominant), but it never comes off as hot. The floral notes from the nose are immediately identifiable on the palate. Only a light “grassiness” exists which is common in less-established wheated bourbons. I’m assuming some bourbon novices might not identify them because they’re still somewhat light. Finally, there are some lighter fruit notes like citrus and raisins. It’s an odd combo!
Finish: Lingering sweetness, a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon and some light sweet oak dominate on the finish. Everything wraps up on a pleasant note and I can’t pick out anything offputting. Even the citrus notes hangs around after the sip is complete.
Score: 7.6/10
I’m quite pleased with what Castle & Key has put out with this release. They seem to have the proof in front of them that their wheated bourbon is coming along nicely. It’s also great to see another wheated bourbon in the market that can hold its own. Do I think it would beat a Weller Antique in a taste test? No. But not everything has to be competitive in the whiskey universe, even though I get why people want comparisons.
On its own, I think this gives us enthusiasts everything we want. The retail price of ~$65/bottle seems perfect – even a bit low if I’m being honest – but don’t let that drive you away by assuming it’s because nobody wants to buy it. C&K is just trying to get this into the hands of more people so they can see how much they’ve progressed.
Final Thoughts
Value and taste are the main drivers for me to recommend others to buy this bottle. Plus, the packaging remains some of the best in the industry. I know that Castle & Key has a long way to go to rehabilitate their image in others minds, but I urge you to give this one a try if you have written them off in the past. You might just find they’re worthy of your wallet.