Big news emerged this week from Texas Hill Country.
Milam & Greene, a Blanco, Texas based whiskey distillery and blending house founded by Marsha Milam, Master Blender and CEO Heather Greene, and Master Distiller Marlene Holmes announced its latest venture, Milam & Greene Unabridged Volume 1. This combo of straight bourbons marks the first of what’s slated to be an ongoing Unabridged limited edition series, an exciting collaboration between Greene and world class spirits journalists Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich, authors of the Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. Why so exciting? This trio of friends is considered among the most respected and influential names in the whiskey universe. It stands to reason that our cups are out when a team of this caliber creates a bourbon. And yours should be, too.
“As friends and fellow whiskey-writers, the three of us had an implicit pact to support each other’s dreams,” says Heather Greene. “After publishing many books and hundreds of articles, garnering awards and thousands of tastings, Unabridged makes good on that promise. Milam & Greene Unabridged showcases the flavors a barrel can impart into bourbon over time and place.”
“Unabridged celebrates friendships unfolding throughout the unedited and messy chapters of our biographies.”
— Heather Greene, Milam & Greene Whiskey CEO and blender
What’s In The Bottle?
To make Unabridged Volume 1, the team began with 13 casks of bourbon created by Master Distiller Marlene Holmes in both Texas and Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Kentucky. Both distillates have identical mashbills of corn and malted rye and were matured at MiIam & Green’s distillery in Blanco, Texas. From there, this “broth” was spiked up with whiskeys ranging between 4-14 years from Kentucky and Tennessee and bottled cask strength at 59% ABV. The complete breakdown, totaling 38 barrels of liquid, is as follows:
- 6 Barrels: 14 Year Old Tennessee Bourbon
- 8 Barrels: 6-Year-Old Tennessee Bourbon
- 4 Barrels: 4-Year-Old Tennessee Bourbon
- 5 Barrels: 4-Year-Old Kentucky Bourbon
- 2 Barrels: 3 ½-Year-Old Texas Bourbon
- 13 Barrels: 2¾-Year-Old Texas Bourbon
How Does It Taste?
While samples are forthcoming, the company describes Unabridged Volume 1 as a “complex whiskey with a pop of spice punctuating the initial taste. The whiskey’s flavor evolves quickly into a softness on the mid-palate with toasty robustness from the malted rye. It finishes with dark cherry notes characteristic of older bourbon.” Here, Wondrich and Rothbaum offer their own tasting notes.
David Wondrich: “On the nose is an oaky, split-log tang, which is cushioned by waves of pecan pie, maple syrup, and creamed corn and a whiff of alcohol driving everything forward. The palate is rich and chewy, with cinnamon-spice oak and dark-chocolate notes to balance the richness. Long finish.”
Noah Rothbaum: “On the nose, I get strong maple syrup and caramel notes with a bit of baking spices. On the palate, I get rich dark chocolate notes, plus stone fruits and a beautiful hint of malted rye and toasted wood.”
Pricing and Availability
Unabridged Volume 1 is available at a handful of retailers in the U.S. and Canada. But your best bet is to check out Flaviar or Milam & Greene’s website. The retail MSP is $90.
About Milam & Greene
Milam & Greene Whiskey is made by some of the world’s most experienced whiskey professionals, including CEO, master blender, and author, Heather Greene and 30-year veteran and master distiller, Marlene Holmes. The Milam & Greene team distills in Blanco, Texas on copper pot stills as well as in Kentucky on classic column stills, using its proprietary yeast and grain recipes. Aging takes place in rickhouses located in four states in different casks for a variety of flavors resulting in the most thorough array of casks made and collected by any craft distiller. These casks become the ingredients from which its award-winning American whiskey range is batched to create perfection. Milam & Greene Whiskey believes in using the best people and ingredients to create delicious, award-winning whiskey for whiskey lovers. For more information visit: www.milamandgreenewhiskey.com. Connect with Milam & Greene Whiskey on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Spirits writers, marketers and designers are among the most influential forces in the spirits industry. Their opinions, ideas and creative talents inform and influence consumer perceptions and buying decisions. The John Barleycorn Society was started by a group of spirits journalists seeking to honor excellence in all facets of the industry. The journalists spent several years creating a comprehensive competition that became the John Barleycorn Awards. An elite team of authoritative and influential spirits journalists was selected to administer the flagship component of the Awards, a blind tasting competition destined to become the preeminent arbitrator of spirits taste, quality and character.
