The Wollershiem Winery and Distillery has a long history. It is located in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. The family started making wine and brandy in the 1800s. Prohibition shut them down and the family started the winery again in the 1980s, but Wisconsin law did not allow wineries to distill. The state law was changed in 2009 and the family started to distill soon afterwards. They soon expanded to make a Bourbon along with their brandy and other spirits.
I was gifted a bottle of their Bonded Bourbon recently and Matt and I tasted it. We were both impressed with the quality of the whiskey and we decided to make it our Whiskey of the Month for December. Here are our tasting notes.
Wollersheim Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
Proof: 100
Age: Four Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, apricots, baking spices and oak wood. Very brandy-like on the nose.
- Matt: Vanilla, berries, a hint of mint, oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, apricots and plums, cinnamon and nutmeg spices, and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the cinnamon is enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla is enhanced and a note of milk chocolate comes forward.
- Matt: Vanilla, blackberry jam with a little mint jelly, and oak wood. The dried cranberry added some cinnamon spice. The pecan brought out flavors of buttered pecan and chocolate.
Finish:
- Mike: Lots of oak and cinnamon with lingering apricot sweetness. The dried cranberry made the finish very spicy with lots of cinnamon and oak. The pecan made the finish very long with oak and lingering vanilla and chocolate notes.
- Matt: Long with oak and Andes Mint candy. The dried cranberry shortened the finish and added some spice. The pecan made the finish long with oak, toasted peanuts and lingering chocolate.
I would pair this fine Bourbon with a Padron Maduro 1964 Anniversario cigar. I think the vanilla and cedar spice of the smoke will pair well with the vanilla and spice of the Bourbon.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller