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| - About a month or so ago, I had the pleasure of tasting a great Wisconsin Straight Bourbon called J. Henry & Sons. I had no idea just how brand new this whiskey was - everything was just bottled in March. I was intrigued to learn more about it.
Today my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting the J. Henry & Sons farm, where the corn is grown and the whiskey is aged. We met with Joe Henry, the patriarch, who showed us around. Joe is incredibly down-to-earth and very easy to speak with. His passion about his Bourbon is evident. He wanted us to experience and understand what was going on at his little slice of heaven.
We started off in the Tasting Room, which is the first floor of the family home. The Tasting Room is currently open on an appointment-only basis, and, again, is so new that it isn't yet fully furnished. The Henrys have put a lot of thought and effort into the design of the Tasting Room. It is complete with coffered ceilings, a display cabinet for the Bourbon, a bar-height counter, and several round high-top tables to sit, enjoy and sample.
We walked down to the rickhouse, which was formerly the family's dairy barn. The rickhouse exposes the Bourbon to the bitter cold winters and the warm, humid summers. There's no climate-control, the aging process is completely based upon Mother Nature. As you enter, there's a collection of experimental barrels of whiskey. The rest of the rickhouse is stacked with barrels of the J. Henry & Sons Bourbon, aging gracefully for five years prior to bottling. Using his whiskey thief, he let us sample from a barrel that had been aging only a few months. Although still effectively White Dog, you could taste the barrel's potential. In another barrel, Joe let us sample some barrel-aged, proofed water, something that could be used to marry with the aged Bourbon. It was definitely interesting (in a good way).
As stated earlier, the Henrys grow their own corn. This isn't just any corn, this is a special heirloom red corn developed in the 1930s by the University of Wisconsin. The large kernels have a fatter germ that leaves more starch behind. This red corn makes 60% of the mash. The Henrys also grow their own wheat and rye. The actual distilling, while not yet done on premises, is done in Wisconsin.
Aged in #3 charred barrels, the mash creates a delicious Small Batch Bourbon. Custard hits you up front, with some brioche and toffee flavors and a soft spice. The creamy custard returns again for a lingering finish. The golden amber produces incredible legs on the glass and yields a very smooth finish. We were able to sample both the 92-proof bottling and the not-yet-released 120-proof cask strength version. This cask-strength version is easily enjoyed without water and produces little-to-no burn.
Found for around $50 a bottle, if the Henrys can get their name out there and entice people to sample it, J. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon could (and should) become the Next Big Thing.
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