This week on The Whiskey Trip Podcast, Big Chief takes a ride to Danville, Kentucky to chat with Dr. Pat Heist, co-founder of Wilderness Trail Distillery.

Dr. Heist tells Big Chief and listeners how his partner Shane and himself went from playing heavy metal music to being the leaders in fermentation. Their work with distilleries around the world would and their love of whiskey provided the passion to create their own distillery.

Pat explains that they use age old traditions, but improve them with science. Wilderness Trail Distillery’s products are handcrafted with precision focusing solely on a unique sweet mash process and producing consistent great tasting award winning spirits.

They start the show by sipping on their wheated straight bourbon whiskey. This bottled in bond 64 % corn, 24 % wheat and 12 % malted barley is one of the big man’s favorites with its high wheat and malted barley. The sweet mash takes away the burn. They then move onto the rye bourbon expression that is made up of those same percentages as the wheat. The rye adds that spice that’s great in any cocktail.

To start the second half they sip on the rye whiskey that has a 56% rye 33% corn and 11% malted barley is the perfect example of a Kentucky rye. This is a balanced whiskey of flavor offset from higher rye mash bills. They finish off the show with their bottled in bond rye bourbon that has become a fan favorite. If Big Chief had to pick a rye bourbon to drink for the rest of his life, this would be it.

This ride on The Whiskey Trip showcases a brand that has risen to the top of the industry in short timing.

Cheers!