Ben Holladay 6 Year Old Soft Red Wheat Bottled-in-Bond Missouri Straight Bourbon Whiskey 700mL

Mash Bill: Corn 73% / Wheat 15% / Barley: 12%

The finest bourbon results from an ideal combination of climate and geology that is rare outside of Kentucky but is found in the rolling hills of Weston, Missouri at the Holladay Distillery. 

It is remarkable how one ingredient in a recipe can change the entire taste profile of a spirit. Holladay Soft Red Wheat is crafted with the original Holladay recipe with one substitute: wheat for the rye. Holladay Soft Red is made in the original stillhouse, barreled in Missouri white oak barrels, aged onsite in iron-clad rickhouses, and bottled at 100 proof. 

Using wheat in a bourbon mash bill often results in a softer and sweeter taste profile than a bourbon made with rye, which typically adds spice to the palate. Soft Red Wheat has lower protein levels, red bran, and minimal gluten compared to other classes of wheat. Bourbons crafted with Soft Red Wheat offer a soft, smooth finish just as the name suggests. 

Holladay Soft Red Wheat Bourbon is one of the very few bottled-in-bond wheat bourbons on the market aged 6+ years and it was worth the wait. To meet the rare and prestigious requirements to be classified as Bottled-in-Bond, a product must be distilled, aged, and bottled in the same location to assure a mark of authenticity. 

It is also classified as a Real Missouri Bourbon under a 2019 law requiring that any whiskey labeled as Missouri bourbon must not only meet the federal standards for bourbon, but also be mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled in the state; aged in oak barrels manufactured in the state; and—beginning January 1, 2020—made with corn exclusively grown in the state. 

The Holladay Distillery was founded in 1856, making it both the oldest distillery in the state of Missouri and the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi still operating on its original site. The property sits on active limestone springs that were first charted by Lewis and Clark in 1804, more than fifty years before Ben Holladay purchased the land that would later become his legacy.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Bright cherry and stone fruit with vanilla oak and graham cracker, lifted by a subtle herbal grain note.

Palate: Semi-creamy texture with toffee and charred oak upfront, followed by leather, mixed nuts, and fig. Soft vanilla wafer and red fruit add balance and depth.

Finish: Spice with lingering oak, supported by dark red fruits like black cherry, red currant, and prune. Vanilla deepens into a richer, extract-like note.

"The nose is filled with an unexpected whiff of fresh berries—strawberry, raspberry, blueberry—mixed with more traditional notes of brown sugar and baking spices. The berry flavors add a tangy zing to the palate, with a big hit of spice, brown breakfast flake cereal. A leathery aftertaste whips more heat and tartness into the finish." - Amanda Schuster, Distiller (89 Points)

"At first sip, Holladay’s wheated bourbon is a sugar-coated fruit bonanza, like strawberries dipped in powdered sugar. The flavors build subtly, requiring a few sips to orient beyond that up-front sweetness. The mouthfeel is a bit on the thin side and necessitates repeat sips to pick up on deeper flavors. (That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as this is a downright pleasant sipper.) Subsequent sips bring dark cacao and a dusting of crushed dark chocolate, which finally lends some tart balance and acidity to counteract the very sweet fruit. A small amount of fresh mint accents the midpalate, like a green sprig placed carefully on top of sweetened whipped cream." - David Tao, Drinkhacker (90 Points)

"A bold bottled in bond wheated bourbon that may take people for a surprise with a sip that layers in oak, spice, and overall ruggedness." Eric Hasman, Breaking Bourbon (Above Average)

"A wheater with a mashbill of 73% corn, 15% wheat, and 12% malted barley. Soft on the nose, aromas, barrel char, and aged oak and fresh cherries, vanilla, root beer, and aged tobacco. A rich, gooey palate with balanced sweetness, apricot, cherries, brown sugar, and strawberries, with a long finish. Nicely layered and balanced between the fruit, oak and spice. It’s mellow at 50% and doesn’t really need water." - David Fleming, Whisky Advocate (92 Points)