Review #60 - Backbone Straight Wheat Single Barrel
Today, we're looking at a single barrel offering from Backbone, and this one is a wheat whisky. Coming in at a cask strength of 59.15% ABV, and with an age only around 3 years, there is likely to be some heat, but we're hoping to find some less common flavors with the heavy wheat mashbill. That grain can often lend a more gentle characteristic to the distillate (like those 'smooth' wheated bourbons), so we may have to dig a bit deeper and unwrap some more delicate flavors.
Backbone Straight Wheat Single Barrel
USA - Wheat Whisky
Current Locally Available Price: USD 60 for a similar offering (2023)
Age Statement: 3 Years
Strength: 59.15% ABV
Details: Bottle 49 of 228; MGP mashbill with high wheat content (supposedly 95%)
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 8 months; bottles at 100%, 80%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: A bit mellow and subdued starting out, and despite some heat that comes with the ABV, there is a softer side to this. Plenty of grain character in the nose, and after sneaking around a hint of acetone, flavors of oak, sweet caramel, wood spice, and maple sugar come through. There are baking spices like cinnamon and a little bit of brown sugar, and it ends with a mild savory tang.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick and oily, but this is quite hot, with a lot of barrel spice or tannins adding to the punch. It's quite oak-forward now, with some astringency, but it adds plenty of baking spices as well - pepper, vanilla, wood sugar, clove, and even a bit of anise come to mind. With the youth comes spirit character, especially in the form of grain and a hint of maltiness; then, there is some red wine and a hint of smoky campfire, or even a barbecue. Overall, it isn't too refined.
Finish: The finish is medium in length, and there is still quite a heat kick going on. Oily and spicy, with pepper and nutmeg, and that wood tannin comes back. At the end, a very gentle sweetness comes in, but it's mild and doesn't last long.
Final Note: This is okay - because of the strength and lack of time to develop in the casks, it definitely comes across a bit hot and grainy. The flavor development isn't quite there yet, but all of that said, it isn't unpleasant to drink, just a bit simple. There are some nice baking notes, and that mild barbecue flavor was a pleasant find. Would we buy a bottle? Probably not, at least with only 3 years of aging.
Our Average Rating: 5.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.45
