Fruge Spirits, having been hugely successful at sales of their single barrel barrel proof whiskies, is now producing a small batch high proof whiskey that will be generally available in stores. Their regular release is 96 proof, but higher proof whiskies are much in demand, and so Mike Fruge decided to meet that demand. The small batch is 118 proof and, like their other whiskey releases is aged for four years, some of which is in quarter casks, which accelerates the aging process in the hot and humid climate in South Louisiana. This bottle costs $58 at retail. One thing to note: we often think of rice as the white stuff we buy in boxes or plastic bags; white as snow after it has been milled to remove all of the husk, bran, and germ. But the rice Fruge Spirits uses is not treated that way and looks like a traditional whiskey making grain – khaki to brown in color. It isn’t just wild rice that looks like this; all rice starts out this way. Like corn, rye, and barley, rice is a grain-seed with all the things it needs for the seed to germinate and make a great alcoholic beverage. The sugar and carbohydrates provide the initial food for the seed to grow but are ripe and waiting for yeast to turn those into alcohol; the husks, the bran, and the germ contribute to flavor of beers and whiskies.

The color on this whiskey is a solid amber, and is definitely darker than what you would expect from a four year old American Whiskey. On the swirls is big thick gravity defying legs, which shows of the high proof and the quality of the whiskey; they only distill three quarter casks per day at Fruge using a painstaking process to assure the quality of their whiskey. On the nose are notes of heavy caramel, dark fruits include red grapes, and buttery fudge. On the palate is a lovely blend of vanilla and cinnamon most commonly found in wheated bourbon. There are also some bready notes in there similar to wheated bourbon on the second sip. The whiskey is medium full bodied – truly amazing given the four year aging time and is a testament to the quality of the whiskey off the still. On the finish, the cinnamon lingers along with nutmeg and cloves that, again, is very similar to really good wheated bourbon.

I continue to be impressed with Meleck’s high proof whiskey offerings, and am glad that this bottle should now be available to me regularly.