J.T. Meleck continues to up their whiskey game. Earlier this year, they released a high proof small batch rice whiskey, aged four years old which I wrote about extensively, and now they have released their oldest whiskey yet, aged six years, at 110 proof. I have been told that in two more years they will have some eight year old whiskey to release.

As with so many things whiskey, time in the barrel really makes a difference, and it does so with this whiskey made from rice mash. The color is a striking mahogany, with some amber flecks, rather than the usual other way around. Big thick film and legs on the swirl. The nose is very comparable to long aged wheated bourbon, with some bread and cinnamon notes, some vanilla, and some cherry notes. Really nice. On the palate, the whiskey is medium full bodied, and really tongue coating. The flavors on the palate are imbued with lots of cherry notes, some vanilla, baking spices and clove, and if you didn’t know what you were drinking, you would think this is a long aged wheated bourbon. On the finish, the cherry notes fade and the vanilla comes to the fore along with cloves and oak.

Even though they proofed the six year old whiskey a hair (at least I assume they did; in Louisiana it is entirely possible that alcohol evaporated in the barrel over two years and the water stayed put due to high humidity) at 110 proof the whiskey is really flavorful but also really smooth. It’s not bourbon by technical definition, but it definitely has a wheated bourbon flavor profile that is really delicious. And yes, the extra two years this whiskey was in the barrel was time well spent. I can’t wait to try the eight year old. It is going to be something really special.