The wonderful thing about bourbon is that despite being a tightly defined category within the larger world of American whiskey, there is still plenty of room for creativity. By definition, bourbon must be made from a grain mash bill that is at least 51 percent corn. In general, there’s also at least 5 percent malted barley to get things rolling during the fermentation process. That other 54 percent can be pretty much any grain, though it’s usually some combination of wheat, rye, or more corn. And this is where so-called wheated bourbon comes in. In short, a wheated bourbon is one where wheat is the second most important grain in the mash bill.
It’s likely if you’ve spent any time sipping bourbon (and avoided describing that bourbon as “smooth”), you’ve heard the term wheated whiskey. You’ve probably enjoyed a dram or two, even if you didn’t realize it. The style has gained traction in the past decade or so, largely in the wake of the viral popularity of hard-to-score Pappy Van Winkle expressions. In fact, you can probably find dozens of articles titled along the lines of “Wheated Bourbons That Aren’t Pappy Van Winkle.”
But the fact is, lots of brands emphasize wheat in their bourbons, not only because it’s popular at the moment, but because it adds a soft, complex sweetness to the whiskey, compared with the subtle nutty, buttery-sweet nature of corn, or the spice and heat that comes from a rye component.
Wheated whiskey is not an official category
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) does not have a legal description for wheated bourbon, in the way it recently designated American single malt as an official category. While no industry standard exists, you’ll generally find at least 15 percent wheat in most wheated bourbons, and often more. Wheat whiskey, which is an official category, is not bourbon: Its mash bill must be at least 51 percent wheat.
What was the first wheated bourbon? It depends upon whom you ask. Wheat was an influential whiskey grain by the 1810s (bourbon first appears around 1821). While some suspect early bourbon producers Henry McKenna or William Larue (WL) Weller could have used wheat by the 1850s, it’s not until the mid-1930s that Louisville’s famous Stitzel-Weller distillery began making definitive wheated bourbon. That recipe eventually became part of Pappy Van Winkle’s make-up. It’s alleged that Stitzel-Weller’s Julian Van Winkle, Sr. shared that recipe with Bill Samuels of Maker’s Mark fame (another popular wheated bourbon), thus expanding the category.
There were practical reasons why wheat became prominent in Kentucky whiskeys. Rye grows well in the northeastern U.S., and was the prevalent whiskey grain for the former Colonies. As the country expanded west to Kentucky and Tennessee, corn and wheat were common crops. Crafting whiskey from these grains made sense. According to “Bourbon Curious: A Simple Tasting Guide for the Savvy Drinker” by Fred Minnick, wheat is the fourth largest cash crop in Kentucky.
What does wheated bourbon taste like?
Different grains impart distinctive flavors and characteristics to a distillate. Bourbon is different from rye whiskey for this reason. Try comparing a wheated bourbon, a bourbon with a high corn content, and a so-called high rye bourbon side by side. Wheat is known for “softening” bourbon and creating a rounder spirit. The wheat component is milder than rye, with a fruity complexity and a hint of sweetness. In contrast, corn imparts a bold, buttered popcorn note (also sweet). Bourbons with a larger rye component generally taste “hotter,” with a spicy bite and a pepper-coffee finish.
Though Pappy Van Winkle arguably brought the style to the attention of whiskey drinkers everywhere, its expressions are expensive and hard to find. Other popular, cheaper options include Larceny, 1792, and Old Fitzgerald. Not all wheated bourbons are the same. Where Maker’s Mark has a mash bill that features 16% wheat, Old Elk, a newer Colorado distillery takes the concept to the extreme.
“To be different than all others on the shelf, I took the wheat content to 46%,” Old Elk master distiller Greg Metze told Chowhound. For Metze, this allowed “the characteristics of the wheat to shine through the robust characteristics of the corn.”
Even the variety of wheat may impact a bourbon’s flavor. In 2023, Buffalo Trace launched Daniel Weller. The brand aims to explore the impact wheat strains have on a bourbon. The first release used Emmer, a strain with origins in ancient Egypt. We shall see.
