Old Elk gets behind wheat whiskey

The new release from Colorado-based producer Old Elk shows the brand’s continued commitment to the oft-forgotten style.

As a non-distiller producer, Old Elk prides itself on using unconventional mashbills and inventive cask finishes to elevate its whiskey. With an agreement to distil with MGP, and former MGP master distiller Greg Metze at the helm, the producer is hoping to elevate the perceptions surrounding contract distillation and explore new whiskey styles and flavours in the process. Its latest release finishes straight wheat whiskey in Cognac barrels. For Old Elk, which is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, wheat presents an opportunity to explore a softer style of whiskey while also forming an identity around a category that is neither Bourbon or rye. “We knew that we wanted to be a distillery that was known for innovation, for new mash bills and, quite frankly, challenging the consumer base,” said CEO Luis Gonzalez about when the brand was formulating products between 2012 and 2016. “What is going to be the next rye? It's wheat, and as our wheats have continued to age, Old Elk is very much geared and prepared to make it something great and something big.” Cognac cask Finish Wheat is bottled at 47.5% ABV and priced at US$90. The whiskey is made from a mash of 95% soft red winter wheat and 5% malted barley. It is aged for at least six years and finished in Limousin Cognac casks for six months to a year. On the nose, it shows aromas of apricot, sandalwood, caramel and candied orange, while the palate delivers honeycomb and orange blossom. Old Elk debuted its straight wheat whiskey in 2020 alongside a straight rye and blended straight Bourbon. The brand distils for three months a year at MGP then ages, finishes, blends, and bottles in Colorado. “[MGP] does a great job of what it does. We've got a great relationship. But we're not going to do commodity mash bills,” Gonzalez said. The wheat whiskey plays a key role, with the limited edition cask-finished releases helping to spotlight the spirit. “The palate, even at the expert level, is changing for what to expect in a whiskey,” said master blender Melinda Maddox. “There's a lot of education that needs to happen, and so part of that is us doing things like finishing [whiskey] in different casks to make it more interesting and approachable.”