Frank August Case Study: 05 Wheated Reserve 5 Barrel Batch Bourbon Whiskey 750ml

Frank August Case Study: 05 Wheated Reserve 5 Barrel Batch Bourbon Whiskey. Frank August, Lexington, Kentucky — the fifth installment of the experimental Case Study series, a highly exclusive wheated bourbon blended from just five hand-selected barrels that replaces the standard rye grain in the mash bill with wheat, producing a softer, rounder, and more dessert-forward profile with toasted marshmallow, warm cinnamon roll, baked pear, and brown sugar on the nose and silky honeycomb, stewed stone fruits, hazelnut, and vanilla frosting on the palate.

Wheated bourbon — where wheat replaces rye as the secondary grain in the mash bill alongside corn and malted barley — produces a fundamentally different character than the rye-based mash bills Frank August used in the preceding Case Studies. Rye contributes pepper, spice, and herbal dryness; wheat contributes sweetness, softness, and a rounder, more accessible mouthfeel. The most famous wheated bourbons — Pappy Van Winkle, W.L. Weller — are prized precisely for the approachability and sweetness that wheat creates without sacrificing the oak depth that age provides.

Case Study: 05 is Frank August's formal investigation of what their small batch philosophy produces with a wheated mash bill: five barrels, hand-selected for their specific wheated character, blended to create a unified, coherent expression. The 5-barrel batch is deliberately limited — enough to establish the wheated character Frank August wants to present, small enough to maintain the precision and traceability that the Case Study name demands.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Toasted marshmallow, warm cinnamon rolls, baked pear, and brown sugar. The wheated mash bill's characteristic softness and sweetness are immediately apparent — more dessert-like than spice-forward.
• Palate: Silky layers of honeycomb, stewed stone fruits, hazelnut, and vanilla frosting. The wheat creates the smooth, rounded mouthfeel that defines the style. Complex and indulgent without the pepper edge that rye-based bourbons carry.
• Finish: Long and refined with spiced caramel, clove, and soft oak dryness. The wheat's natural sweetness carries through to a close that is elegant rather than assertive.

Specs

• Producer: Frank August, Lexington, Kentucky
• Series: Case Study: 05
• Mash Bill: Wheated bourbon (wheat replaces rye as secondary grain)
• Batch: 5 barrels (limited)
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Wheated, Small Batch
• ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
• Size: 750ml

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What does Frank August Case Study 05 Wheated Reserve taste like? Toasted marshmallow, cinnamon roll, baked pear, and brown sugar on the nose. Silky honeycomb, stewed stone fruits, hazelnut, and vanilla frosting on the palate. Long refined finish with spiced caramel, clove, and soft oak.
• What is wheated bourbon? Bourbon where wheat replaces rye as the secondary grain alongside corn and malted barley. Wheat produces sweetness, softness, and a rounder mouthfeel rather than rye's pepper and spice. The most celebrated American bourbons — Pappy Van Winkle, W.L. Weller — are wheated, prized for their approachability and natural sweetness.
• How does Case Study 05 fit in the Frank August series? Case Studies 01–04 explored finishing barrels (Mizunara, XO PX Brandy), a new grain category (rye), and a multi-oak program (4X Oaked). Case Study 05 is the series' first exploration of mash bill variation — what Frank August's small batch approach produces when wheat replaces rye in the grain bill. A different angle on the same fundamental question of what makes great bourbon.