Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon Review [In Depth]
Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon Details
Distillery: Mary Dowling (probably Rabbit Hole)
Type & Region: Bourbon, Kentucky, USA
Alcohol: 45.5%
Composition: 65% corn, 25% winter wheat, 10% malted barley
Aged: At least 4 years
Color: 1.4/2.0 on the color scale (tawny)
Price: $55
From the company website:
Having lived a life immersed in the pursuit of artisanal mastery, Mary Dowling e manated a vibrant energy of resilience and daring. Mary Dowling Winter Wheat serves as a testament to her unwavering dedication and deep respect for the artistry inherent in bourbon craftsmanship. This meticulously crafted Winter Wheat recipe undergoes a transformative aging process within #3, wood-fired, toasted, and charred new American oak barrels, unfurling a captivating bouquet of aroma. Notes of ripe cherry, oak, and hints of dark stone fruit tantalize the senses, setting the stage for an exquisite tasting experience. With each sip, the palate is enveloped in a symphony of flavors, as lush caramel, roasted nuts, and golden honey dance across the tongue. The journey culminates in a velvety smooth finish, adorned with delicate nuances of allspice, cinnamon, and a whisper of black pepper.
Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon overview
Kaveh Zamanian, owner of Rabbit Hole Distillery and Mary Dowling Whiskey, is back with a new release – Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon, which is also finished in toasted oak barrels. Mary Dowling refers to a not well known whiskey pioneer. To learn more, I recommend that you check out the website because it’s very informative.
So this bourbon is a 4 year old wheated bourbon that I believe is finished in toasted barrels for an undisclosed amount of time. The part about finishing is actually vague and confusing because the media release and the website both try their best to be opaque about the bourbon.
The media release writes “4+ year aging process in #3 wood-fired, toasted and charred new American oak barrels. The special combination of a Wheated Mash Bill and aging in toasted barrels…”, and I honestly can’t decipher if there’s a finish. Who’s writing these vague descriptions?
The only saving grace is the website, which definitely states at the top of the page that it’s “wheated bourbon finished in toasted barrels”. But after that, the website goes back to talking around it again. It’s so odd. After sifting through the website and media release, what I gather is that the wheated bourbon is initially aged in heavy toasted and Char #3 New American Oak barrels, then finished in lightly toasted and char #1 New American Oak barrels. Meaning, you could call this a double oak bourbon if you wanted to.
You know what, I just realized that the mashbill for this bourbon is exactly the same as Mary Dowling Double Oak Cask Strength Bourbon, which I rated “Top Shelf”. Now I’m really confused as to why this release was branded as “Winter Wheat”. Is it mainly the lower ABV version of that double oak bourbon? “Winter wheat” isn’t misleading, but it’s not the only Mary Dowling release to use winter wheat in the mashbill.
I also have a bone to pick about the bourbon’s name – “Winter Wheat”. Winter wheat itself isn’t as unique as it sounds. A lot of Kentucky distilleries use winter wheat, including Maker’s Mark, so I’m not sure why the Mary Dowling team chose to highlight that.
Winter wheat sounds interesting and different, but it’s actually not. It’d be like calling a bourbon Rabbit Hole Bourbon “Yellow Corn” because the mashbill has 75% corn in it. I don’t know why, but I’m in a feisty mood for this review. Hopefully bourbon can stand out for me.
I’m getting off of this topic because all these details are bothering me and I’d rather shut up and drink some bourbon. Let’s find out if the newest release is a clear success in this Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon review.
This bottle was provided to me at no cost. All opinions are still my own.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon smell
I smell dark caramel, seasoned oak, marshmallows, baked red apples, cinnamon, dark chocolate, dried orange peel, and a little bit of dried dates. Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon is surprisingly not super dark and woody, but there’s still some added toastiness and spice.
There’s nice sweetness, toasted oakiness, fruit, and spice with decent body. That said, the scents are also flabbier than I’d like and don’t have much pop, probably from the mix of the blend of barrels and lower ABV.
To make a duh statement, this feels like a wheated bourbon with some extra toastiness, but not more roasted oak.
After swirling, I smell caramel, marshmallows, roasted oak, seasoned oak (so not so roasty and burnt), clove, cinnamon, dried cherry, and almonds. Mary Dowling Winter Wheat still smells good, but it has less fullness and range than before. It’s still sweet, toasty (not so woody and burnt), spicy, and fruity, but it doesn’t pop as much as it did before. I find it odd, but it happens.
But with any good wheated bourbon, it’s not at all grassy or doughy like Maker’s Mark is. For some reason, it takes 20 minutes to open up again. As it opens up, I get more toastiness and oak spices such as clove and cinnamon
Mary Dowling Winter Wheat is pleasant but not amazing or noteworthy.
Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon taste and aftertaste
I taste caramel, vanilla, dried orange peel and baked red apple, toasted oak, cinnamon, clove, something kind of floral and bright, and a little bit of breadiness and grassiness. There’s an interesting bright floralness mixed in with the sweetness and spice.
Now Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon tastes more like what I’m accustomed to with wheated bourbon, with some extra toasted oak that isn’t super roasty, burnt, or grassy. It’s an extra layer of woodiness that doesn’t overdo it.
The body and viscosity are better than advertised for 45.5% ABV, but the flavors are still a bit flabby. They’re not flat or bland, but they also lack much definition or heft to feel really mature, regardless of age or ABV.
With hard “chewing”, there’s caramel, seasoned oak, vanilla marshmallows, dried red apples, clove, cinnamon, and a little bit of dried cherry, date, mocha, and dark chocolate. There’s a rush of sweet oak and vanilla after a few seconds, which I really enjoy. It gives this some more life and pop.
The aftertaste has honey, toasted oak, cinnamon, baked red apple, and clove with lingering orange peel, cinnamon, clove, and honey. After “chewing”, there’s caramel, seasoned oak, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, and dark chocolate.
My best guess is that the toasted oak finish infuses more sweetness, vanilla, and seasoned oak, which helps fill out the flavors. There’s better roundness, viscosity, and overall flavor, but it still feels fairly flabby, but it’s definitely not bland.Unfortunately, they picked an odd ABV that drowns out what might be excellent flavors.
Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon tastes very good, but can’t quite offer enough richness and depth to get to the next level.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.
Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon Rating
I like Mary Dowling Winter Wheat, but it definitely has its drawbacks. The flavors are great, showing off the toasted oak that offers more sweet caramel and vanilla plus some controlled oak. Unfortunately, the scents start off nice but really fall off, which is odd. The experience is a mixed bag, but it still lands on being very good.
The ABV holds this back from being so much more. I get that not every bourbon has to be cask strength, but 45.5% seems low for this release, although the 53% ABV Barrel Strength version exists for that purpose. There are some really good qualities here, so they missed out on an opportunity to make something great because they decided that 45.5% was “right”…it wasn’t…or this is exactly how it’s supposed to be.
I’m inclined to recommend Rabbit Hole Cavehill Bourbon over this, which comes to mind because I reviewed them within a few weeks of each other. This is a valid comparison and recommendation because Mary Dowling is owned by Kaveh Zamanian, who also owns Rabbit Hole. Both bourbons are wheated, although Cavehill has 10% wheat and this has 25% wheat.
Nonetheless, Cavehill smells and tastes more dense, mature, and interesting. They’re about the same price too, and Cavehill wins for me.
At $55-60, this also creeps into Maker’s Mark Private Select and Larceny Barrel Proof territory, and I think that I would buy either of those over Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon.
I think the point I’ve been trying to get across is that Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon is good and definitely well made, but I’m not sold that it’s compelling enough to be high on your list of bourbons to buy next. If it happens to feel compelling in the moment when you’re shopping, then I think you’ll enjoy it. Plus, $55 is a reasonable price. It won’t amaze you, but you also won’t be disappointed in the purchase either.
I just wish they had selected a higher ABV to fill out the experience and make it more interesting. Nonetheless, it’s still a job well done.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
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Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
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