Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 4 Bourbon Review [In Depth]
Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 4 Bourbon
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 4 Bourbon Details
Distillery: Wyoming Whiskey
Type & Region: Bourbon, Wyoming, USA
Alcohol: 49%
Composition: 68% corn, 20% rye, 12% malted barley
Aged: 5 years
Color: 1.3/2.0 on the color scale (russet, muscat)
Price: $80-100
From the company website:
The Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 4 Straight Bourbon whiskey – Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park bottle is the fourth collectible limited-edition release in an annual National Park Series. Explore layers of crème caramel, and candied ginger, leading into a honeysuckle finish. Homegrown flavor in support of Wyoming’s natural landscape.
Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 4 Bourbon overview
Wyoming Whiskey is back with their 4th release in their National Parks line of bourbons, meant to celebrate national parks and their glory. For release number 4, Wyoming Whiskey celebrates Mammoth Hot Springs, which is in Yellowstone National Park. I have no idea how these locations correlate to how the bourbon drinks. For a hot spring…maybe very hot…melt your mouth hot? I jest…hopefully that is not how the bourbon actually is.
Celebrating national parks makes sense because Wyoming Whiskey, based in Kirby, Wyoming, is located about 200-250 miles away from two of the largest national parks: Grand Teton and Yellowstone. I believe that some of the proceeds of these bottles goes to the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. Cool stuff.
For background, Wyoming Whiskey was founded in 2006. As of this review, they’re starting to approach 20 years in business, which is a real milestone. They are truly are part of the old guard of craft whiskey.
I was a big fan of the third release (Grand Teton), so let’s find out if the next release in this series continues to be great in this Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 4 bourbon review.
This sample was provided at no cost to me. 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.
Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 4 Bourbon smell
I smell toasted caramel, toasted pecans (but not in the dry and nutty Wild Turkey / Heaven Hill way), vanilla, roasted oak and dried cedar, baked red apples and dried cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream, lemon peel, and hints of coffee and wood varnish.
For 5 years old, this pretty much smells like a 10-12 year old bourbon. It has the developed and mature sweetness, fruitiness, and woodiness of an older bourbon that also keeps the woodiness under control. It’s surprising.
My one critique so far is that it could use more creaminess and low-end full, aka “bass”, but so far so good.
After swirling and rest, I get more of a caramel / butterscotch blend of sweetness, roasted oak, oak varnish, vanilla cream, baked red apple, clove, preserved lemons, cinnamon, and mocha.
Swirling changes up the sweetness a little and brings out a little more fullness, but it otherwise more or less smells the same. It’s a sweet and roasty bourbon that smells like it’s 12 years old, which is great but still wholly expected for the age.
Wyoming Whiskey National Parks 4 is bourbon that is surprisingly mature beyond its years, but a few more years in oak (probably not going to happen for this type of limited release) would do wonders to bring out even more fullness and expressiveness.
Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 4 Bourbon taste and aftertaste
The flavors start off with caramel, vanilla, roasted oak, lightly dry nuttiness, baked red apple, vanilla cream, lemon peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, honeycomb, orange peel, cherry, mocha, and some wood varnish. Just like the scents, the flavors immediately feel mature, as if they were 10-12 years old. The wood varnish note usually doesn’t kick in until 12+ years in oak, so that’s wholly unexpected for/ just 5 years old.
This tastes great already. As woody as it is, which is quite woody, it still feels balanced with enough sweetness and fruitiness to complement the oak and spice. The pop and pizazz aren’t quite there yet, but we’ll see that happens with “chewing”
With “chewing”, there’s rich caramel and butterscotch, vanilla cream, roasted oak, baked red apple, clove, cinnamon, some toasty nuttiness (almonds?), caramel nougat, and what feels like mocha, candied lemons that add some vibrance to the overall darkness, herbal fennel, and pie crust, and just a little bit of grassiness.
“Chewing” brings out a rush of caramel and butterscotch sweetness that really amps up the overall flavor and fun. It’s not a big and bold bourbon, but there’s still enough richness and body there that it’s good enough.
The finish leaves toasted caramel, vanilla, apple and lemon peel, roasted oak, cinnamon, and some dry nuttiness. With “chewing”, a lot of caramel and butterscotch, then roasted oak, varnish, creamy vanilla, cinnamon, clove, baked red apples, and pie crust.
Wyoming Whiskey National Parks 4 is a rich, flavorful, and mature bourbon that drinks older than the 5 years of age and has richness greater than its 49% ABV. The extra oomph of flavor puts it over the top. I’m impressed.
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.
Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 4 Bourbon Rating
I don’t know what trickery they’re doing with this release, but it worked because Wyoming Whiskey National Parks #4 is a surprisingly mature, developed, and delicious bourbon at the ripe old age of 5. What…is it already ready to go to college? Not a lot of distilleries can pull off this level of maturity, even the big ones in Kentucky, so it’s laudable work.
To be honest, from memory it doesn’t feel that different from National Parks #3, so if you’ve had / have #3, I don’t think you need to go out and get #4 unless you’re collecting the bottle for the unique label too. If you haven’t had #3, then I recommend that you think about it, assuming that $90 is in your acceptable price range.
I think it’s good enough to justify the $90 price tab, although I can’t guarantee that everyone can get over the 5 year age statement. It definitely drinks like a $90 bourbon, and I’ve honestly spent / seen bourbons that are more expensive and definitely offer a lot less.
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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