Milam and Greene Kick Off 2024 Wildlife Collection With a Bourbon Named for a Fierce Aviary Predator
(Photo: Milam and Greene)
On Wednesday, Milam and Greene announced the first single-barrel release from its 2024 Wildlife Collection, the Golden Eagle Single Barrel Bourbon.
The limited-edition, cask-strength bourbon is named the Golden Eagle Single Barrel. It released at 3 p.m. CST on Wednesday and can be purchased exclusively from the Milam and Greene website and the distillery’s tasting room in Blanco, Texas, for $149.99. If 2023’s Wildlife Collection releases are any indication, Golden Eagle is likely to sell out quickly.
Only 169 bottles were filled of this 128.2-proof cask-strength bourbon, which was bottled on Feb. 12 after being aged for seven years, 11 months and seven days.
“I came to Texas to better understand the effects of climate on aging whiskey, and this series is yet another successful expression of that particular passion,” Milam and Greene CEO Heather Greene said in a news release. “Our Golden Eagle Single Barrel Bourbon underwent a unique aging process to give it its own glorious perfume. We are discovering a heightened interaction between the whiskey and the barrel fostered by the environment, thereby enriching its flavor profile and elevating its proof.”
With each Wildlife release, Milam and Greene pays tribute to a different creature surrounding its distillery while also showcasing the effects the Texas Hill Country’s “drastic weather,” as Milam and Greene describes it, have on its whiskey.
“We selected specific barrels for the 2024 Wildlife Collection release that have distinct character,” Milam and Greene Whiskey Distillery Manager Rikk Munroe said in the news release. “These barrels are palletized on end, rested undisturbed, unrotated, and without climate control. Our careful monitoring of the whiskey’s maturation allows us to determine the right time to harvest the bourbon and bottle it to ensure the optimal flavor profile.”
According to Milam and Greene, this bourbon is named for the Golden Eagle due to its golden color and full-body nature. The brand says that the Golden Eagle, which is mostly found in West Texas, is the largest type of eagle in North America and capable of diving at speeds of up to 200 mph while hunting prey.
In 2023, Milam and Greene released five Wildlife Collection whiskeys: Scorpion, Bobcat, Mexican Free-Tailed Bat, Rattlesnake and White-Tailed Buck.
Milam and Greene Golden Eagle Single Barrel Bourbon Tasting Notes, Via the Brand
Color: Golden
Nose: Brown sugar, vanilla, cherry cordial, marzipan, tobacco, leather and black tea
Taste: An oily and viscous mouthfeel and flavors of intense cherry, crème brûlée, tannic oak and almond
Finish: Long and dry with lingering notes of mint, chocolate and black tea.
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