A Texas Distillery Conducted a Fascinating Experiment to Test the Effects of Climate on Bourbon — Here’s What We Learned

(Photo: Milam & Greene)

In May, one of Texas’ best distilleries revealed that it had been working on an experiment to test the effects of climate on whiskey — and the study has been completed.

“The Answer,” by Milam & Greene, is a pair of bourbons, both distilled at the same facility in Bardstown, Kentucky, in exactly the same way and aged the same period of time (a little over five years). The only difference? One was aged in Kentucky, while the other was shipped off to Blanco, Texas to mature in the sweltering dry heat of the Hill Country.

It was a fun, exciting study — a way to truly remove just about every variable aside from climate.

“We wanted to better understand how temperature fluctuation between the two environments influences flavor extraction in our whiskey, so one of the first activities we did together as a team was lay down these barrels in two states in 2019,” Heather Greene, CEO and master blender at Milam & Greene, said in a news release

Tasting ‘The Answer’ — What Can We Learn?

Before we get into the effects of climate, what we’d expect from this bourbon’s mashbill of 70% corn, 22% rye and 8% malted barley is a sweet expression with a reasonable amount of balancing baking spice character from the rye.

Whenever we taste a whiskey, we aim to identify how much of the flavor profile is coming from the production (mashbill, yeast) vs. the oak barrels it aged in. The best whiskeys deliver a wonderful balance there; they don’t taste grainy and young, nor uber-dry and over-oaked.

The difference in climate should affect how much oak is identifiable in these two bourbons. Blanco and Bardstown are separated by about 1,000 miles, and their climates are drastically different. Texas is drier and hotter, while Bardstown has much colder winters and more humidity.

“The popular hypothesis that the hotter, drier climate significantly differentiates Texas bourbon across the board with higher oak extraction compared to a Kentucky bourbon is a good one, and now you can taste it,” explains Greene.

We joined a virtual tasting with Milam & Greene and tasted the Texas- and Kentucky-aged bourbon side by side.

Before even beginning the tasting, it was apparent these expressions were far from the same despite all their similarities. For one thing, they look different. The Texas bourbon had taken on a deep copper hue, while the Kentucky variant was a lighter, straw color. Oak is what gives bourbon its color. In fact, before it goes into the barrel, unaged whiskey — often called moonshine or white dog — is completely clear, like vodka. Thus, the more oak influence a bourbon has, the darker it typically is.

Milam & Greene The Answer Texas Aged is on the left, next to its Kentucky-aged counterpart. The difference in color is visible.

The two bourbons also varied fairly drastically in alcohol content, despite both being bottled at cask strength. The liquid went into the barrels at 115 proof — or 57.5% ABV. After aging, the Kentucky bourbon’s alcohol content had reduced to 54.15% ABV. The Texas bourbon, however, ended up with an increased ABV of 58.65% ABV. This can be explained by Blanco’s aridity. In dry climates, water evaporates faster than alcohol because the air has very little water vapor, resulting in more alcohol being left in the barrel. In more humid environments, however, alcohol evaporates faster than water, resulting in the Kentucky expression having less alcohol in the barrel and thus a lower proof.

Without further ado, let’s get into the tasting!

Milam & Greene ‘The Answer’ Texas Aged Bourbon Tasting Notes

Nose: The Texas edition is lovely and rich on the nose. Dusty peanut shell meets sweet vanilla bean, crème brûlée and a beautiful cherry note.

Taste: A solid bit of heat on the palate with a good amount of dry tannin sucking out the moisture — tastes like Texas bourbon! Oak, tobacco, cinnamon, sweet cherry, chopped peanuts, banana bread, dark chocolate-covered mint, ash.

Finish: Long finish. A big fatty almond note comes through here, joined by Tootsie Roll, cornmeal and coffee grounds.

Milam & Greene ‘The Answer’ Kentucky Aged Bourbon Tasting Notes

Nose: Definitely tamer than its Texas counterpart here. The rye in the mashbill comes out a bit more for me, and it’s clearly lighter with more fruity and floral ester character. Honeycrisp apple, honey, vanilla, butterscotch pudding and a kiss of mint.

Taste: The mouthfeel is a bit lighter compared to the Texas bourbon; there’s some heat here, but Texas was definitely hotter. Toasted oak, leather, cinnamon, butterscotch, graham cracker.

Finish: Vanilla and mint flicker in and out, joined by honeycrisp apple.

Kentucky vs. Texas: What’s the Verdict?

These are both good but wildly different bourbons. The Texas-aged expression is deep and rich with cherry and loads of tannin. The Kentucky edition is lighter and packed with full, juicy orchard notes.

In terms of which is better? The Texas-aged edition is the clear winner for me. It’s a powerful, rich and fabulous bourbon. It’s remarkably dry and oaky for a 5-year-old product. The Kentucky-aged version is lighter and fruitier; the distillate is more represented, while the Texas-aged bourbon clearly has more oak to it. For me, the oak makes the Texas expression more nuanced and balanced.

At the end of the day, hats off to Milam & Greene for this experiment; the whiskey world is better for it. It confirms what I and many others have always thought to be true: Bourbon aged in drier climates like Texas effectively age faster. I’m curious how long you’d need to leave this Kentucky bourbon in its barrel to achieve the same color and oaky profile as the Texas edition; maybe that can be the next experiment!

Interested in tasting “The Experiment” for yourself? The set of two 375-milliliter bottles has a suggested retail price of $149.99. It’s sold out online, but you can try to find it near you with Milam & Greene’s store finder. If you do get your hands on a set, enjoy! I recommend tasting them side by side and then trying to craft your perfect blend.