Clocking in at Nearly 130 Proof, Milam And Greene’s Third Release in Highly Limited Wildlife Collection Has Plenty of ‘Bite’

Milam And Greene launched its latest expression, inspired by the western diamondback rattlesnake (Photo: Milam And Greene)

Texas distillery Milam And Greene has unveiled the latest expression in its highly limited Wildlife Collection: the Rattlesnake Single Barrel Bourbon. This single-barrel whiskey was bottled at cask strength and is available for purchase for the price of $150 here on Wednesday.

Only 168 bottles of the new bourbon are available. The Rattlesnake Single Barrel Bourbon clocks in at 127.64 proof, giving it plenty of “bite,” according to the brand. The spirit is distilled from a mashbill composed of 84% corn, 8% rye and 8% malted barley. Rattlesnake Single Barrel Bourbon was distilled in Tennessee.

Milam And Greene’s latest expression in the Wildlife Collection was aged for seven years, three months and 24 days. For five years and five months, the whiskey was aged in Tennessee, with an additional one year and 10 months at Milam and Greene’s distillery in Blanco, Texas. While aging in Texas, the barrel encountered extreme weather and endured two hard freezes, with almost two summers that hosted triple-digit temperatures, per Milam and Greene.

“Our whiskey has a sense of place, and each release of the Wildlife Collection shows just how distinctly the Texas weather influences the flavors of whiskey aged here,” Heather Greene, Milam and Greene Whiskey CEO and master blender, said in a news release. “The Rattlesnake Single Barrel was aged for more than five years in Tennessee where it was distilled before being subjected to the extreme temperature swings in Texas. Aging Rattlesnake in both deep freezes and searing heat let the whiskey interact with the barrel more aggressively. It extracted richer oak and vanilla flavors, gave it a more lush texture and increased the proof considerably.”

The whiskey is named after the most venomous snake in Texas, the rattlesnake. According to Milam And Greene, the most common rattlesnake is the western diamondback rattlesnake, which can grow up to four or five feet long.

The whiskey producer’s choice to name the spirit after the diamondback was partially due to the fact that rattlesnakes prefer warm weather and are active in spring and summer in Texas. Milam and Greene whiskeys fair well in warmer weather, and because the cask was released in the summer it seemed like the perfect fit.

“This whiskey is a cherry bomb all the way through,” Milam and Greene Distillery Manager Rikk Munroe said in the news release. “It has a great mouthfeel and hangs in the glass beautifully. The whiskey came out of the barrel at 127.65 proof, so it bites like a diamondback!”

This is the third release in the brand’s Wildlife Collection. In April, Milam and Greene launched the Bobcat Single Barrel Bourbon, which clocked in at a lower 119.48 proof. Prior to that, the brand released the Scorpion in February. The purpose of the collection was to provide answers to the question: “How does weather affect aging whiskey?”

Rattlesnake Single Barrel Bourbon Tasting Notes, via Milam and Greene

Nose: Dusty oak, cherry cobbler, pecan praline.

Taste: Dark fruit, bit-o-honey candy, anise.

Finish: Cherry cordial, coffee cake, honey-roasted nut.

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