Denver’s Laws Whiskey House recently announced the 2023 release of its annual Bottled in Bond Centennial Straight Wheat Whiskey.
A statement from the whiskey maker noted that this seven-year-old limited release will be available for tasting and for purchase in the Laws Whiskey House tasting room in Denver on June 8th, then available for purchase online and in key markets in late June. It’ll have a suggested price of $79.99.
What’s special about this wheat, the distiller noted, is that it’s also the same soft white Centennial wheat that Laws uses for its flagship Four Grain Bourbon.
This particular heirloom varietal is grown for Laws Whiskey House by the Cody Family Farm in Alamosa, Colorado.
As this whiskey qualifies as a Bottled in Bond whiskey, the spirit is made by one distillery in a single season, bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV), and aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse.
The distiller’s notes show that this year’s expression is the oldest wheat whiskey that Laws has released to date. They filled nine barrels in July and August of 2015, and they were emptied in April of 2023. This whiskey has an average age of seven years and nine months.
In all, only 2,100 bottles of Batch 5 were made.
Last year’s release had an average age of five years and five months. The distiller noted that Batch 5’s additional two years of maturation gave a pronounced oak profile layered with the spicy, sweet bread, and citrus notes of the Centennial Wheat. The whiskey also has tastes and aromas of strawberries, orange marmalade, jasmine tea, and pink peppercorn.
“We celebrate the grain and the role our farmers play in our whiskey more than most distilleries,” said Al Laws, founder. “This is a whiskey that showcases a unique wheat grain that is grown in a unique place, the San Luis Valley of Colorado.”
He said the Cody Family grows this soft spring wheat for the whiskey brand, for the balance it offers between flavor and sweetness.
“Soft spring wheat has more starch than hard winter wheat, adding sweetness and aiding with fermentation. Like our San Luis Valley Straight Rye Whiskey in particular, you can taste the influence of the land in this whiskey,” Laws added. “It has a minerality that comes from the soil that, combined with the whiskey’s sweet, fruity profile, makes this whiskey the perfect summer sipper.”
For more information on the Bonded Centennial Straight Wheat Whiskey or to find out where to get a bottle in late June, check out www.lawswhiskeyhouse.com.