Born on tour by Country Music powerhouses Jason Aldeen along with Tyler Hubbard & Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line) comes this collaboration that was awarded a 2020 Gold Medal from the Sip Awards. Like many private labels the bourbon is sourced at MGP in Indiana. The distillery now known as MGP was founded in 1847 before being sold to Seagrams in 1933. Since that sale the company has gone through various ownership changes until 2011 when MGP Ingredients bought the distillery.
Wolf Moon is an 80-proof bourbon distilled from Midwestern grains and aged for four years in new, charred American oak barrels.
This isn’t the first foray into liquor for the boys from Florida Georgia Line as they also produce Old Camp Peach Pecan Whiskey.
Review:Wolf Moon Bourbon
ABV: 40% (80 Proof)
Type: Bourbon
Color: Gold
Mash Bill: 2/3 corn, 1/3 rye and barley (as per Wolf Moon website)
Distillery: Old Camp and Proximo Spirits with bourbon sourced from MGP
Location: Lawrenceburg, Indiana
The Nose: A light smelling bourbon with an aroma of sweet corn, orange peel and vanilla. Given the lower proof bourbon, the light aroma was to be expected. It’s not offensive, but it doesn’t have a wow factor.
The Palate: Despite the thin mouthfeel, the bourbon offers up a nice array of flavors. The initial taste is candied citrus fruit on the front end with an almost artificial vanilla bean finish. Subsequent sips see sweet corn at times become dominant over the citrus component. The finish is a bit short making this a very nice sipping bourbon for a hot summer day in the shade.
The Pairing: Perhaps it was a sub-conscious reach from the humidor, but the citrus notes of the Wolf Moon Bourbon had me grab a Garofalo La Famiglia Sun Grown which features a bright orange band. The spicy Nicaraguan cigar which has some sweetness in the form of figs, adds a much needed depth to the bourbon. Enjoying the two side by side added a rich caramel and hint of honey on the finish. We never allow our pairing to affect our scoring, but if we did it would increase the score by 4 points. The smoke saw spice added to the finish and the mouthfeel creating a whole new experience.
Conclusion: Here in New Hampshire for the last 1.5 years it feels like there is a bourbon shortage. The shelves at the state controlled liquor store are more empty that filled. Something about the name was familiar and when I saw the low proof, and MGP ties I went to put it back. However, when I saw the name Jason Aldeen on the back, despite knowing most celebrity collaborations fall short I began my walk to the register. Last year just before my Father In Law passed away he asked if I had this bourbon. I told him no as I could not find it locally. He was curious of my thoughts, and I was never able to share them with him. I owed it to myself to drink it and toast his memory. Had he still been alive I would have told him, “It has a nice sweetness to it with a citrus component.” Being from New England like me, I would have followed up with, “It’s the Sam Adams Summer of Bourbon.” And to be honest I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Score: 89
Price: $24.99 (750ml in New Hampshire)
