Honey | Caramel | Brown sugar | Dried apricot | Baking spices

Brown sugar | Honey | Caramel | Hint of cherry | Summer fruits | Seasoned oak

Baking spices | Strawberry jam | Brown sugar | Pie crust | Hint of leather

Seelbach’s is an online spirits retailer that was founded by Blake Riber, a well-known personality in American whiskey. Riber has been involved in the American whiskey industry since the inception of his Bourbonr app in 2011 (now dormant) and later the Bourbonr blog in 2013, followed by the Bourbonr Facebook group in 2016. In 2018, Riber redirected his focus to Seelbach’s, which has the mission of “Unlocking Craft Spirits,” marrying his bourbon enthusiasm with products available to purchase across the majority of the United States. In addition to its core focus as an online spirits retailer, a growing number of products have been curated and released under Seelbach’s spirits label.

This release is the first batch of Seelbach’s Private Reserve Wheated Bourbon. It’s intended to be an “always in stock” product that embraces “The Available Wheated Bourbon” mantra, according to Riber. He attributes his affinity towards wheated bourbons to one of his first blog posts back in 2013, where he coined the popular term “Poor Man’s Pappy,” which is effectively a blend of various Weller bourbons (and potentially water to get the correct proof), to recreate more accessible, homemade versions of Old Rip Van Winkle and Pappy Van Winkle bourbons, which are all wheated and distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery. Undoubtedly a call-out to Poor Man’s Pappy and the Van Winkle lineup, Seelbach’s Wheated is bottled in the same traditional style of bottle as the Van Winkle lineup and proofed to 107, which is the same proof as Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year and Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year.

Seelbach’s Private Reserve Wheated Bourbon is a 10-barrel blend consisting of six barrels aged 4 years and 10 months that make up 67% of the final blend and four barrels aged 7 years that make up 33% of the final blend. The blend is a dynamic mix of sweet flavors, with brown sugar weaving its way throughout the sip. The aroma also includes scents of honey, caramel, and brown sugar, with an accent of dried apricot and a splash of baking spices providing structure. A solid base of brown sugar, honey, and caramel on the palate gives way to a hint of cherry, summer fruits, and seasoned oak, hinting towards the higher aged barrels in the mix. The sip closes with tapering baking spices, a dollop of strawberry jam, more brown sugar, pie crust, and a hint of leather on the backend. Overall, it’s an enjoyable blend that builds on a more standard wheated bourbon flavor profile to satisfying results.

The bottle in review is number 2196 from batch 001.