When news broke that Campari was acquiring Wilderness Trail for a healthy $420 million (plus another $180 million for complete ownership by 2031), it sent quite a ripple through the industry. The combination is curious, given that Campari isn’t known for its robust whiskey portfolio, and Wilderness Trail is helping lead the new American whiskey distillery charge with their penchant for science. After all, Shane Baker and Pat Heist started Wilderness Trail with 20 years of fermentation experience under their collective belt, so opening a distillery made sense.

The distillery began producing whiskey on a copper pot still before installing a larger, more efficient column still, which now handles the overwhelming majority of Wilderness Trail’s distillation runs. There was a transitory period, however, with some bottles distilled from the pot still while others came from the column still. Wilderness Trail still discloses this detail on the side of their bottles, along with the mash bill and barrel entry proof. As it turns out, my first bottle of Wilderness Trail Single Barrel Rye (aka Settlers Select) came from their pot still. It also entered the barrel at 100 proof, rather than between 100 and 105, which their newer, bonded and batch rye whiskeys are.

The discussion over which still is superior might be a moot point for some, but it’s worth having for the whiskey curious. Many will point to column stills as the preferred option since it’s more efficient and produces greater spirit volume. However, international distilleries, such as those in Scotland and Ireland, commonly use pot stills. Likewise, American producers seem to prefer pot stills for producing their takes on single malt whiskey. Perhaps it has something to do with how barley-based distillate interacts with the stills?

In any case, comparing pot-distilled and column-distilled whiskey interests me, but it isn’t so easy to achieve between the prevalence of column stills and inconsistent transparency between distilleries. Does it make a noticeable impact on this particular barrel of Wilderness Trail rye?

This is bottle 130 of 212 from barrel 16E1520B, which comes out to 56% ABV.

Nose: Savory oak, toffee, and some orange oil. Some vanilla frosting, barrel spice, black pepper, and hints of cilantro. Cardamom and cinnamon butter on toast. Surprisingly oaky for being about four years old.

Palate: Toffee, pepper, cinnamon spice, and layers of citrus, particularly orange, followed by a slightly sour lemon. It has a slightly syrupy consistency that pairs nicely with notes of maple, slightly overdone waffles on cast iron, and a welcome presence of barrel char.

Finish: Great warmth and spice with a combination of lingering barrel char and soft herbal notes. Basil, confectionary sugar, and lightly buttered honey wheat toast. Get a final, lingering hit of cilantro at the end.

My first reaction to Wilderness Trail rye was when I visited the distillery. At the time, I didn’t have as much enthusiasm for it as their wheated bourbon. Then I tried an r/bourbon pick, which went from unremarkable to intriguing and simply enjoyable. I purchased this particular bottle at a store roughly one hour outside of my hometown, and it’s been a monster of a performer.

What stands out about this particular barrel is how savory and oak-driven it feels, with the latter point being particularly fascinating due to the likelihood of it being barely four years old. It’s also got a decent bit of spice with just enough herbal influence to point out. Wilderness Trail’s rye mash bill falls just outside the barely legal rye territory while providing what I consider a pitch-perfect blend of that profile with notes more befitting of a high-rye rye whiskey. Admittedly, I tend to enjoy sweeter ryes, and this one leans a touch more on the savory side. But the profile also has a darker baking spice personality that’s tough to dislike.

Wilderness Trail ryes are quickly becoming some of the biggest sleepers on the market. Barrel proof? Check. Non-chill filtered? Check. Low barrel entry proof? Check. Sweet mash process? Check. Throw in the fact that the whiskey taste stupidly well-developed for its age, comes from a relatively new distillery, and is available at an agreeable price, and we have a big-time winner on our hands. Absolutely worth picking up.