Many whiskey fans are thirsty for more wheated bourbon options, especially at a budget-friendly price. Since Weller distribution is the epitome of a crapshoot, that effectively leaves Maker’s Mark and Larceny to lead the charge while other producers slowly creep into select markets. Kansas-based Gunnar’s Bourbon Company is one of the smaller players attempting to make a name for themselves, but what’s their story?

Privately owned and operated, Gunnar’s is effectively a partnership between three families in Sedan. They use locally sourced grains to craft their bourbon, which comes in the standard bottling (aka Original Heritage Expression) and the more limited Bradford Single Barrel line. Both utilize a wheated bourbon mash bill with 63% corn, 34% wheat, and 3% barley (no mention of whether it’s malted). Their decision to craft wheated bourbon stems from a preference for a “soft and mellow flavor profile.”

Credit where credit is due: Gunnar’s produces on-site rather than sourcing their whiskey, allowing them to use a higher wheat component in their bourbon recipe. Amusingly enough, one of the few distilleries I can think of that uses more for their wheated bourbon is Ross & Squibb. Otherwise? Everyone from Maker’s Mark to Heaven Hill, Green River, and Bardstown Bourbon Company sticks to around 20%, if that. The other area I’ll give Gunnar’s props for is in regards to pricing. A NAS straight wheated bourbon from a fresh face that’s distilled and aged in-house for about $30 (my bottle was on clearance for $20) is impressive and puts them in competition with the aforementioned household names. Of course, the real question is whether the bourbon itself is any good and worth considering over the competition. Let’s dive in.

Nose: Soft, delicate, a bit vegetal, and grainy. Has a floral essence that treads acetone territory. Banana Runts, bright lemon, honey, and whispers of mint. I also get some pollen and barely coax out a sweet, mellow wood presence.

Palate: Immediate hit of dried banana followed by a bit of vanilla before hay gradually creeps in. Has a light fruitiness that feels apricot adjacent. Some yellow cake and vanilla frosting play up the sweet profile, but only briefly so.

Finish: On the watery side. Marginally warm oak that releases more vanillin notes as it sits. Diluted but tangible sweetness is the final impression, which is weak and barely tangible.

Part of me wants to root for Gunnar’s, praising them past their base bourbon’s merits. A fresh face doing their own thing with their own distillate that, all things considered, is mostly pleasant and affordable? That’s incredibly easy to have a soft spot for. In all fairness, they’re hardly the only distillery this description applies to, but it’s worth acknowledging at the very least. Yet what matters most is the final product, and Gunnar’s Wheated Bourbon proves to be absolutely average.

The biggest problem with this whiskey is how decidedly light it is. This is likely by design, since “soft and mellow” are the goals highlighted in the brand’s marketing. To that end, Gunnar’s base bottling is a success. So if you’re in the market for something easygoing, a bit fruity, and the opposite of challenging, you’ll likely enjoy this wheated bourbon. For everyone else? This is an easy skip. It doesn’t provide the comparatively full-fledged suite of flavors that wheaters like Maker’s Mark and Green River Wheated Bourbon do, so if you’re hoping it’ll hold a candle to those, you may be faced with an underwhelming pour.