Distillery earns high marks, fills 8,000th barrel

The first barrel of bourbon whiskey was filled at Wyoming Whiskey in July 2009, and it was announced the business would start selling its small-batch bourbon Dec. 1, 2012.

Over three years later, the bourbon is still a popular product and the distillery recently filled its 8,000th barrel; as with the rest of the whiskey, it will be ready to bottle in five years.

Additionally, the whiskey has earned high review in the March issue of F. Paul Pacult's "Spirit Journal." He rated the Small Batch Bourbon as four-star, highly recommended.

"Elevation Outdoors" readers also voted Wyoming Whiskey Best Rocky Mountain Distillery, in the 2016 Best of the Rockies contest.

Regarding the distillery's Barrel Strength Bourbon, it was rated 92 and named one of the top 10 whiskeys of spring 2016 by Lew Bryson of "Whiskey Advocate." Mark Gillespie of "WhiskeyCast" gave it a score of 97, noting it was not only one of the best bourbons, but one of the best whiskies he's had.

Wyoming Whiskey Co-Founder David DeFazio said these are the first reviews received from people in the industry whom whiskey connoisseurs would see as experts, and who do not accept advertising dollars or charge a fee for their reviews.

Nancy Fraley has been the business' nosing and batching expert for years, and suggested a sample be sent in to Pacult, pointing out a four- or five-star review from him would be as good as gold. With that in mind, DeFazio sent in the sample; Pacult responded, saying he would do a review but would not let DeFazio know beforehand what it was.

DeFazio's nervousness abated when he saw the high praise. He noted Pacult is a reviewer who doesn't hold back and paint everything rosy, as whiskies in the same issue might see only one or two stars.

Speaking specifically of the highly scored Barrel Strength Bourbon, DeFazio explained it was born from a failed experiment. Lincoln Henderson, an industry icon, said it was possible they could build an accelerated maturation room.

This is basically a "hot" room, allowing the process to continue in winter temperatures.

However, the pressure change in the whiskey, going from cold to hot, caused many of the 20 barrels put in the room to leak. The barrels were removed, but an interesting thing happened with two of them - 442 and 443. As the barrels leaked, more oxygen was pulled in, which oxidized the spirit molecules already present.

The result was the unique Barrel Strength. Only 96 bottles were made available for sale, and were bought almost immediately. DeFazio noted one barrel was 116 proof, while the other was 120 proof.

Since the "failed" experiment, there have been attempts to simulate the circumstances that led to Barrel Strength, DeFazio said, "to see if we can reproduce the same magic." One barrel, he noted, does show some promise.

As for hitting the 8,000-barrel mark, DeFazio said it is a testament to crew's work in crafting the whiskey and increasing production. When the distillery first began, he said, they never thought about making even 5,000 barrels or beyond.

DeFazio said the milestone shows they are here to stay and people enjoy what they're drinking. He added he enjoys what he's doing, and enjoys being in Wyoming.

Distiller Sam Mead said they have been working hard. In the first three years, he said, they had no idea what would come out due to the aging process. Of course, the product had to first come out before any faults could be addressed. The awards received speak to the work in correcting those faults, and the accolades speak for themselves.

Mead further noted they are always trying new things. Future plans include automation of the process so there is a record of every variable, which can then be analyzed should faults occur. He expects to continue learning for at least another 15 years.