Prairie Wolf is run by Blake and Hunter Merritt out of Guthrie, OK. This one has been on the list for a little while to review. We visited Prairie Wolf for one of our field trips and this puppy was sitting in barrels in the warehouse as we looked longingly at them.
This is a blend of Bourbon and rye, prior to blending both whiskeys are aged separately in level 5 char barrels. So, let’s see what I think about it…
Note: Paul Bryant aka @Pblairb on instagram ended up with a bottle of this we brought to the Whiskey Catfish bottle swap. He generously agreed to give us his tasting notes to add with our’s. His notes will be in italics.
Company: Prairie Wolf Spirits, LLC
Distillery: Prairie Wolf Spirits
Location: Guthrie, OK
Mash Bill: The rye mash bill is 80% rye/ 10% corn/ 10% barley. The Bourbon mash bill is 60% corn/ 20% wheat/ 10% rye/ 10% barley.
Age: NAS. (3 years old)
ABV: 50% (100 proof)
Released: Ongoing.
Price: $30
Color: Golden Blonde
Nose: Grass, baking spices, licorice, vanilla, tobacco, oak, cedar, it’s very earthy and woody with a hint of sugary goodness. Young, alcohol with some spice from the rye, and a little cinnamon.
Taste: Slightly bitter like dark chocolate and licorice with a little bit of sugary sweetness. Vanilla, cherry, plum, bitter dark brown sugar. Young, tastes a lot hotter than 100 proof, not enough brown sugar(probably from lack of time in the barrel).
Finish: Light finish, slightly bitter and sweet with a little bit of heat. Leaves your tongue warm. Mouth feel: Great mouth feel, not thick or watered down, burns up front.
Overall: It’s young but well balanced.
This is actually fantastic in mixed drinks. It has enough body to hold up to even homemade sour mix! This is my favorite whiskey to use in my whiskey sours among many other cocktails. And, if you feel like sipping it neat, it does that well too. Also, at $30 a pop it doesn’t break the bank. Keep thinking to myself, I can’t wait to try it in 2 years or 4 years. Has a lot of potential but needs more time with the charred barrel. Me too, Paul, me too.
Hurrah, Prairie Wolf. And, cheers to your future in whiskey!
Level: Easy
Rating: 3.5/5
I was reading this review on the edge of my seat! I love this whiskey, and agree with every blurb here. It’s my go to for mixing, and drinks neat smoothly as well. I’m excited to share mutual perspectives with someone who has a critical palate concerning spirits!
Way better than a 3.5! Take it from someone who makes whiskey for a living. This whiskey has tons of depth and smokey undertones. It’s perfect as a straight. Great whiskey is aged to taste not to time!
We couldn’t agree more that it stands up great when enjoyed neat! For the age the complexity is fantastic and would love to see a slightly older expression to really round off some of the younger grain notes and let that barrel shine! We burned through our bottle FAST and need to go grab another one.