Castle Key Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon

Overview
Castle & Key Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon represents the distillery's matured stock from a distinctive low-rye wheated mash bill, bottled at barrel proof to highlight its natural intensity and evolution beyond early releases. This late 2024 expression aims to restore enthusiast confidence after the initial 2022 wheated bourbon's mixed reception.

Specs at a glance

Good to know
Developed early by master distiller Marianne Eaves, this bourbon employs a sweet mash process with low fermentation temperatures, distilled to 135 proof and entered at 107 proof into cooler warehouses B or E, contributing to its proof drop and cask strength profile around 106 proof. It marks a significant step up from the poorly reviewed 5-year-old 2022 wheated release, offering strong value at retail.

Tasting notes

• Nose: Caramel and powdered sugar mingle with vanilla cupcakes and floral lilacs and mums, accented by baking spices, citrus flesh, light cherries, and oak.
• Palate: Viscous caramel leads with tannic oak structure, delivering bold sweetness and depth from the wheated profile.
• Finish: Lingering oak and caramel echoes with moderate warmth.

Notable details

• Production: Sweet mash, low fermentation temps, distilled to 135 proof, barreled at 107 proof, non-chill filtered cask strength.
• Lineage: Crafted at Castle & Key under Marianne Eaves' early influence.
• Comparison: A marked improvement over the 2022 5-year wheated release.

"Castle & Key has successfully matured their wheated bourbon into a competent cask strength offering that provides great value and taste." – Bourbon Culture

Closing
A value-driven cask strength wheated bourbon that rewards patience with balanced sweetness and oak-driven complexity.

Sources

[1] Thebourbonculture – "Castle & Key Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon Review - Bourbon Culture"

[2] Whiskeyreviewer – "Castle & Key Marks 10th Anniversary With Landmark Cask Strength, Wheated Bourbon – The Whiskey Reviewer"

[3] Thebourbonculture – "Castle and Key Wheated Bourbon (2023, Batch 1) Review"

[4] Thewhiskeywash – "Castle & Key Wheated Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review: Tasting Notes & Analysis"

[5] Thebourbonculture – "Castle & Key Experimental Series 2025 – Spanish Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish Review"