Treaty Oak Day Drinker Bourbon Review

By Andrew Graham

Rating: B+

Treaty Oak Day Drinker Bourbon
(Credit: Treaty Oak Distilling)

If one were trying to make a case in favor of drinking young bourbon, then one of the first expert witnesses called should probably be the folks at Treaty Oak.

The Dripping Springs, Texas-based distillery produces two young, relatively high ABV bourbons: Ghost Hill bourbon, a wheated bourbon of 57% corn, 32% wheat, and 11% barley, and Red Handed bourbon, an expression with a high corn mash bill of 78% corn, 12% rye, and 10% barley. Both expressions spend just two years in the standard 53-gallon new American oak barrels before being bottled at 95 proof, and both use corn and wheat sourced in Texas.

The distillery points to two factors that allow its bourbons to get home in such a short period of time: the climate of Texas, which has more temperature variance than do the traditional bourbon-producing areas, and its barrels, which are toasted before being burnt to Char 3 by Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville.

The latest release from Treaty Oak, available as of Sept. 15, is its Day Drinker bourbon, named so because it tones down the potency to a mere 80 proof. The Day Drinker bourbon uses the same wheated mash bill as the Ghost Hill expression, and the same locally-sourced grains. But it spends just one year in the standard size oak barrels.

Instead of a straight-up review, I had the opportunity to try the Ghost Hill (MSRP $55 for a 750ml bottle) bourbon and the Day Drinker bourbon side-by-side to really home in on what the aging and the dilution was doing to these whiskies.

The Bourbon
The Ghost Hill bourbon had a familiar nose of creamy vanilla aromas and new wood, with a bit of peach detectable. The flavor was fruity and jammy, with notes of spearmint and ripe cherries and a sweet, syrupy finish. Those flavor notes linger a bit longer than expected, which is just fine, because the ABV isn’t doing anything offensive.

To me, young, wheated bourbons tend to have a fruitier flavor, and the Ghost Hill is among my best-case scenarios of what this type of expression can be. It’s a solid sipper and there’s absolutely nothing to complain about.

The Day Drinker bourbon was a bit more surprising and complex in its flavor profile.

I found a nose of dried fruits and vanilla, as well as an earthy aroma of wet sticks or seawater on the Day Drinker bourbon. I tasted distinct flavor notes of white sugar, buttered toffee, and light vanilla, with a bit of fresh spice on the finish. That spice — some cinnamon, some clove — doesn’t necessarily square with its mash bill, but it was pretty apparent to my palate, and it added an extra dimension to this expression.

The Price
This expression was a delight to drink neat — yes, during the day. It struck me as mature and bright for such a young whiskey, and the retail price of $26 for a 750ml bottle gets it graded up a bit more for the value.