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Milam & Greene Whiskey is introducing the second release of the 2024 Wildlife Collection: Mockingbird Single Barrel Bourbon, a limited-edition, cask-strength spirit. The theme of the Wildlife Collection draws on how extreme weather in the Texas Hill Country influences flavor development of aging bourbon and brings awareness to Texas Parks and Wildlife causes. Mockingbird Single Barrel Bourbon is part of this year’s collector theme which highlights the beautiful and intriguing birds of Texas. It will be available exclusively on the Milam & Greene Whiskey website and in the distillery tasting room beginning at 3:00 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The Wildlife Single Barrel Bourbon Collection continuously sells out online.
Milam & Greene Mockingbird Single Barrel Bourbon is named for the state bird of Texas which is medium sized with a big personality. Northern Mockingbirds, found throughout Texas year-round, are slender and gray with a long tail and a bold white stripe on each wing. Its signature trait is its ability to mimic the songs of other birds as well as environmental sounds. Mockingbirds use mimicry as a means of communication to attract mates, establish territory, and ward off potential threats. Mockingbirds are also known for their adaptability to diverse urban and rural habitats and resilience to harsh environmental conditions, like the barrels aging in Milam & Greene rickhouses experience in Texas.
“Each release of our Wildlife Collection starts with the selection of excellent, young whiskey barrels, then applying my understanding of how the aging process will affect the final taste,” says Heather Greene, Milam & Greene Whiskey CEO and 2023 Master Blender of the Year. “By carefully studying the impact of the climate on aging whiskey, we better understand how the sense of place will be reflected in each of our barrels. We are looking for differentiating factors that are harnessed by climate, barrel fill, and age that happen when whiskey is matured in various locations. We’ve compared whiskey that has aged its whole life in other states with whiskey completely aged in Texas. Whiskey aged 100 percent in Texas usually tends to be richer and darker. It’s very robust, very spicy, and you can sink your teeth into it. By aging a barrel mostly in another state and then finishing its aging in Texas we’re getting richer, more intense flavor profiles at an earlier phase of its life. That’s what we want in the Wildlife Collection.”
