What is the next big thing? Whether it is music, food, or in this case bourbon, people want to be ahead of the curve. Gearpatrol.com has compiled a list of five bourbons they believe will make a significant move in 2022.
Wilderness Trail: This distillery owes much of its success to the unparalleled expertise of co-founders Shane Baker and Pat Heist, who came by their knowledge in a truly boss manner: fixing the problems at other distilleries through their first business, Ferm Solutions.Wilderness Trail’s bourbons and rye are already popular among whiskey fans in the know and are about to become even more in demand as they hit older ages in 2022 — 6 years old for the rye, and 8 for both the wheated and rye bourbon. A packaging change is also on the way, potentially making earlier releases—especially private selections and single barrels — more valuable on the secondary market.
LUX Row: A relative newcomer in production terms — the Bardstown, Kentucky distillery opened four years ago this month — Lux Row’s stable of brands nearly all have much older roots: Think Ezra Brooks, Rebel (formerly Rebel Yell), Blood Oath, and Yellowstone, its 50-50 partnership with Limestone Branch.With the first of its own distillates reaching maturity now, Lux Row has a lot to prove. Luckily, it has plenty of resources and a new expansion to help with that, thanks to the fact that its parent company, Luxco, was acquired by mega-supplier MGP last year. But Lux Row will benefit from its new ownership, too: MGP’s own whiskeys, like George Remus and Rossville Union, stand to gain wider availability through the more established brands’ robust distribution network.
Frey Ranch: The straight bourbon and rye from this grain-to-glass distillery seemingly came out of nowhere in the last couple of years and have captivated whiskey fans lucky enough to get their hands on a bottle (especially one of the flavor bomb single barrels).Until recently, doing so required a trip to Nevada, as the Frey Ranch only had enough mature whiskey to offer in its home state. That’s changing as more of its whiskeys come of age, with sales now available via Speakeasy to more than 30 states, and plans to release some truly unique stuff down the road, courtesy of fifth-generation farmer and distillery co-founder Colby Frey. Malted four-grain bourbon, anyone?- George Dickel: Ever since Nicole Austin took over as head distiller in 2018, this staid Tennessee distillery has been on a tear, releasing a slew of new whiskeys that have met with near-universal enthusiasm: the shockingly affordable, always well-aged Bottled-in-Bond; 15-year-old Single Barrel; 8-Year-Old bourbon — yes, that’s different from the Tennessee whiskey — and the ever-evolving Cascade Moon series.Austin’s background in craft distilling and penchant for oddball experiments have also yielded unique offerings like the George Dickel x Leopold Bros. Collaboration Blend rye, a mix of Dickel’s unreleased rye and Leopold’s historic Three-Chamber rye. Look for more imaginative — and delicious — stuff to come this year.
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