Holladay Ancient Cave Collection Double Oak Soft Red Wheat Bourbon
The Stats
- Distillery: Holladay Distillery
- Location: Weston, Missouri
- Type: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Finish: American Oak Barrel / No. 3 Char
- Mash Bill: 73% Corn / 15% Soft Red Winter Wheat / 12% Malted Barley
- Age: 6 Years, 8 Months
- Proof: 114 (57% ABV)
- Collection: Ancient Cave Collection
- Release: Limited
- Price: $85
EXCLUSIVE SOCIAL CLUB VIDEO ↓
We’ve followed Holladay from the beginning. Not the 1856 beginning. We look pretty good for our age, but not that good. Bourbon production resumed in 2015, and the first Ben Holladay release arrived in May 2022.
We’ve been looking forward to seeing where they would take their bourbon, and the Ancient Cave experiments gave us plenty of reasons to be excited. The catch was that getting those bottles usually meant getting to the distillery.
This year, we’re getting something we’ve been waiting for: a chance for more people to try what Holladay has been working on. Ancient Cave Collection Double Oaked Soft Red Wheat takes the series beyond the distillery with a wider, still-limited release.
When we first heard about it, we assumed it would come in the familiar little 375 mL jug. Then we learned it was a full-size 750. Same jug, bigger pour, and plenty of reason to get excited. We knew good things were coming from Holladay. Now we get to open one of them and find out whether the whiskey lives up to the anticipation.
The Whiskey Behind the Bottle
We’ve been inside Holladay’s ancient cave, and it’s smaller than the name might suggest. Standing among the barrels, you get a pretty clear sense of why these experiments have been limited releases. There’s only so much room.
The cave dates to 1837, making it the oldest structure on the property. Holladay uses its steady temperature of about 60 degrees as a controlled environment for secondary aging. Before entering the finishing program, the bourbon spends at least six years aging in the distillery’s rickhouses.
The Ancient Cave Collection explores different woods, toasting methods, and barrel treatments. This release starts with Holladay’s Soft Red Wheat bourbon, then moves it into a second American oak barrel with a No. 3 char. The Soft Red Wheat recipe replaces the rye in Holladay’s original mash bill with wheat.
For us, the interesting part is what that second barrel adds to a bourbon we already enjoy. More oak sounds straightforward, but the balance matters. We want the finishing barrel to give us another reason to reach for Holladay.
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