In 1971, folks singer and songwriter John Prine launched the track Paradise, a clear-eyed account of the harm attributable to floor coal mining in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, the place his mother and father known as dwelling. The track describes how complete hillsides have been stripped away with dynamite and heavy equipment to show the coal beneath them. Prine name-checks Peabody Vitality and the small city of Paradise, the place the Tennessee Valley Authority operated the Paradise Fossil Plant. By late 1967, the city itself had been emptied and torn right down to make room for the plant’s growth.
Half a century later, that very same floor took on a really completely different goal. In 2017, Kevin and Carrie Lawrence based Coal Decide Distillery on a 2,700-acre farm that touches the previous city of Paradise. The distillery’s whiskey program is led by grasp distiller Whitney Spence, a key determine in shaping Coal Decide’s id in western Kentucky.
Coal Decide focuses on wheated bourbon. Whereas the distillery presents its personal home releases, a major share of its manufacturing is at the moment made beneath contract for funding shoppers. The core wheated mashbill is constructed from 64% corn, 24% wheat, and 12% malted barley. Fermentation runs for 72 hours utilizing a candy mash course of and yeast equipped by Ferm Options in Danville, Kentucky. Yeast is launched at 88 levels Fahrenheit, with cooling coils holding the fermenters between 85 and 92 levels. The result’s a distiller’s beer that averages about 11% alcohol by quantity.
The distillery runs three pot stills, producing spirit that comes off the stills at roughly 140 to 145 proof. Barreling occurs at a relatively low 111 proof.
Coal Decide makes use of Coopers Choose barrels from Unbiased Stave Firm, constructed with staves that have been seasoned open air for 18 months. Contemporary oak incorporates excessive ranges of ellagitannins, which current as bitter and astringent. Prolonged publicity to wind, rain, and temperature shifts progressively attracts these compounds out of the wooden. Kiln-drying, against this, takes solely days and traps a lot of that tannic content material contained in the stave.
In youthful bourbons, there’s restricted time for these tannins to resolve throughout maturation, so barrels constructed from kiln-dried wooden typically yield sharper, uneven outcomes. Open-air seasoning additionally permits fungi and micro organism to ascertain themselves throughout the staves. The enzymes they produce start breaking lignin down into flavor-active compounds reminiscent of vanillin and eugenol, successfully beginning the transformation earlier than the barrel is ever stuffed. For youthful whiskey, this early improvement offers a significant benefit. With out it, the spirit should shoulder all the burden of extraction, which might result in a flat, overly woody profile.
As bourbon reaches longer ageing home windows, the significance of air seasoning diminishes. Over time, tannins retained in kiln-dried wooden bear polymerization, forming bigger buildings that not register as bitter. Continued oxygen alternate by way of the barrel staves additional reduces harsh aldehydes and immature notes, progressively reaching results much like long-term open-air seasoning.
Coal Decide despatched Drinkhacker two barrel proof wheated bourbons: a Single Barrel Bourbon and a Toasted Single Barrel Bourbon.
Mr. Peabody’s coal prepare hauled Paradise away, piece by piece. Is Coal Decide Distillery’s bourbon one thing value hauling dwelling from the native liquor retailer?
Coal Decide Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon Evaluation
Barrel #167 carries a #4 char and was entered at 111 proof, stuffed on June 19, 2020, then emptied for bottling on October 20, 2025, yielding a precise age of 5 years, 4 months, and sooner or later. Poured right into a Glencairn, the whiskey reveals an unexpectedly darkish hue for its time in oak. Bourbons at this age hardly ever show such saturation, making the primary visible impression instantly arresting.
Aromatically, it begins with pink apple peel and rum-raisin ice cream. That dessert-leaning impression continues by way of French vanilla espresso creamer earlier than shifting towards Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, with the emphasis squarely on toasted grain somewhat than the acquainted sugar-forward spice. The result’s assured and targeted, setting a excessive bar from the outset.
On the palate, panettone and peach preserves lead, adopted by a mid-palate mixture of black pepper and milk chocolate. The chocolate character pairs naturally with the whiskey’s medium-thick viscosity, giving the sip a way of cohesion with out extra weight. The closing sequence introduces Earl Gray tea and spice cake, transitioning into dried cranberries and Whoppers malted milk balls as the ultimate flavors settle.
Coal Decide Distillery should still sit outdoors the mainstream dialog, however this launch makes a compelling case for broader consideration. Inside its age vary, it stands among the many extra satisfying higher-proof wheated bourbons at the moment out there. For drinkers looking for a well-crafted instance that pushes past acquainted labels, this bottle presents a rewarding detour. 115.4 proof. A- / $70
Coal Decide Toasted Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon Evaluation
Barrel #234 was stuffed on January 15, 2021, and emptied on October 24, 2025, reaching an age of 4 years, 9 months, and 9 days. It sports activities a #1 char with a medium toast and barrel entry at 111.5 proof.
The aroma opens with baked blondies and honey-roasted almonds. With a little bit of air, scorching cocoa and waffle cone notes spherical out the presentation. It’s a bouquet that highlights confectionary parts with out drifting into extra sweetness.
The palate shifts course, putting spice firmly on the forefront. Cedarwood leads earlier than pivoting to Tootsie Roll, then sliding right into a extra refined chocolate observe akin to Ferrero Rocher. That development is interrupted by potent pickled ginger, which turns into the dominant voice by way of the middle of the sip. The mouthfeel sits in a medium-thick vary.
On the end, Lipton Brisk Lemon Iced Tea and corn tortillas take maintain, adopted by contemporary mint and white pepper as the ultimate notes settle in. The toasted barrel affect is obvious all through, notably within the spice-driven moments, but it by no means totally overtakes the bourbon’s core character.
Whereas the usual single barrel expression stays the stronger providing for my palate, this toasted barrel launch is an fulfilling and well-executed different. It delivers a transparent toasted profile with out extra, making it a worthwhile bottle for these seeking to discover past the distillery’s main expression. 111.8 proof. B+ / $70
Coal Decide Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon
USD70
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