The Last Call

     West Fork Whiskey Company out of Westfield, Indiana continues to prove they are serious about the craft side of bourbon. This particular release is a high corn bourbon, distilled, aged, and bottled in-house, then finished in cherry brandy barrels. What really caught my attention was the mash bill: 100% corn. Yes, that qualifies as bourbon. After four years in new American oak, it spent another year and a half in cherry brandy barrels, bringing the total age to five and a half years. On paper, that is a fascinating experiment.      A 100% corn mash bill is naturally going to lean sweeter and softer, without the spice from rye or the added structure from malted barley or wheat. That means the finishing barrel has a huge role in shaping the final product. In this case, the cherry brandy cask is not a background note. It is the lead singer. For the full video review visit the link here:  https://youtu.be/3vL3C8_7mts . Age Statement: 4 years. (Single ...

     West Fork Whiskey Company has made a name for itself in Indiana’s growing craft whiskey scene, distilling, aging, and bottling all of its own spirits in Westfield. This release is something special, a high-rye straight bourbon finished in a hot honey barrel, created through a collaboration between three Indiana locals. The bourbon starts as West Fork’s high rye mash bill, then takes a turn into a barrel that previously held hot honey crafted by King Butter, using honey sourced from Mumbe's Orchard in Atlanta, Indiana. It’s a single-barrel release, and the second time West Fork has explored this concept, with the first using their wheated bourbon. I enjoyed that one, so the high-rye version had me both intrigued on what differences there will be! For the full video review visit the link here:  https://youtu.be/4ak0ZM3MzE0 . Learn more about King Butter via his link:  https://kingbutter.com/ . Age Statement: N/A. (Single Barrel). ABV: 50%. Mash bill:  ...

West Fork Whsky Co. High Corn Double Oak Bourbon Review.      West Fork continues to be one of those craft distilleries that quietly overdelivers. Based out of Westfield, Indiana, they distill, age, and bottle their own whiskey, and their double oaked releases in particular have consistently impressed me. This single barrel, bottled at a bold 60.05% ABV and aged at least three years, proves once again that age is only part of the equation.      Released in 2025 and finally opened back up in 2026, this bottle comes with impressive transparency: cask strength, non-chill filtered, and a clearly disclosing a mash bill. Even the back label is packed with information. This is a true grain-to-glass Indiana craft bourbon. After initial maturation, the whiskey undergoes a second barreling in a new charred oak barrel, the classic double oak treatment. This process amplifies wood sugars, deepens color, and layers in additional barrel char and tannin. At barrel proof a...

     The moment West Fork Whiskey Company announced they were finishing their high-corn bourbon in a rum cask, I was mentally in the car, halfway to Westfield. I’ve been following West Fork for years, they’ve got their sourced Old Hammer series, sure, but their in-house line is where they really get to show off. And a 99% corn bourbon? That’s already a curveball. Finish it in rum for a year and a half? That’s a “clear the shelf space, this is coming home” kind of situation. I didn’t even taste it at the distillery, wanted my first sip to be a clean, fresh hit at home.      This bourbon starts life almost entirely as a 99% corn 1% malted barley, spending four years soaking up flavor in new oak. They moved it into a rum cask for an  eighteen-month  finish, long enough that the rum doesn’t just whisper over the top, it moves in and starts redecorating. That kind of extended finish can be risky, but it’s also where magic can happen. Instead of just ad...