Makers of some of our favorite bourbons, Milam & Greene, are coming out with a new release which aims to not only showcase the environmental conditions of Texas but also to help support parks and wildlife causes. The Roadrunner Single Barrel Bourbon is the fourth release in the brand’s 2024 Wildlife Collection, dedicated to the birds of Texas and to the beloved roadrunner in particular.
“Each single barrel release in The Wildlife Collection is a case study of the impact on the Texas heat cycle in developing flavors,” explained Heather Greene, Milam & Greene Whiskey CEO. “The Milam & Greene rickhouses are not temperature controlled, so when it gets hotter the whiskey expands into the pores of the barrels and reacts with the oak to extract compounds. As the weather cools the liquid contracts and the whiskey seeps out of the wood creating intense, complex aromas and flavors that make each barrel of this whiskey unique. The Roadrunner Single Barrel Bourbon endured one of the hottest, driest summers in Texas and was also exposed to several cold snaps.”
The new release was taken from a single cask, #507, which produced just 143 bottles and was made using a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. The bourbon has a high abv of 65.05%, and was aged both where it was distilled in Tennessee, and then at the Milam & Greene Rickhouse 1 in Texas, for a total of over eight years of aging. It offers aromas of leather and fruit, with flavors of cherry and vanilla and a sweet maple syrup finish. It will go on sale on August 21 at 3 p.m. CDT.
The release is named for the large ground-dwelling birds that live in the region, and a portion of the sales from the release will go to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation. “Roadrunners hang out during the warm summer months patrolling the grounds at our distillery in Blanco for small snakes and lizards,” said Milam & Greene Whiskey distillery manager, Rikk Munroe.
“We’ve affectionately named our favorite bird of the bunch ‘Meep Meep’ as she loves to show off her blazing speed for visitors like the roadrunner in the famous cartoon. We recommend that wily whiskey lovers mark their calendars for a wild chase because we expect this release to sell out as fast as ‘Meep Meep’ races around the distillery grounds.”
