Ben Holladay Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof Bourbon Whiskey
Ben Holladay Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof Bourbon Whiskey is Missouri's signature wheated bourbon in its purest form — aged a minimum of 6 years and bottled straight from the barrel at rickhouse proof, with nothing added and nothing taken away — and it is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
Holladay Distillery in Weston, Missouri — founded in 1856, the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi still operating on its original site — makes this from the original Holladay recipe with one change: soft red winter wheat replaces rye (73% corn / 15% soft red wheat / 12% malted barley). After aging in Missouri white oak in the distillery's original iron-clad rickhouses, each batch is tasted and blended at the exact proof the barrels yielded. It is also certified Real Missouri Bourbon: mashed, fermented, distilled, aged and bottled in-state in Missouri-made barrels from Missouri-grown corn.
Tasting notes (critic/retailer copy, current 6-year batch): sweet caramel and banana nut bread with maple, stone fruit and barrel char on the nose; stewed cherries, molasses, dark caramel and buttered cracker on the palate; a long, spicy finish of hibiscus, leather and chest warmth.
Why buy Rickhouse Proof? Because it is one of the very few barrel-proof wheated bourbons made outside Kentucky — soft, dessert-like, and every batch is a one-off. Explore the bourbon whiskey collection, the Ben Holladay brand collection, and all whisky.
Serving note: neat to experience full rickhouse-proof character; a few drops of water open the fruit and soften the heat. A superb high-proof Old Fashioned.
What is the ABV? Rickhouse proof — it varies by batch (no water is ever added); recent batches run roughly 118–124 proof.
How old is it? A minimum of 6 years in Missouri white oak rickhouses.
What is the mash bill? 73% corn, 15% soft red winter wheat, 12% malted barley.
Where is it made? Holladay Distillery, Weston, Missouri — operating since 1856.