Wildcatter Bourbon Whiskey
Wildcatter Bourbon Whiskey is a 45% ABV (90 proof), 750mL Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey with an 8 year age statement. The bourbon is sourced — eight-year-old barrels bought on the open market, the distillery undisclosed — aged in new charred oak and bottled by Elite Brands in Fairfield, California, under a revived Texas oil-country label. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 45% (90 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 8 years
- Origin: Kentucky, USA (sourced; bottled by Elite Brands, Fairfield, CA)
- Style: Straight bourbon whiskey, new charred oak
- Mash bill: Undisclosed
- Producer: Wildcatter (Elite Brands)
An Oil-Boom Label, A Kentucky Bourbon
The Wildcatter name reaches back to Texas oilman Glenn McCarthy — the "King of the Wildcatters" — who launched his own Wildcatter bourbon label around the 1949 opening of his Shamrock Hotel in Houston. The modern revival keeps the roughneck spirit of that label (its artwork follows a roughneck character, Billy Banks) but fills the bottle honestly: proper eight-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, sourced in barrel and bottled in California. Find more aged bourbon on our bourbon shelf, explore the wider whisky range, or visit the Wildcatter vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Dark fruit, caramel, vanilla and butterscotch with spice, wood and sweet cream (per independent reviews). Palate: Caramel, vanilla and dark stone fruit with light spice, oak and dried apricot, in a full, round, lightly syrupy frame. Finish: Long, spicy and woody, lightly sweet with peppercorn at the end.
How to Enjoy
Eight years and 90 proof make it a natural neat or large-cube pour; it also has the age and weight for a proper Old Fashioned or Manhattan where the bourbon stays in charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wildcatter a Texas bourbon? No. Despite the Texas oil-country branding, the whiskey itself is Kentucky straight bourbon, sourced from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery and bottled by Elite Brands in Fairfield, California.
Who makes Wildcatter bourbon? The distiller is undisclosed by design: Elite Brands bought barrels of eight-year-old bourbon on the open market and bottled them under the Wildcatter label.
What is the mash bill? It is not published. What is verified is the category — Kentucky straight bourbon, aged eight years in new charred oak at 90 proof.
Eight-year Kentucky bourbon under a wildcatter's name — order Wildcatter online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.