In 1971, folks singer and songwriter John Prine launched the tune Paradise, a clear-eyed account of the injury brought on by floor coal mining in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, the place his dad and mom referred to as residence. The tune describes how whole hillsides had been stripped away with dynamite and heavy equipment to show the coal beneath them. Prine name-checks Peabody Power 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 all the way down to make room for the plant’s enlargement.
Half a century later, that very same floor took on a really totally different function. In 2017, Kevin and Carrie Lawrence based Coal Choose 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 Choose’s identification in western Kentucky.
Coal Choose focuses on wheated bourbon. Whereas the distillery presents its personal home releases, a major share of its manufacturing is presently made below 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 maintaining 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 Choose makes use of Coopers Choose barrels from Unbiased Stave Firm, constructed with staves that had been seasoned outdoor for 18 months. Contemporary oak comprises 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, in contrast, takes solely days and traps a lot of that tannic content material contained in the stave.
In youthful bourbons, there may be restricted time for these tannins to resolve throughout maturation, so barrels produced from kiln-dried wooden usually yield sharper, uneven outcomes. Open-air seasoning additionally permits fungi and micro organism to ascertain themselves inside the staves. The enzymes they produce start breaking lignin down into flavor-active compounds corresponding to vanillin and eugenol, successfully beginning the transformation earlier than the barrel is ever crammed. For youthful whiskey, this early improvement supplies a significant benefit. With out it, the spirit should shoulder the whole burden of extraction, which may result in a flat, overly woody profile.
As bourbon reaches longer getting older home windows, the significance of air seasoning diminishes. Over time, tannins retained in kiln-dried wooden bear polymerization, forming bigger constructions that now not register as bitter. Continued oxygen alternate by the barrel staves additional reduces harsh aldehydes and immature notes, progressively reaching results much like long-term open-air seasoning.
Coal Choose despatched Drinkhacker two barrel proof wheated bourbons: a Single Barrel Bourbon and a Toasted Single Barrel Bourbon.
Mr. Peabody’s coal practice hauled Paradise away, piece by piece. Is Coal Choose Distillery’s bourbon one thing value hauling residence from the native liquor retailer?
Coal Choose Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon Evaluate
Barrel #167 carries a #4 char and was entered at 111 proof, crammed on June 19, 2020, then emptied for bottling on October 20, 2025, yielding an actual age of 5 years, 4 months, and at some point. Poured right into a Glencairn, the whiskey reveals an unexpectedly darkish hue for its time in oak. Bourbons at this age not often show such saturation, making the primary visible impression instantly arresting.
Aromatically, it begins with purple apple peel and rum-raisin ice cream. That dessert-leaning impression continues by French vanilla espresso creamer earlier than shifting towards Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, with the emphasis squarely on toasted grain reasonably 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 Choose Distillery should 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 presently obtainable. For drinkers searching for a well-crafted instance that pushes past acquainted labels, this bottle presents a rewarding detour. 115.4 proof. A- / $70
Coal Choose Toasted Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon Evaluate
Barrel #234 was crammed 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, sizzling cocoa and waffle cone notes spherical out the presentation. It’s a bouquet that highlights confectionary components with out drifting into extra sweetness.
The palate shifts path, putting spice firmly on the forefront. Cedarwood leads earlier than pivoting to Tootsie Roll, then sliding right into a extra refined chocolate word akin to Ferrero Rocher. That development is interrupted by potent pickled ginger, which turns into the dominant voice by 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 clear all through, significantly 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 pleasing and well-executed various. 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 Choose Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon
USD70
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