Greg Metze, master dister for Colorado-based Old Elk Distillery, boasts over 30 years of distilling experience. Under his charge, Old Elk has become an acclaimed and reputable distillery. With specialty bottles including bourbon, rye, wheat whiskeys, single-barrel expressions, and the ongoing annual-release “Infinity Series,” cask finishing is a cornerstone of Old Elk’s catalog.

Officially designated the “Cask Finish Series,” the portfolio includes bourbons finished in port and rum casks and a Cognac-cask-finished version of its flagship straight bourbon. The newest addition to the series is also finished in Cognac casks, this time with Old Elk’s wheat whiskey as the starting point. The series is managed by Master Blender Melinda Maddox, whose experimental approach combines with Greg Metze’s expertise to form the brand’s “dynamic duo!”

Old Elk Cognac Cask Finish Wheat whiskey contains a mash bill of 95% wheat and 5% malted barley. It’s aged for a minimum of six years before spending six months to one year of its secondary finish in ex-fill Limousin Cognac casks imported from France. It’s bottled at 95 proof and carries a deep copper color.

Tasting Notes

Having previously reviewed three other Old Elk expressions, I knew I could expect something precise, individualistic, and high-quality. Admittedly, I have not delved into the Cognac space much at all. The spirit is often too rich for my taste, but a Cognac finish on a more delicate whiskey was right up my alley.

The nose boasts deep teakwood and sweet orange aromas with a traditional caramel richness. The cognac notes of fruit and wood complement the wheaty nuttiness. On the palate, the combination of age notes is the star of the show. An unctuous oakiness ripe with tropical fruit, leather varnish, and honeycomb makes for a perfectly balanced whiskey with a long, warm finish from the Cognac’s grandeur. Each sip is luxurious and layered yet remains tidy. As with the other Old Elk bottlings I’ve had, this is simultaneously complex and approachable.

Final Thoughts

I had high expectations for this whiskey; predictably, Old Elk delivered. Again, I’m not a Cognac drinker by any means, and I have encountered very few Cognac-finished whiskey. Still, this one gave me everything I like about Cognac (barrel notes, fruitiness, warmth) without overdoing richness or viscosity. I’m already partial to wheat whiskeys and wheated bourbons, and the marriage of the two could not have worked better. Whatever Old Elk puts out next, I want it.