Is Wisconsin Bourbon Better Than Kentucky Bourbon?

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[@JacobNichols24]

Hey Kurt, I am the one who sent you the samples! So J. Henry doesn't actually distill, but aside from the malted barley they grow all of their grains on their farm. Their heirloom corn they use they actually got from UW Madison and was specially cultivated through the university and used by Joe's dad Jerry in the 1940s-1970s. They use a local distiller to distill everything with their desired mashbills. Driftless does distill in house for all of their spirits. They do not have a straight Sherry finish as far as I know. Jay from the r/bourbon program has done a bunch of one off finishes with DG. So maybe he has one in the works. As for some straight stuff, I did include some single barrels of DG and J Henry. The two other Patton Roads are single barrels selected by Joe Jr and Nancy Fraley. The DG picks are one straight bourbon, and 2 ryes, which I know Trenton will absolutely love.

[@slbdrinks]

Thank you Jacob!! 🙏🏻

[@OtlwJoseyWales]

They are moving both the distillery operation and bottling to their facility. But, no definite timeline last I had heard.

[@sumoneelse3011]

J. Henry Bellafontaine Reserve is one of my absolute favorites!

[@jake40509]

I believe 45th Parallel does their distilling for them.

[@MrWayneJohn1]

Your idea of videoing a trip to Wisconsin to visit some distilleries (and cheese factories, and breweries) is a great idea. I'm in western WI, very near the 45th Parallel distillery, and would really enjoy a meet & greet if you make it here. You'll be warmly welcomed anywhere you travel in Wisconsin. Keep up the great work - love your videos!

[@jackanderson3071]

Same here- I live 20 mins away from both Driftless Glen and J. Henry. I live in the town where Culver's was born. Would love to hook you up with the best cheese curds around. Can't wait to see the video of you two on the road.

[@krolson74]

J. Henry is a Wisconsin farm. Their crops are distilled off site (45th Parallel Distillery) but then barreled and aged back at the farm. They use an heirloom red corn in their whiskey.

[@mikelester816]

@@barryhaugen7651I went there 5 years ago. I thought their whiskeys were a bit rough. Maybe they have aged more and are better

[@cenesq]

​@@mikelester816yes, they've gotten much more refined over the years.

[@klawman1546]

When you decide to come to Wisconsin, feel free to stop in Madison and pick me up!

[@buckybadgerphd]

The 45th cask strength Rye is awesome, IMO.

[@hammer63-u2d]

I have been to both of these places (was just at J. Henry again yesterday). Driftless Glen does their own distilling, while J. Henry has that done offsite. That said, J. Henry grows all its own grains (they are/were a Seed Corn farm, growing a unique heirloom red corn along with the rye and wheat). Both make very good straight bourbons and are great places to visit (very different experiences). As for Kurt & Trenton, you should absolutely do a video road trip - they are located only about 40 minutes apart, and Driftelss Glen is just south of Wisconsin Dells so Trenton could revisit his childhood.

[@JohnWalker-dn1qt]

I have all 4 of these. The J Henry 8 year was a limited one time release and was $130-ish at the time. The J Henry Bellafontaine is a regular release that does see some limited distribution. It’s $89-$99 depending on where you find it. It is 5 years old. The two Driftless Glen offerings tasted here are (or were?) distillery only offerings, the prices for those for $70-$80-ish if I remember correctly. I did not send these samples but very familiar with all of them. That DH Naranja makes an amazing old fashioned fyi.

[@krolson74]

Both the Port and Naranja have graduated to being available at stores (Though the Nanaja also is still at the distillery)

[@NotSoSilentE]

Glad to see some love for Driftless Glen. A good friend of mine lives very close to the distillery and sent me a bottle back when their stuff was 3-ish years old, now it's 5+ and pushing 7 on some special single barrels. Love that VDN finished bottle and would love to try a port finish from them.

[@hardcornpour]

“Oh, I know. I’m probably right.” Hahahaha!!! Thank you for another wonderful video. Love you guys!! A road trip would be EPIC!!! It would be an experience y’all will never forget and I’m pretty sure I can speak for the majority of your fans in that we would LOVE to join you on that adventure.

[@krolson74]

Driftless is one of my favorites. It is the one distillery where I will always grab a store pick if I see it no matter how many other bottles I have of other store picks. The port finish used to be distillery only. They use locally sourced grains and have up to 8-9 year old bourbon and ryes. Both ryes and bourbons are available as lower proof small batch, lower proof single barrel and cask strength single barrel.

[@WhiskeyFan]

I live about 40 minutes from Driftless Glen distillery. Port Finish was my first favorite from them. Once the barrel proof rye came it, it became my second fav.

[@buckybadgerphd]

YES! COME TO WISCO!! Glad to see you two tasting some products from the state that doesn’t just produce award winning cheese and sausage! I think Trenton would love the DG rye. Also, the straight DG Bourbon at 120 proof is awesome.

[@IzzosPlace]

I got to go to Italy in 2017 and it was life changing. Yes go check it out. See some sights, vineyards, olive groves, old cities, and of course wineries. And I’d watch a Wisconsin travel log too.

[@deanticks1757]

As a Wisconsin native, I've seen but never tried Driftless Glen bourbons. THANK YOU for this video. Now this has really piqued my interest! I love ports so definitely looking to find the port finished bourbon! As for an SLB Bourbon road trip to Baraboo...YES, BY ALL MEANS!!! You always can make a side trip to Wisconsin Dells!!! Devils Lake State Park is near Baraboo as well, which is a great hiking park!

[@donwilliamson9764]

Kurt and Trenton, thanks for all your videos. I just got back from Wisconsin...my home state. I'm behind on watch your videos and just now catching up. Looks like many of your other viewers have provided a lot of detail on J. Henry and Driftless Glen. The Driftless Glen store pick from Richard's Liquor in Wisconsin Rapids (my home town) is one of my favorite. As your other viewers have noted...J. Henry is a farm that grows all the grains with a special "red corn" from UW Madison. 45th Parallel (New Richmond, WI) mashes and distills the grains. After the distillate is put in the barrels, the barrels are taken back to J. Henry where the barrels are aged. Once aged, the barrels are taken back to 45th Parallel Distillery for bottling. J. Henry is a great visit and tour. Driftless Glen is another great tour. Let your viewers know if you head to Wisconsin and are open to having an event for "locals" to attend...I'll be there! Thanks, Don

[@BadgerJeff]

Three things us WI folks like to talk about are 1. Packers 2. Old fashioneds and 3. Anything Wisconsin. Glad you enjoyed both ours. Nice distilleries and people running them.

[@gaetzke]

As someone from Wisconsin, if you think those are good, try the Driftless Glenn Ryes! (Specifically the single barrels)

[@geland1]

Agree, been to the distillery a few times and their barrel strength rye is where it’s at. I brought a few buddies for a tour and a bunch of them bought a bottle of rye after tasting.

[@mikelester816]

Seconded!

[@derrickbogan2395]

Agreed driftless glenn barrel strength ryes are sooooo good

[@bluefish2766]

4th this comment, love the Binnys pick barrel strength rye I have!

[@forlornHope]

5th

[@clmartin22]

The regular Driftless Glen Bourbon and Single Barrel is excellent. Lots of flavor. Reminds me of much more expensive limited release Beam products.

[@RxSquatch]

Watching this from our cabin in north-central Wisconsin (our full time home is in Indianapolis). Went down to a wedding near South Bend area last weekend, then stopped by J.Henry Farm on way back to cabin. I picked up a few bottles of the Bellefontaine and Patten Rd. Bourbons while there. Both are great! These, along with Driftless Glen, are great examples of Wisconsin growers and distillers doing bourbon very well. Re, J. Henry, they grow their own grain (and source their malt), but have new make contract distilled by 45th parallel according to their own recipe using their own farm-grown grain.

[@terrymiller9456]

We went to J Henry last September. Did their tour and bourbon tasting, very worth the time. Highly recommended. Standard releases were $70 to $150 depending on age and proof.

[@mikecherry3028]

Perfect timing. Going to Driftless Glen on Friday. I look forward to trying your selections.

[@rogerreese7624]

You guys are so good and entertaining. I'm happy for your success. You're honestly just normal dudes talking about whiskey, and other stuff. That's the appeal. Keep doing what you're doing and cheers to you!

[@benblue385]

Love both of these distilleries, and would absolutely love to see you guys doing a trip out here. That sounds really fun! Also, they are close to each other which makes it easy. Wollersheim is a winery nearby there as well, they distill their own bourbon(its not bad), but their wine is pretty darn good, and the venue is beautiful. You could satisfy Trenton's wine trip and check out Driftless and J. Henry all in one go!

[@clmartin22]

I love Driftless Glen. They carry them in Winn Dixie in Florida and they are a shelf staple for me now. Such a great value!

[@AgeAndTreachery5167]

Thank you for the Winn-Dixie tip! I’m checking out my local WD liquor ASAP!

[@AgeAndTreachery5167]

UPDATE: My local Winn Dixie carries Driftless Glen bourbon, single barrel bourbon, rye and single barrel rye. No port finished 😢Prices are around $32 per 750, which I think is a very reasonable price. I’m starting with the straight bourbon and I will definitely try the others in due course. Immediate impression is the nose is intense and wonderful. I get vanilla, caramel and fruit right off the bat. The taste delivers on the nose as well with a dark finish that I can’t identify, but is kind of oaky but in a very subtle and good way. All in all I would agree that this is a bourbon that stands up well to any distillers best at an affordable price. Definitely a repeat buy for me!

[@mikemueller99]

My brother in law had the Drifltess Naranja it was incredibly good. I've been meaning to visit the distillery you guys should do a meet up there!

[@bribrabru3]

Got a Hy-Vee store pick of Driftless Glenn. It's a 5 yr single barrel bourbon, 123 proof and makes me want to try a lot more of their products. I live in Iowa and there will definitely be a distillery trip in my future...

[@gregorycarpenter7260]

I thought Cedar Ridge was pretty good and should be readily available by you. I am from Iowa but now in Cleveland so miss some of the local whiskeys.

[@RoyBelluomini]

I suggest grabbing a DG Single barrel (non finished). They are usually under $40, 5+ years and absolute bangers. I've only had 1 bad bottle over the last 5 years. I emailed DG about it and they took care of me on it. Great company. Great Whiskey. If you can find an 8+ year pick at 125 proof, you won't be disappointed.

[@slenky2124]

Living in Wisco and having barrel picks from Driftless at my local grocery store has been so incredible

[@jamiepedretti9023]

Luv your content and hope to see you both in WI soon . In regards to WI bourbon , my hands down favorite each year is the J Henry Anniversary blend which as you would expect is a once a year limited release but well worth it's120$ price tag . Cheers gentlemen 🥃🥃

[@normsimonton3163]

I have 4 different bottles of the driftless Glen one of the is a single barrel that I got online 125 proof intense flavors very delicious. I’m glad you guys finally did a tasting of Drftless Glen as I have been drinking them for about two years and they’re fairly inexpensive.

[@dancindan85]

I live in Wisconsin and have yet to have either J.Henry or Driftless Glen and I was just in the dells at the Kalahari. Thanks guys! I will have to get these now.

[@MusicNerdMIDI]

I always look forward to your videos! Definitely enjoy seeing Trenton on here as well, it's really interesting to get two different perspectives on the same spirits. I'd be curious to see your reactions and tastings to Japanese whiskey. As a somewhat new whiskey drinker, I've heard a lot of Japanese whiskey products have nearly doubled in price since the pandemic, and I'm not sure what is worth or not worth the money. I've been hearing a lot about Suntory and Nikka products.

[@davevogelsang6791]

J Henry has good bourbons, also in Wisconsin. The J Henry 2022 Limited Edition Anniversary Blend is fantastic. 🥃

[@blechmaier]

Yes, come to WI! Would love to see you tour my two favorite distilleries in my home state.

[@AgeAndTreachery5167]

Wisconsin road-trip, yeah! 🎉 As an ex-pat cheesehead I am ashamed to say that I know next to nothing about Wisconsin distilleries

[@petecymbalak650]

Sipping Patton Road on my deck with a cigar right now! J Henry and Driftless Grenn are both wonderful bourbons

[@bobborgstede837]

Thanks a bunch guys (he said sarcastically). You are a week late. I was on vacation in Wisconsin exactly one week ago. Had I seen this earlier I would have stopped by these distilleries. Guess I need to tell my wife that we're going back!

[@Cycliste1979]

You should definitely do a road trip to Wisconsin! I have toured both J. Henry and Driftless Glen and they are worth the trip with great stories and even better bourbons. DG's rye was the first to draw national attention and they also produce some some great gins and other spirits. I took home a distillery exclusive which was a rye finished brandy--great for Old Fashioneds.

[@jeremybrown2027]

Yesss! Come to Wisconsin! I'm right in baraboo blocks away from driftless glen! Also their higher aged single barrel cask strength ryes are phenomenal! Get up here guys! I'd love to meet you both and enjoy some pours!

[@justinbanks2089]

You guys HAVE to try the Driftless Glen Single Barrel Rye (122 proof). I'm from Alabama, but took a trip up to Wisconson Dells this summer. Got to go to Driftless Glen and sample all their bourbons and ryes. The single barrel rye was my favorite and the bottle I decided to take home. Absolutely delicious.

[@coreygroves7183]

My son and I went Driftless Glen this summer on a trip and found the 51 Rye Whiskey to be fantastic and brought a bottle after trying a whiskey flight!

[@Animal_Pack]

Your video has inspired me. Heading to the dells for a quick weekend trip with friends in September. They enjoy gin and vodka and Driftless Glen produces that as well. Reservations secured! Thank you!

[@GentStyle]

You guys should do a video on Starlight Distillery here in Indiana!

[@agorn5613]

Don't forget to stop at Dancing Goat Distillery in Cambridge, WI. Just a stones throw from Baraboo.

[@cjkarwed2000]

If you like going to the Kalahari in the Dells, Driftless Glen is only 15 minutes south, and Wollersheim Winery and Distillery is only 30 minutes South. Both make fantastic bourbons, and are definitely worth the visit

[@nicholaschmielinski2155]

I'm a huge fan of DGs Wheated single barrel. Please come to Wisconsin. We'd love to have you here!

[@user-bh6yd6ky5u]

I've been to Driftless Glen and it is worth the trip - great location - right on the Baraboo River, and a very nice dining room and menu. You can try flights of their spirits and yes, their products are very good. Area of Baraboo and the Dells is just a great place to visit.

[@mariojohnson4695]

I live in the Badger State and I had some Driftless Glen last night, it’s pretty good. Thanks for reviewing these bourbons, love you guys.

[@metalisit]

J. Henry Small Batch is what you typically see in the stores here in Wisconsin. is kind of a youthful whiskey. Its only aged 4 years I believe. It shows in the taste to me. Yet its priced like one of the better bourbons. Hard to consider paying $55 when I can get something Rare Breed, OF 1920 or OF 1910 cheaper.

[@Dustbrother1099]

That would be a great meat up idea in Wisconsin. Been meaning to try both brands just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

[@TorridDesign]

Oh absolutely head out and film a tasting! I'd love to watch that! Thanks gents!

[@WhiskeyFan]

Trenton you will like the Driftless Glen cask strength rye, with the blue on the label. It's my favorite of their offerings. It's better then the Bourbon

[@buckybadgerphd]

100%

[@waynefialo9492]

Really like seeing you guys do pours out of your wheelhouse. Something you haven't had before. Fun to see first time reactions. Cheers.

[@RockulaRandy]

Take the trip! I'm in northern Illinois and drift northward from time to time. Wisconsin is lovely, especially in fall with the colors (hint, hint)! I haven't been to the distilleries (I don't know why), but I might be encouraged to follow you up. 😉🥃🥃

[@cpnnick]

Add Dancing Goat in Cambridge to your Wisconsin trip. Not far from J Henry or Driftless. Try their Limousin Rye or the “Old Goat” 21 year light whiskey. Piggly Wiggly in Cambridge has some nice Dancing Goat store picks as well.

[@leeschultz4864]

Yes please go and check out both distilleries. Would definitely be worth the trip to show what they are capable of.

[@tomanderson1557]

Would love a Wisconsin road trip video! I’m laughing just thinking about how that would be 😂

[@Despite37]

I did the Driftless Glen Distillery tour a few months ago and really enjoyed it. I have a 7 1/2 year store pick of their bourbon at cask strength and it's a winner.

[@WhiskeyFan]

definitely come up, I'll meet you there! Don't forget Dancing Goat Distillery as well

[@kenbarkdoll7252]

Wow. I've been enjoying Driftless Glenn for a couple of years now. It is simply the best I've had from up North here

[@josephdreher1769]

I have a bottle of the port finish, it's great. Have bottle of straight rye whiskey that is excellant. Have a bottle of single barrel bourbon that is also good. I live in Central Illinois and driftless glen is easily found. Making great stuff, highly recommend it

[@NE_TaxNerd]

I’ve been to Baraboo (where Driftless Glen is located) for work earlier this year. I didn’t learn of DG until after I was there, but I tracked some down and was impressed! I’m going back up in September and planning to visit the distillery and pick up some bottles!

[@Russ_L]

Had some J Henry small batch and it wasn’t bad. Nice to meet Trenton on Saturday at Harrys, the Ben Holladay Red wheat that I got is very good. Cheers

[@benjamincerda9743]

Milwaukee raised. I have a Driftless Glen single barrel bourbon store pick from Binny’s that I am obsessed with! I would definitely watch SLB take a trip to Wisconsin

[@d-averion5011]

Great episode, I would enjoy seeing a road-trip show to Wisconsin.

[@kaadhome5821]

Would love to see a Wisco road trip. I would add Dancing Goat in Cambridge and Great Lakes Distillery in MKE.

[@forlornHope]

GLD doing some good things with their bottle in bonds (bourbon & rye)

[@rick391]

Dancing Goat brandy is fantastic

[@OtlwJoseyWales]

You should tour j.Henry and driftless glen, but also tour Wollersheim. They make some amazing juice as well and are fairly close to the other two!

[@currahee63]

I say yes to a road trip to those distilleries. I'm a Driftless Glen fan but haven't even heard of J. Henry until today. Thanks for the knowledge and the laughs. Cheers.

[@paulhendershot111]

Would love to see you do a road trip to both of these places. Looks like they are making some very nice bourbons.

[@lstepanski13]

Would love to see you visit J Henry and Driftless Glen! We visit Wisconsin each summer and make it a point to visit both!

[@jeffparker7939]

Absolutely, come to Wisconsin for a tasting trip! In addition to the excellent bourbon produced by both J. Henry and Driftless Glen, I have to add that Driftless Glen also offers the best cocktails! Treat yourself (or better yet, I'll treat you) to a Bourbon Driftless Old Fashioned, sour. They also offer it "sweet" and "pressed", but sour is head and shoulders the best. You can add my neighbor Wollersheim Distillery (15 minutes south of Driftless Glen and 15 minutes west of J. Henry) to your trip. Wollersheim distills their own sprits too and is also Wisconsin's largest winery (and 2012 International Winery of the Year).

[@shayneroberts9793]

Visited J Henry in May and they mentioned they were working with Nancy Frailey from Still Austin on their stuff.

[@m1henry]

I would love to see you guys on the road. I really enjoy those types of videos from other reviewers

[@kaiserneverman1599]

I'd love to see SLB in the home state of Wisco! Gotta stop by a Kwik Trip for sure.

[@eddiemorales1285]

Do come to Wisconsin!! Would definitely meet you there. Great whiskey at both DG and JHenry

[@blakeabig8416]

was waiting for you to do one of these! Let us know when you stop by, i'm like 15 min from J Henry!

[@mikehaluska9451]

I’ve had J. Henry’s Bellefontaine and Small Batch, along with the Driftless Glen straight bourbon. All are fantastic and I would love to see your Wisconsin road show. Once you’re finished there, drop down to Swisher, IA and do a similar show at Cedar Ridge.

[@midwestindy-15]

Someone brought a bottle of Driftless Glenn to my house once. I had never heard of it but I was impressed by it.

[@johnparlow9755]

Barrel-proof Driftless Glen 121 proof. Awesome. Yes, take a road trip.

[@DirtyHairy01]

Before you go to Italy, be sure to familiarize yourself with Amari! My recommendation would be to try spritz’s, and riffs on the Paper Plane cocktail! 😋👍

[@kevinhenrichs4785]

If in Wisconsin, check out 45 parallel distillery, local farm supplies the grains. There "Border Bourbon " is my goto.

[@thinktwice8860]

I got a Driftless Glen store pick in Chattanooga that is outstanding!

[@reloval]

Highly highly recommend the driftless glen rye, especially if you can get a store pick.

[@carlmschwarber259]

I'll be looking for these, if the price doesn't scare me off. Keep up the excellent work, love the content you put out. Cheers 🍻

[@bks7842]

YES on the road trip footage!!!

[@scottwynkoop4200]

Would love to see you guys hit Wisconsin! Did somebody say “Road trip”?

[@paulfix133]

You know the reason you get so many recommendations from WI is because we're the biggest drinkers in the country. :) True. Facts. The DG stuff often places very high or wins my whiskey club's blind battles. Their single barrels are fantastic. A definite must try. J Henry is also excellent.

[@jolkraeremeark6949]

We are big and we certainly do drink....facts!

[@Hassler1121]

You have to try the Driftless Glen Wheated! All the single barrels are excellent choices as well!

[@Bourbonsouth47]

J Henry 2022 Limited Release is 1 of best bourbon I've ever tasted ! Blew any GTS or EH Taylor Barrel Proof I've tried so far

[@peterstorey8863]

Driftless Glen “Single Barrel Strength Rye - Distiller’s Select” is the best rye I’ve ever had. My daughter got it for me from the distillery. Later I got a Total Wine store pick of the same stuff and , although quite good, it didn’t match the Distiller’s Select bought at the distillery.

[@Slo-Mode]

You should definitely try to find the Driftless Glen single barrel cask strength rye. Driftless Glen I believe also does barrel picks and maybe that could help make your trip a business one.

[@buckybadgerphd]

The single barrel cask r strength rye is outstanding. This years Nate’s pick (30 bottles only) was amazing.

[@Vortex1988]

Driftless Glen's prices are pretty reasonable. For both their bourbons and ryes, the small batch is usually between $34-$37, single barrels are usually between $40-45, barrel picks are usually $60, and their Port Finished Bourbon is $70. I don't know what their prices are for the rest of their finished stuff, but I would think it would be similar to the port finish. Not sure about the age stated stuff either.

[@superman6338]

McCarthy's is a good American Single Malt (Oregon)... they import peated moss from Scotland. The one I have is aged 6 years and finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks... it's bottled at 116 proof.

[@georgewalker6883]

You need to try the Driftless Glen Rye, awesome.

[@bayport768]

Definitely make a trip to Wisco. DG has an awesome tasting room where you can get a flight of like 5 or 6 different bourbons/ryes. Their single barrels are excellent

[@geland1]

I thought the J. Henry stuff had like a sweet vanilla custard profile to it. It’s good, and definitely unique, but just wasn’t for me. A cool distillery to visit though. I’ll echo the other positive comments about Driftless Glen barrel strength rye. I think that’s the best WI whiskey I’ve tasted so far. I also really like Dancing Goat cask strength Limosin rye as well.

[@edcarlo8650]

Agree on the Dancing Goat

[@clintdegen]

Yea please come to Wisconsin. Also do a meet and greet at the distilleries.

[@michaellarkins9293]

I would love to see you guys up at Driftless Glen doing a tasting, I was there twice last weekend doing the same thing. They have some really good rye choices Trent would probably love. They also have a Wheated bourbon, which again, Trent would probably really like. Unfortunately, it's an LTO and they were running low on bottles when I got mine. I'm really glad you guys tried both distilleries, J Henry is really close to where we live and have been there numerous times for cocktails and tastings.

[@marcmiller1337]

I still maintain finishing is just a way for a distillery to sell off bad bourbon, and in the case of Driftless Glenn it is absolutely true. Their regular bourbon is young and lacks depth. Throw it in a finishing barrel and you can force some depth and jack up the price. I wish more of these small distilleries would focus on making a good product and stop with the increasingly ridiculous finishes.

[@josephwatts2904]

I was hoping for a DG rye tasting, did a CS barrel pick back in 2018 and it remains one of my all time favorite ryes.

[@frankthetunaman1413]

Would love to see you both go to the Driftless Glen distillary soon and give a full report.

[@itspabbs]

Go to Wisconsin, but go in Bears apparel. I'd LOVE that!