Review of Milam & Greene Very Small Batch 01

Milam & Greene was founded in 2017 in Blanco, Texas and their releases range from 100% sourced to 100% distilled in-house. Their newest ongoing release is Very Small Batch, which includes bourbon distilled in Kentucky (at Bardstown Bourbon Company) by the company’s Master Distiller Marlene Holmes. According to the company’s press release this batch totals 1,500 9L cases, or 18,000 bottles.

A bouquet of bakery scents, toasted pecans, and indulgent creme brulee opens the nose. Dark fruits emerge in the background, followed by a slight herbal note adding depth. Hints of marshmallow and orange blossom add a layer of complexity. The scents come forward with a mild intensity, and are more dry than sweet overall.

The whiskey unfolds with an opening of baking spices, full-bodied tobacco, leather, and a hint of marshmallow. Graham cracker and tart raspberry jam join in, providing a punchy fruitiness that adds a delicious contrast to the otherwise savory, slightly dry mix. All of this is carried by an earthy undertone, which grounds the whiskey to a satisfying result.

Baking spices reappear, along with an intriguing dance of leather and cigar box. Their strong, slightly tannic presence adds a mature depth to the whiskey. Like the rest of the sip, the finish is dry, savory, and long, making for an enjoyable ending.

Milam & Greene Very Small Batch is a blend of Kentucky and Tennessee distilled bourbons. The Kentucky distilled bourbon has a mashbill that includes malted rye, which is not very common. The final blend of the bourbons is 20% Kentucky distilled and 80% Tennessee distilled, and finished with French oak staves that were curated by Milam & Greene. The barrels were aged in Texas, but according to Heather Greene that was only a brief period of time as they were primarily aged in Kentucky and Tennessee. On the technical side, the whiskey is labeled as “straight bourbon whiskey finished with charred French oak staves,” but it is actually a “blend of straight bourbon whiskeys” as the bourbons originate from two different states. Blending often makes for a more interesting whiskey, and it’s not a fact that’s hidden with this release. Additionally, the charred French oak stave finishing took place after the whiskey was blended and put into 1,000 gallon vats, which is interesting because there was no further interaction with the whiskey and the surrounding air at that point – like there is with barrels – makes for a different finishing process than Maker’s 46, for example. This finishing process is more consistent with the finishing process used by Broken Barrel, by which whiskeys are dumped into steel tanks where they are then met with a mixture of finishing barrel staves the company refers to as the “Oak Bill.”

The technical details of this whiskey pull in multiple directions when it comes to value. The bourbons were aged in barrels just shy of 4 years before being blended, which isn’t the level of detail I would like and the age really should be stated as what it is – is it 3 years and 6 months, 3 years and 9 months, or 3 years and 11 months? This of course leaves guesswork to the consumer with the “just shy of” reference. Despite this, the end result tastes quite a bit older than even a typical 4 year old bourbon. From a curation standpoint, Milam & Greene blends whiskeys from multiple distilleries, including one with less common malted rye in the mashbill, and adds the additional step of French oak stave finishing. At $70 it’s certainly priced at a premium, and considering its more nuanced curation and relatively small production yield, it feels like it’s intended to be a boutique bourbon product. Compared to Milam & Greene’s single barrel expression, which comes in at $55, Very Small Batch adds enough value to justify the increase in price, of which its higher 108 proof point is a welcome enhancement. It walks the line between being priced fairly (in today’s market) and being slightly overpriced, with consideration given to its more complicated than average creation process to help bring it into fair territory.

Milam & Greene is just starting to get their feet off the ground, utilizing a strategy that involves distilling with their own copper pot still in Texas, with a traditional column still in Kentucky (at Bardstown Bourbon Company), and by sourcing whiskeys from a number of sources across the country. This is the first batch that blends in bourbon the company’s master distiller Marlene Holmes, distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Company using Milam & Greene’s recipe. While the Milam & Greene Kentucky distilled component represents only 20% of the blend, combining with a Tennessee bourbon and finishing with French oak staves yields a whiskey that tastes more mature than its age suggests. My curiosity to try their Kentucky distilled bourbon on its own is piqued, and I also like the fact that Milam & Greene continues to expand their range of releases.