Old Emmer Finest Wheat

A while back, I was in my favorite Total Wine & More establishment and saw a large display of Old Emmer Finest Wheat Bourbon Whiskey. I asked an employee for a complimentary pour (I always appreciate!) and asked if he could tell me anything about it. “It’s flying off the shelves. We can’t keep it in stock.” Really – tell me more … “Well, you’ve heard of Elmer T. Lee – well this is similar. And the ‘old’ is tied to ‘Old Taylor’” … Hmmm … My mantra is “Never let the truth get in the way of  a good story” … and this employee was taking that motto to new heights!

What We Do Know

From the Total Wine & More website, we’re told this is a welcoming wheated Kentucky bourbon, aged a minimum of 4 years in new charred oak barrels. Distinct aromas and honey-oak, cherry, apple, and vanilla flavors create an approachable balanced bourbon with a warm finish. Received Double Gold – NY World Wine & Spirits.

The label shares that it is bottled at 86 proof by Kentucky Whiskey Bottling of Harrodsburg, Kentucky. A couple more clicks states that KWB is bottling, filtration, and co-packaging facility that operates as a service provider for spirits brands, rather than as a distillery themselves. These firms are often used by newer brands, private-label bottlings, or companies that don’t have their own bottling line. A final click shares that Kentucky Whiskey Bottling is permanently closed.

I suspect that this bourbon is a sourced bourbon for Total Wine, similar to other store bourbons we’ve sampled, such as the Wolcott brand and the Chestnut Farms we’ve shared in prior reviews. The question remains, though, who distilled the original spirits? We may never know. An Old Emmer Cask Strength release highlighted IJW Whiskey as the distillery. IJW has warehouses adjacent to Wilderness Trail, and as such, that’s my best (and final) guess. If IJW sounds familiar, we highlighted them in our First Call and McFarlane’s reviews.

Tasting

Eye: Golden honey

Nose: Vanilla, honey, malted milk balls, fresh hay.

Palate: Sweet, with vanilla, and malted chocolate balls. There are some grainy notes – think fresh bread dough – as well as lighter, fruit notes accentuated with apricot.

Finish: Medium in length, with sweet vanilla, oak, and spice.

Overall: Before we dive into the glass, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate what makes a wheated bourbon different. In most bourbons, rye is the flavoring grain, bringing spice, bite, and a little attitude. Swap that rye for wheat, though, and everything softens. Wheat lends a rounder, creamier texture, a gentle sweetness, and a mellow warmth that makes these bourbons famously easy to sip. Think of it as bourbon’s comfort‑food cousin: familiar, soothing, and often surprisingly elegant.

Old Emmer Finest Wheat Bourbon leans fully into that softer profile, and the result is a bottle that feels welcoming from the very first pour. Priced at $39, it’s treading into overpriced territory, when compared to the likes of Maker’s Mark and Weller’s Reserve as it becomes more readily available.