The Story
About the Product: This release in the Whiskey Acres Cask Finished Series takes the distillery's estate-grown Illinois bourbon and finishes it in freshly emptied Cabernet Sauvignon casks from Dunn Vineyards — one of Napa Valley's most legendary mountain estates. What makes these casks exceptional is the wine that previously lived in them: Dunn's Howell Mountain Cabernet is aged 32 months in 100% new French oak, a full year or more longer than most Napa Cabs, which means the casks themselves carry deep layers of dark fruit, baking spice, and tightly wound tannin character. Dunn also deliberately selects lower-impact toasted wood to let the purity of the mountain fruit speak — a quality that makes these vessels ideal finishing containers for whiskey, adding complexity without overwhelming the grain. The resulting bourbon comes in at 105 proof with a nose driven by berry jam and caramel, a palate rich with mocha, French oak, and wood spice, and a long finish of buttered cornbread and lingering warmth.
About Whiskey Acres Distilling Co.: Whiskey Acres is Illinois' first estate distillery — and one of only a handful in the entire country certified as a true "farm distillery," meaning the grain goes from seed to spirit without ever leaving the property. Founded in 2013 on the Walter family's 2,000-acre farm in DeKalb, Illinois, the distillery was built by fifth-generation farmers Jim and Jamie Walter alongside co-founder Nick Nagele. Jamie, a self-described "recovering attorney turned distiller," made the leap after years of watching premium corn grown on some of the Midwest's most fertile land get sold as commodity grain. At Whiskey Acres, that same corn — along with estate-grown rye, wheat, and barley — goes into every batch, mashed with water drawn from the farm's limestone aquifer. Their grain-first philosophy is genuine: as Jamie puts it, great whiskey isn't made, it's grown.
Bottle Info:
- Proof: 105
- Size: 750ml
- Style: Cask Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Finish: Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Casks (32-month wine-aged French oak)
- Distillery: Whiskey Acres Distilling Co., DeKalb, Illinois
- Mashbill: Estate-grown grain (corn-forward bourbon mashbill)
Tasting Notes:
- Nose: Berry jam, caramel, custard undertones
- Palate: Mocha, French oak, wood spice, vanilla pudding, peanut brittle
- Finish: Long, buttered cornbread, lingering wood spice
What is Howell Mountain Cabernet?: Howell Mountain is a sub-appellation of Napa Valley, perched above the fog line at elevations between 1,400 and 2,100 feet in the Vaca Mountains. The elevation, thinner volcanic soils, and extended sun exposure produce grapes with thick skins and concentrated tannins — resulting in wines that are famously structured, mineral, and built for decades of aging. Dunn Vineyards has farmed there since 1979, and their Cabernets are aged 32 months in 100% new French oak — a longer élevage than nearly any other Napa producer. When those casks come to a distillery, they carry all of that dark fruit intensity, tannic grip, and French oak character with them, making them exceptionally potent finishing vessels for bourbon.
Description
About the Product: This release in the Whiskey Acres Cask Finished Series takes the distillery's estate-grown Illinois bourbon and finishes it in freshly emptied Cabernet Sauvignon casks from Dunn Vineyards — one of Napa Valley's most legendary mountain estates. What makes these casks exceptional is the wine that previously lived in them: Dunn's Howell Mountain Cabernet is aged 32 months in 100% new French oak, a full year or more longer than most Napa Cabs, which means the casks themselves carry deep layers of dark fruit, baking spice, and tightly wound tannin character. Dunn also deliberately selects lower-impact toasted wood to let the purity of the mountain fruit speak — a quality that makes these vessels ideal finishing containers for whiskey, adding complexity without overwhelming the grain. The resulting bourbon comes in at 105 proof with a nose driven by berry jam and caramel, a palate rich with mocha, French oak, and wood spice, and a long finish of buttered cornbread and lingering warmth.
About Whiskey Acres Distilling Co.: Whiskey Acres is Illinois' first estate distillery — and one of only a handful in the entire country certified as a true "farm distillery," meaning the grain goes from seed to spirit without ever leaving the property. Founded in 2013 on the Walter family's 2,000-acre farm in DeKalb, Illinois, the distillery was built by fifth-generation farmers Jim and Jamie Walter alongside co-founder Nick Nagele. Jamie, a self-described "recovering attorney turned distiller," made the leap after years of watching premium corn grown on some of the Midwest's most fertile land get sold as commodity grain. At Whiskey Acres, that same corn — along with estate-grown rye, wheat, and barley — goes into every batch, mashed with water drawn from the farm's limestone aquifer. Their grain-first philosophy is genuine: as Jamie puts it, great whiskey isn't made, it's grown.
Bottle Info:
- Proof: 105
- Size: 750ml
- Style: Cask Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Finish: Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Casks (32-month wine-aged French oak)
- Distillery: Whiskey Acres Distilling Co., DeKalb, Illinois
- Mashbill: Estate-grown grain (corn-forward bourbon mashbill)
Tasting Notes:
- Nose: Berry jam, caramel, custard undertones
- Palate: Mocha, French oak, wood spice, vanilla pudding, peanut brittle
- Finish: Long, buttered cornbread, lingering wood spice
What is Howell Mountain Cabernet?: Howell Mountain is a sub-appellation of Napa Valley, perched above the fog line at elevations between 1,400 and 2,100 feet in the Vaca Mountains. The elevation, thinner volcanic soils, and extended sun exposure produce grapes with thick skins and concentrated tannins — resulting in wines that are famously structured, mineral, and built for decades of aging. Dunn Vineyards has farmed there since 1979, and their Cabernets are aged 32 months in 100% new French oak — a longer élevage than nearly any other Napa producer. When those casks come to a distillery, they carry all of that dark fruit intensity, tannic grip, and French oak character with them, making them exceptionally potent finishing vessels for bourbon.
