UNBENDT Straight Wheat Whiskey (B-n-B) Review

Distillery: BENDT Distillery – Lewisville, Texas

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: NAS, but at least four years to achieve the B-n-B legal standard

Mashbill: Not published

MSRP: $60

Website: https://www.bendtdistillingco.com/

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Who They Are

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own distillery? How about operating it in a former Piggly Wiggly? For those unfamiliar, Piggly Wiggly is a grocery store chain. BENDT Distilling’s story is one of dreams realized. Founded in 2011, what began as a homebrewing operation has evolved into a significant distillery.

Despite their growth, BENDT is not your typical craft distillery. With four bottled-in-bond whiskeys, including a Straight Bourbon, they cover all major whiskey categories, demonstrating both financial prowess and patience to meet Bottled-in-Bond requirements.

Located almost midway between Dallas and Ft. Worth, BENDT proudly utilizes locally grown grains for all their expressions.

Possibly inspired by successful wheat whiskey distillers like Maker’s Mark (Kentucky), Holladay Distillery (Kansas), and Old Elk (Colorado), BENDT uses soft red winter wheat as the primary grain in their UNBENDT Straight Wheat Whiskey.

Soft red winter wheat, commonly used in baking, yields a higher sugar extraction during fermentation, often resulting in a sweeter whiskey. Given the dominant wheat combined with the Texas high heat climate in which it’s aged, we might expect some “funkiness” on the nose.

If you give UNBENDT Straight Wheat Whiskey Bottled-in-Bond a try, have questions or want to suggest an expression for a future review, please drop me a note. I would love to hear from you. mike@bourboninspector.com;

UNBENDT Straight Wheat Whiskey: Tasting Notes

Nose – 3/5

As anticipated from the high wheat content, UNBENDT Wheat Whiskey offers sweet, inviting aromas of baked bread, citrus, and caramel. Those familiar with Texas expressions, will recognize the quintessential “Texas Funk.”

Palate – 3/5

This whiskey might tempt you to pair it with a drop of warm butter. The doughiness is unmistakable, taking center stage and enveloping the palate. It is quite lovely.

Finish – 3/5

The bakery notes quickly give way to baking spices, maintaining a consistent sweetness throughout. The light baking spices prevent it from becoming a dual personality whiskey.

Value – 2.5/5

Compared to other soft red winter wheat whiskeys, I prefer to see UNBENDT Straight Wheat Whiskey around $50. At its current MSRP, it competes with offerings that we rated higher, from some of the aforementioned distilleries.

UNBENDT Straight Wheat Whiskey (B-n-B) Review: The Verdict

Verdict – 2.88/5 (slightly lower price point and it would be a solid Gold rating)

We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.

Scoring System:

• Platinum – 4.5 – 5
• Gold – 4 – 4.5
• Silver – 3 – 4
• Bronze – <3