Paper Trail

Original Artwork by Michael Beckler
Distilled by MGP – Lawrenceburg, IN
Blended by Joshua Thinnes

BLEND COMPOSITION
Paper Trail is a blend of straight bourbon whiskey and straight rye whiskey distilled and aged at Midwestern Grain Products (MGP) in Indiana and finished and bottled in California. It is comprised of portions from five different barrels and three different mash bills, all aged a minimum of six years. The resulting 116-gallon blend contains 70% straight rye whiskey and 30% straight bourbon whiskey. Though the blend is a majority of rye whiskey, combined it yields a cumulative mash bill of 51% corn, 45% rye, and 4% barley grains. That is because the majority of the rye whiskey used is ‘low rye’ rye mash, and the majority of the bourbon used is ‘high corn’ bourbon mash. Does that make it rye or bourbon?

One of the stipulations to be a bourbon is that it must have a simple majority of 51% corn. After that, the grains rye, wheat, or barley are used in various portions depending on distillery and style. Likewise with rye, in America, it must have a simple majority of 51% rye to be called a rye whiskey. For example, Quixotic was made of rye whiskies that were 95% rye, and 5% barley mash bills.

Based on the current standards of identity, the TTB only permits labeling this a generic ‘Blend of Straight Whiskies’, but I’ve long been curious if I could convince them that something like this meets all production stipulations to be called a bourbon. Doing so would require a new formula submission to prove that the combined spirits were produced and blended in a manner that allows for the reclassification of this ‘type’ of whiskey, a blend of straight whiskies, into a bourbon whiskey. It would however likely negate the ability to call it ‘straight’. Alas, I haven’t spent the extra time or legal hours to prove my point, but based on the couple of hours I spent reading Part 5 of Title 27 in the Federal Code of Regulations, I think I have a case to make in the future.

I created the Paper Trail blend at the same time as Full Circle. I took the remaining whiskey from barrels #2, #11, and #9 that went into the Full Circle blend and combined them with two other rye barrels #12 and #13, which were 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% barley mash bills. I had tested out finishing this low rye mash bill in a Louis Latour sherry barrel and liked the richness and dried fruit components it added. So when I dumped the whiskies for Full Circle, I combined the new barrels #12 and #13 into a tank, which yielded 116 gallons. The whiskey was tanked on July 20, 2022, and rested for almost four months until it was bottled on November 10, 2022. The final blend yielded 555 bottles and was bottled uncut and unfiltered at a cask strength of 114.5%.

TASTING NOTES
The whiskey shows a beautiful burnished color. Sweet aromas of honey, cornflakes, caramel, and raisins emanate from the glass. After a little time, the aromas develop into darker tones which evoke flavors of vanilla bean, kola nut, cacao nibs, and freshly cured oak. The palate shows a slight sherry influence with flavors of dates and red currants, then the bourbon influence comes back to the forefront with more caramel corn notes. The finish is smooth and rich with a lingering spice on the finish.

ABOUT THE ART
For this release, we wanted to create a Collector's Edition that was really special and performative. The piece was painted on handmade rice paper rather than canvas or panel. To create a literal “Paper Trail”, we chopped up the original artwork and used it as the label on 55 of the bottles. Each one is a unique and original bottle. Additionally, the first five bottles are available as cut-to-order labels and accompanied by a print of the entire work of art. Both the print and bottle are numbered and signed by the artist and accompanied by a numbered digital certificate of authenticity (NFT).

Read the complete story of Paper Trail and Follow the Paper Trail to view all 55 pieces.