Milam & Greene's Boldest Unabridged Bourbon Drinks Surprisingly Soft

Milam & Greene isn’t interested in keeping its annually released Unabridged bourbon consistent. For the fifth chapter, the Texas whiskey maker has changed the recipe and turned up the proof.

Unabridged Volume 5, out now, brings together seven straight bourbon components from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas, ranging from 6.5 to 10 years old. Bottled non-chill filtered at 60.8% ABV, it’s the highest-proof Unabridged yet from the Blanco, Texas, distillery. Only 650 cases will be released, which each bottle retailing for $95.

The series launched in 2022 as an annual showcase for Milam & Greene’s blending program, using bourbons of different ages, mashbills, origins, and climates as its palette. Volume 1 combined 38 barrels aged from 2.75 to 14 years, while Volume 2 grew to 56 barrels spanning from 2 to 16 years. Volume 3 blended 49 barrels, before Volume 4 shrank to just eight barrels aged 5 to 10 years.

For Volume 5, the blend size again grows, though this time the complexity comes from seven distinct components rather than a massive number of individual barrels. Kentucky bourbon accounts for 88% of the blend, led by 34% 6.5 year old made with malted rye and 31% 8 year old. The remainder includes 9.5, 7.8, and 7 year old Kentucky bourbons, 10 year old Tennessee bourbon, and 7 year old Texas bourbon made with malted rye.

“Managing the marriage of seven distinct mashbills, including our unique malted rye bourbon, required meticulous precision,” master whiskey maker Rikk Munroe said on the company’s website. After blending, the whiskey underwent what Milam & Greene calls “Texification,” using the temperature swings of the Texas Hill Country to marry the components before bottling. The company also used the technique on Volume 4, though here there are considerably more variables to reconcile.

What’s perhaps most interesting is how approachable Unabridged Volume 5 is at the 121.6 proof. It noses and drinks far softer, closer to something around 107.

In the glass, it’s deep ruby with thick legs, while the nose is big, dark, and confectionery without coming across hot. Brown sugar, caramel, and molasses appear alongside dark chocolate and tobacco, giving the whiskey the character of a decadent candy bar. Stone fruit follows, with the malted rye emerging toward the back.

The palate is similarly deceptive. It’s heavyweight but velvety and silky, opening with macerated cherries before concentrating toward the back of the palate. A rich cherry-syrup quality develops, balanced by enough oak and barrel spice to keep the sweetness from becoming cloying. Some drying structure emerges, along with cinnamon and baking spices, followed by a decent Kentucky hug as the whiskey goes down. The finish is medium-long and remains sweet, with fruit, settling on cherry cobbler.

That makes Volume 5 an interesting inversion of what its specs suggest. It's the highest-proof Unabridged and one of the series' more complicated blending exercises, yet neither quality makes the finished whiskey feel aggressive or disjointed. The biggest Unabridged release yet may also be one of the easiest to “read.”