Old Louisville 8 Year Wheated 124.6 Proof

Old Louisville 8 Year Wheated 124.6 Proof is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon built on a high-wheat mashbill of 51% corn, 45% wheat, and 4% malted barley, distilled at MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in April 2016 and bottled uncut and unfiltered at cask strength in Louisville in 2024. This eight-year-old wheated bourbon lands at 124.6 proof, delivering the pillowy texture and dessert-forward sweetness wheat is known for, amplified by nearly a decade in barrel and bottled without dilution. Old Louisville Whiskey Co. sources barrels from MGP's wheated program and bottles them as small-batch releases that honor Louisville's distilling heritage, and this batch pushes proof higher than the typical 119–121 range the brand is known for, making it one of the bolder wheated bourbons available in Chicago. MGP's Lawrenceburg distillery has earned a reputation for its wheated mashbill, which replaces the traditional rye grain with wheat for a softer, rounder profile that emphasizes grain sweetness over spice. Old Louisville selects barrels from this program, ages them in Kentucky's temperature swings, and bottles them in Louisville without chill filtration or proofing down, preserving the full spectrum of barrel character. The 45% wheat content in the mashbill is unusually high—most wheated bourbons sit closer to 20–30%—which floods the palate with honeyed grain and vanilla custard notes while the eight years in new charred oak adds layers of caramelized sugar, toasted nuts, and oak tannin without tipping into astringency. Barreled at approximately 120 proof and aged through eight Kentucky summers, the whiskey concentrates slowly, building viscosity and proof while the wheat keeps the ethanol heat remarkably tame for a spirit north of 120 proof. The nose opens with vanilla wafer, honeysuckle, ripe cherry, and warm baked bread, followed by a palate that coats the mouth in caramel, butterscotch, honey-drizzled biscuits, brown butter, banana brûlée, maple syrup, and toasted pecans. The wheat delivers a velvety mouthfeel that softens the high proof, making it approachable neat despite the 124.6 number on the label. The finish stretches long with graham cracker, sweet tobacco, toasted coconut, cinnamon, and a lingering oak backbone. This is a dessert bourbon—pour it alongside pecan pie, crème brûlée, or dark chocolate bark, or sip it neat after dinner when you want something rich and unapologetically sweet. A splash of water opens it further, releasing banana, nutmeg, and honeyed grain, though it drinks surprisingly smooth at full strength for the proof. Available for pickup at Off Premise Chicago, 1128 W Armitage Ave in Lincoln Park, with local Chicago delivery and nationwide shipping.