Wilderness Trail 10 Year Wheated Bourbon 250th Anniversary Limited Edition
In 2025, Wilderness Trail Distillery marks a monumental moment in American history with the release of a truly special bourbon. Created to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Wilderness Road, this limited-edition 10-Year Wheated Bourbon pays tribute to the legendary Kentucky trail that played a defining role in America’s westward expansion.
The Wilderness Road was more than a path through the frontier. It was a gateway for pioneers, settlers, and families seeking new beginnings. Today, Wilderness Trail Distillery stands just miles from this historic route, making the connection between place, history, and bourbon especially meaningful. This commemorative release bridges centuries of legacy with modern craft distilling.
A Rare Milestone for Wilderness Trail Distillery
This release represents only the second time Wilderness Trail has made a 10-year-old bourbon available to the public. Aged for a full decade and bottled at barrel proof, the bourbon showcases the patience, precision, and scientific approach that have become hallmarks of the distillery’s reputation.
Adding to its rarity, this bourbon features a mash bill never before bottled by Wilderness Trail. Composed of 51% corn, 45% wheat, and 4% malted barley, the wheated recipe emphasizes balance, softness, and natural sweetness while allowing extended aging to bring forward deep oak influence and maturity.
Hand-Selected Barrels, Small-Batch Precision
For this historic release, Wilderness Trail Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Pat Heist worked closely with the distilling team to hand-select just three exceptional 10-year-old barrels. Each barrel brought its own distinct character to the blend, resulting in a small-batch bourbon that highlights harmony, depth, and refined complexity.
According to Dr. Heist, the goal was to mirror the spirit of the Wilderness Road itself. The finished bourbon reflects discovery and balance, offering rich oak tones, vivid sweetness, and a long, lingering finish that unfolds slowly with each sip. The barrel-proof presentation allows the whiskey’s full character to shine, just as it emerged from the barrel.
A Bourbon Rooted in Place and Legacy
What sets this release apart is not just its age or rarity, but its sense of place. Crafted near the original Wilderness Road, the bourbon connects modern distilling innovation with the enduring legacy of Kentucky’s frontier history. Every bottle serves as a reminder of the perseverance and vision that defined both the pioneers of the past and the distillers carrying that tradition forward today.
Extremely Limited and Never to Be Repeated
Only a limited number of bottles were produced from this unique mash bill, and once they are gone, no additional releases are planned. This one-time-only offering makes the Wilderness Trail 10-Year Wheated Bourbon a standout collectible for serious bourbon enthusiasts and history-minded collectors alike.
As the 250th anniversary of the Wilderness Road is celebrated, this release stands as a liquid tribute to patience, craftsmanship, and the pioneering spirit that helped shape America, captured in a bottle and aged for ten remarkable years.