Located in Billings, MT, Trailhead Spirits considers itself a grain to glass craft distillery. The McGowan family, owners of the Trailhead Spirits (at the time of this review their website appears to be down), operate a completely in house production. All grains used in their products originate from their family farm, and water sourced from nearby snow capped mountains. Distilling and bottling is performed on site as well. Located in the downtown section of Billings, let’s go to the Trailhead Spirits Highwood Wheat Whiskey review!

Highwood Wheat whiskey is distilled from winter wheat grown on the family farm. This implies a 100% wheat mash bill, but without a definitive mash bill this remains an inference. My bottle, batch #2, carries an age statement of 34 months. This proclaimed small batch rings in at 80 proof (40%ABV). So much for the vitals, on to the whiskey itself!

Bottle and Appearance

In the bottle, the whiskey shows a clear peach wood coloring. Shifting to the glass brings out a yellow aspect that heightens the clarity. Swirling it in the glass produces a medium coating on the sides, with fast and narrow skinny legs. The labeling itself presents fairly straightforward with scant details about the drink. Personal preference, but for small, new distillers, I like to see a description of the whiskey or philosophy of the distillery.

Nose

Moving on to the nose, Highwood generates a slight warming effect at first whiff. Initially a floral bouquet opens up, that blossoms into strawberry and bananas. Though relatively few notes bubble through, everything flows together nicely and blends well. In short, the nose requires little effort and results in a pleasant, easy experience. I found myself unwilling to move on.

Palate

Alas, I did move on. In the mouth, the sweet floral spring morning shifts into a pungency that causes not a small degree of dissonance. However, a sweetness persists but in a nuttier form. Easter returns, and a chocolate malt ball flavoring appears. In the background, Brazil nuts with hints of pear blow in on a light wind. The taste generally works, but the overall feeling in the mouth diminishes the experience. The whiskey lays on the bottom of the mouth seemingly ready to move on with little fanfare.

Finish

On the way out, the muted sweetness of the palate remains. Now, though, graham cracker develops and the underlying wheat finally emerges. To end the finish, a minuscule marshmallow note surfaces and lingers. The finish wraps up smoothly, yet demonstrates a similar directness as with the mouth. It’s as though it’s saying, alright lets get this over with.

Drinkability

Splashing water in Highwood or pouring it over ice allows hints of pepper spice to show up. The waters effectuates a breaking apart of the flavors, which otherwise seem either reticent or bored beforehand. Finally, this sparks an injection of life into the whiskey that otherwise stays hidden. As for settings, Highwood feels right for changing tires on a car with some friends and your dad.

Food Pairing

Despite the spring, Easter aspects of the whiskey it is best suited by Chinese food. Recommended dishes include Sweet and Sour Orange or General Tso’s chicken.

Facial Hair Rating

The goatee facial hair style feels right for this wheat whiskey. While not a bad look generally, it works well for some people and not so much for others. It also effectuates more questions than it answers, the first being ‘why.’ Occasionally bold but sometimes dull, the goatee doesn’t always know what it wants to portray and usually carries baggage from the past.

Overall

To conclude the Trailhead Spirits Highwood Wheat Whiskey review, while a nice flavor profile emerges, an equally sabotaging current accompanies it. The nose shows best with no flaws, but after that a sense of flatness becomes pervasive. This flatness keeps the flavors from reaching their full potential, and causes an otherwise agreeable sweetness to languish. This dullness detracts instead of adding complexity. At first glance, I wonder if something in the water they’re using is causing this. Mountain water can be dense and heavy due to the high mineral content. Overall, the entire experience is decent but it needs to add more vibrancy. At a minimum, I’d like more information from the distiller to help frame the story this whiskey is telling.

Final Grade: C+

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