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Milam & Greene is looking to disrupt the modern American whiskey market in a way that craft producers rarely attempt: by intentionally creating a quality whiskey bottled at the legal minimum 40% alcohol by volume, or 80 proof.
To a casual consumer, this might not seem particularly groundbreaking, but to the whiskey enthusiast segment, the idea flies directly in the face of a broader cultural shift that has brought bigger, bolder, and higher-proof whiskies into the spotlight over the last 25 years.
Milam & Greene has always built its business on experimentation in pursuit of unique flavor. With hands-on operations at both their Blanco, TX, distillery and in Bardstown, KY, Milam & Greene has a portfolio of whiskey from both states — made on a combination of column and pot stills — to create products that showcase the result of deliberate and thoughtful whiskey-making.
Milam & Greene’s newest bourbon is called Provisions. Bottled at 80 proof, this bourbon was specifically designed to be easy-sipping, accessible, and affordable (with an MSRP of $34.99), while still holding up well neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. In a market where there is a colloquial term for consumers who want their spirits bottled at the highest strength possible (proof hounds), this low-strength whiskey is a bold move.
I spoke with Milam & Greene Master Blender Heather Greene to learn more about this new expression and the story behind its creation.
What was the inspiration behind the Provisions name?
“Milam & Greene is owned by Provision Spirits, LLC,” said Greene. “We always thought that a beautiful, thoughtful, intentional whiskey company would bring the community provisions.”
Creating a quality, low-strength bourbon was always part of the plan for Provisions, and the Milam and Greene team knew it would be a unique challenge.
“I’ve been involved with a lot of whiskey-making projects,” said Greene. “This was the hardest. It was a really wild experiment to make this happen. This product is, in a lot of ways, six years in the making.”
Right off the bat, Greene and Hall of Fame Master Distiller Marlene Holmes knew they had to find creative ways to craft a flavorful 80-proof spirit.
“Creating an 80 proof whiskey is a huge challenge because it can’t taste like you just watered it down,” said Greene.
There aren’t many words in the bourbon enthusiast lexicon more universally frowned upon than “80 proof”. Offer up an 80-proof bourbon to a whiskey aficionado, and you might get a look usually reserved for decaf coffee. This reaction isn’t entirely unjustified when examining most of the 80-proof bottles on the market.
Many products bottled at 40% ABV are expressions from macro producers that are deliberately proofed down in the final stages of production to stretch inventory and increase sales. In a recent Forbes article, I noted that for every 1,000 bottles of whiskey bottled at 46% ABV, a producer could theoretically yield an extra 150 bottles if the strength was further reduced to 40% ABV. For large distilleries, those numbers add up quickly.
For many of these large-scale products, the final bottling strength is significantly lower than the final barrel strength of the whiskey after it has aged. The legal maximum barrel entry proof in the United States is 125, and many distilleries use this strength for the same reason they bottle at 80 proof: to stretch their supply as much as possible.
Hypothetically speaking, even if a barrel’s final proof didn’t fluctuate at all after aging, and the final strength was the same 125 proof it went in at, it would take a lot of water to proof that whiskey down to 80. A 750 ml bottle of 125-proof whiskey would require approximately 422 ml of water to be diluted to 80 proof. In other words, over half of the volume of the original bottle’s worth of water would need to be added.
A common complaint among whiskey enthusiasts is that 80-proof bourbon tastes too watery. In most cases, it is easy to see why.
Milam & Greene uses the term “Texification” to describe the transformation that their Kentucky-distilled whiskey undergoes when it is transported south to age in the intense Texas heat. I spent some time in Texas last year researching the identity of Texas whiskey, and quickly learned that more than anything, climate was the common thread that bound every distillery I visited. Some distilleries tried to mitigate the heat, while others leaned into it.
“We knew that climate was very important to the aging of our whiskey, but we wanted to know exactly how that was affecting this product,” said Greene.
In the case of Provisions, they took a more balanced approach.
“Having distillate that started its life in Kentucky is really important,” said Greene. “You pre-cook it there instead of flash-frying it. I slowly simmered it in Kentucky for a while, then let it bake in Texas.”
Barrels certainly bake differently in Texas. The intense heat in the Texas Hill Country drives the whiskey much further into the wood than in more moderate climates. This requires extra consideration and attention to ensure that the whiskey doesn’t overage, even at a relatively young age.
Provisons’ Kentucky-distilled barrels were charred to level 4, with a low barrel entry proof of 110. Meanwhile, the TX-distilled barrels were only charred to level 3 (to prevent over-oaking) and entered the barrel at 115 proof.
“We started bringing our Kentucky barrels down. We started making our pot still distillation,” Greene continued. “And when we were ready to do Provisions Bourbon, we combined those two things.”
Provisions is created using a sweet mash process, which is uncommon because it increases the risk of bacterial infection. However, it ultimately gives distillers more control over their final product and allows for greater flexibility with lower barrel entry proofs.
Anyone who spends enough time browsing whiskey social media will notice a common thread in the bourbon world: everyone wants their whiskey to be as high-proof as possible. 120 proof is good. 130 proof is better. Hazmat (140+ proof) whiskey is destined to sell out immediately. Clearly, proof is king…
Or is it?
While all the attention is seemingly focused on barrel-proof whiskey, there is a substantial, less vocal subset of the market that prefers their whiskey at lower strength. Because this bucks the seemingly prevailing sentiment of the highly vocal “proof hounds,” it’s not surprising that low-proof drinkers’ commentary is lost in the noise of their fire-breathing counterparts.
“There are a lot of people who don’t feel welcome in the world of whiskey,” said Greene. “It got really geeky. It got really high proof. ‘You gotta drink Pappy. You gotta drink hazmat. You didn’t buy the right whiskey.'”
And from a broader market perspective, not every whiskey is created for in-depth analysis by the “bourbon nerds” [present analysis excluded]. The litmus test by which casual drinkers enjoy their spirits is simple: Does this taste good?
“I wanted something for the people…you know, everyday people,” said Greene. “Marlene and I made this because it’s something we want to drink.”
Provisions also explores a new opportunity. An approachable and affordable whiskey that’s extremely easy to sip, yet still packs flavor, is an opportunity to bring more would-be whiskey drinkers into the fold.
“My dream is that this becomes the category killer, “said Greene. “A new era of whiskey made with intention at 40 % ABV to welcome people.”
Provisions Bourbon is just that — a welcome mat — both for those looking to get into bourbon and for established bourbon drinkers ready to come inside and kick up their feet.
This whiskey appears light gold in the glass.
On the nose, I find notes of butterscotch, baked apple, sawdust, a hint of clove, banana, fennel, walnut and a hint of grapefruit peel. With water, the apple note shifts to Granny Smith, along with Sweet Tarts and honey graham cookies.
On the palate, I find red grapes, coconut flakes, a hint of Texas oil, vanilla wafers, a hint of wood char, maple and cherry syrup. With water, sweet corn, brown sugar and herbal undertones emerge.
The finish opens with a maltiness that quickly shifts to honey, followed by a touch of cinnamon and a sweet oak that lingers for a few seconds before turning much drier. With water, the finish starts out dry. There’s a sandalwood note that I wasn’t expecting, plus toasted almond and a touch of earthiness.
I can describe this whiskey in many ways: elegant, soft, fruity and sweet. Two words that I wouldn’t use? Weak or watery. As is expected at 80 proof, there is almost no heat, making this an extremely easy sipper. That doesn’t make it a bad whiskey. In fact, I think the lower bottling strength allowed for some nuances in flavor that I may not have otherwise noticed. I also used Provisions in a Gold Rush and a Kentucky Mule and really enjoyed both cocktails, showing the versatility of this expression.
The real challenge for this whiskey will be undoing the long-standing poor reputation that other 80-proof products have created over the years. I went in myself as a healthy skeptic, but was quite pleased from the very first sip. If any product can bring proof hounds back to the easy-sipping fold, it’s Provisions.
