A whiskey world legend has come out of retirement to launch True Story, a new family of finished whiskies. In 2022, Wes Henderson, the Bourbon Hall of Fame member who co-founded Angel’s Envy, committed to a life of leisure. But he soon quit retirement to create True Story rye and bourbon with his sons.
“I wasn’t good at being retired,” says Henderson. “I was bored. I started talking with the boys and we figured we could add another chapter to the Henderson history.”
The decision to jump back into the industry is a familiar move in the Henderson family. Wes’s father, Lincoln Henderson, was a master distiller at Brown-Forman and helped develop brands such as Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select and Woodford Reserve. After his own retirement, Lincoln joined Wes in launching Angel’s Envy. Together, they brought barrel finishes into the mainstream.
For True Story, Henderson and his six sons sought to continue pushing the possibilities of finishing barrels. “We figured there’s a lot more room in the sandbox, and we can continue to evolve what we started,” he says.
True Story’s 90-proof bourbon is finished in casks that formerly held white moscatel, a fortified wine that Henderson says he’s wanted to work with for a long time. “It's a major departure from the fortified wines I used in the past, very different from the dark fruits of port. With white moscatel, you get a lot of pear and floral notes on the nose.”
True Story also announced a 100-proof rye that’s matured in sherry barrels and finished in amburana hardwood, another cask Henderson has always wanted to use. The aromatic Brazilian wood has a reputation for its heavy-handed spice character. But Pedro Ximénez (PX) and oloroso sherry cask maturation balances the otherwise overpowering amburana and layers the flavors for a deeply complex liquid, he says.
True Story bourbon distillate is aged five to six years and sourced from Kentucky producers including Bardstown and Green River, says Henderson. The rye, which he’s slightly more coy about, came to True Story as five- to seven-year-old whiskies from an Indiana distiller, presumably MGP, and a major northern Kentucky rye producer.
I tasted my samples of True Story’s new whiskies—which unfortunately did not come in their striking hexagonal bottles—before speaking with Henderson, but I largely agreed with his assessments of the bourbon and rye. The white moscatel, for me, brought white grape and strawberry, with delicate floral French oak. It was one of the most fun and interesting bourbons I’ve tasted this year. It has a bright and approachable character that doesn’t sacrifice depth.
Matt Allyn
The rye, which Henderson seemed especially excited about, was a bolder expression. The amburana was unmistakable in the aroma, as was sweet cinnamon, clove, and ginger. But on the palate, the sherry fruit rolls in first, followed by peppery rye with notes of caramel and burnt orange peel. The amburana then fades in, building through the finish. There’s a subtle, pleasant heat in the rye that balances the sweeter elements and encourages another sip.
Both are smooth drams that I enjoyed neat without a thought of adding water. The one element my focused tasting lacked was good company, as the True Story brand and name were inspired by whiskey’s ability to bring folks together around a bottle in conversation.
Bottles are available for purchase on October 10 in stores across Kentucky and Tennessee and online at truestorywhiskey.com. The bourbon has a suggested price of $60, while the rye is $70.
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