Wolf Spirit‘s Puncher’s Chance Bourbon just announced the fifth release of its fine whiskey portfolio. Puncher’s Chance THE UNIFIED BELT is a limited-release, three-cask blend of fine Bourbon and Irish Whiskey, serving as the follow up to Puncher’s Chance THE UNDISPUTED Bourbon, which won a Platinum Medal and Best in Show 2nd Runner Up honors at Tony Abou-Ganim’s heralded TAG World Spirits Awards in the American Bourbon Single Barrel category, the company states.
The Creation of THE UNIFIED BELT
With barrels sourced by IJW Whiskey Company of Louisville, KY and crafted by IJW Master Blender Steven Hughes, THE UNIFIED BELT is the first cross-category whiskey blend from Wolf Spirit.
First into the ring is a four-year-old high-rye base Kentucky Straight Bourbon distilled with a proprietary yeast and aged to four years in barrels featuring a #4 alligator char aged at a traditional rickhouse in Danville, KY; the mash bill being 70% corn, 20% rye and 10% malt, according to the distillery.
That is married to a four-year-old Irish Whiskey crafted from 100% malted barley and proprietary yeast, then aged in former bourbon barrels in a palletized warehouse in Ireland.
To add further complexity and depth, a third cask joins the lineup: a 14-year-old bourbon finished in first-fill Pedro Ximenez and Olorosso Sherry casks for up to 15 months. The mash bill of this precious liquid is 84% corn, 8% rye and 10% malt, the distillery states.
Creating a Multidimensional Whiskey Experience
“Like we did with Puncher’s Chance THE LEFT CROSS, which was finished in Jamaican rum casks, we wanted to push our creativity to create a truly multidimensional whiskey experience,” said Umberto Luchini, Founder of Wolf Spirit, in a news release. “The Bourbon and Irish Whiskey created an intriguing blend, but I think it was the addition of the 14-year-old Bourbon finished in sherry casks that really created something unexpected and special in THE UNIFIED BELT, which is the hallmark of the Puncher’s Chance brand.”
At the ring of the bell, The UNIFIED BELT enters with dark fruit, orchard fruit and cocoa, which are perfectly balanced with layers of warm oak and baking spice, according to the distillery. The finish is long with hints vanilla and baked green apples. The Unified Belt is bottled at a very approachable 96 proof and retails at $149.99 for a 750 ml.
The brand name of Puncher’s Chance itself is a boxing reference, denoting that almost anyone is possible of a knockout punch, no matter what the odds. For the uninitiated in the boxing arena, a unified belt or champion is a boxer who holds at least two world championships of major sanctioning bodies in their respective division, lending the name well to a rare Bourbon/Irish Whiskey blend, the distillery states.
