An Invitation Across The Nation: Milam & Greene's Whiskeys Roll Out Across The USA

I’ve known Heather Greene for a long time. I first met her at one of the first really high-end whisky events I ever covered, for Glenfiddich, when she was their brand ambassador and a female brand ambassador for a top-of-the-line brand was a lot less common than it was now. I thought she was ridiculously cool from the get-go, especially since she was also a songwriter and performer of no small talent, while I’d been, until recently, a music retailer — booze was both a passion and a lifeline for both of us. I don’t think she was very impressed with me at that first encounter, but over the years, as she moved around in the whisky industry and our paths kept crossing, we became friends. She was the first whisky sommelier at the Flatiron Room, one of my favorite whisky bars (and one of the first female whisky sommeliers anywhere). She wrote a book that’s one of the best primers on the category I’ve ever read, Whisk(e)y Distilled. And a year ago, she launched her own whiskey brand, Milam & Greene, for which she’s both the master blender and the CEO. I was honored to hold the NYC launch party in my apartment. But in its aftermath, as Heather and her whiskeys (a bourbon and a rye) garnered a bunch of encouraging press, I felt weird about writing them up myself. Maybe I felt like there was a conflict of interest or something, I don’t know.

This week, Heather and Milam & Greene celebrated the year anniversary of the launch, as well as the rollout of the brand nationwide — in the middle of a pandemic, no less. And you know what? I don’t care if we’re friends, she makes some damn good whiskey (with the assistance of distiller Marlene Holmes and brewer Jordan Osborne). So I’m going to shout it from the rooftops, or at least from this website.

The Triple Cask Bourbon (47% ABV, $45) is a combination of M & G’s own bourbon, distilled in Texas (using a 300 gallon pot still) and Kentucky (using a continuous still), as well as sourced bourbon from Tennessee. The Port Finished Rye (47% ABV, $50) uses whiskey sourced from Indiana and finished in port casks from Portugal. Both expressions are batched and at least partially aged in the Texas heat. They’ve also just rolled out their first Single Barrel Bourbon (43% ABV, $55), which will be an ongoing series of exemplary sourced casks from around the country — the first one is a 4 year old from Tennessee.

Every time I drink M & G’s bourbon and rye, I get fooled. A lot of American whiskeys have pretty similar taste profiles, so it’s more about the execution, and the harmony and balance of the flavors, than what those flavors are. With bourbon, the primary notes are usually vanilla, caramel, and oak. And when it’s done right, it can be magic. So when I sip Milam & Greene’s bourbon, it tastes clean, a little dry, almost austere as it hits the tongue, and I think, OK, here comes the vanilla and caramel. Only I get head-faked and the damn thing drives to the basket with beautiful dark fruit notes. Not so much that you wouldn’t know it’s a bourbon, but enough to make you say, “Whoa, what just happened?!” Likewise with the rye. I read “port cask finished” on the bottle and my taste buds immediately prepare for incoming: spiciness followed by a deep, round fruitiness from the port casks. Only that’s not what happens — the rye notes morph into dark chocolate with just a hint of fruit. And it’s freakin’ delicious! The Single Barrel is less unpredictable, with lots of vanilla and a touch of honey and oak, but just as tasty.

I enjoy sipping them all, but the nice thing about Milam & Greene’s whiskeys is that they’re priced reasonably enough to be used as mixers without giving it a second thought. The Triple Cask bourbon makes a hell of a Manhattan, while the chocolatey notes in the rye really shine in an Old Fashioned. So far I’ve stuck to sipping with the Single Barrel bourbon, but I’m sure there’s fun cocktaily stuff to be done with it as well.

I’m a friend of Heather Greene’s, but I’m also a fan. Try her whiskey and you might find yourself joining the fan club too.