Wanderback Batch No. 1 was the company’s first release and the first whiskey of the four-part Evergreen Collection. It featured Wanderback’s custom four-malt mashbill distilled at Westland, then aged in new American oak on a farm in Oregon.
Wanderback Whiskey was a Non-Distiller Producer (or Independent Bottler) founded by Phil Downer that existed from 2017 to 2023 (approx). Their social media fell silent in 2023, and the website went dark in 2025. Wanderback’s key differentiation was that they would contract to have their own mashbill distilled, and use a slightly different mashbill at each distillery. During its brief lifetime, Wanderback released 5 whiskies distilled at Westland, and two whiskies distilled at Balcones. Per social media, Wanderback had also contracted distillations at Virginia Distillery and Clear Creek among others.
Specifications
- Grain Bill:
- 88% Washington Select Pale Malt
- 8% Crystal Malt
- 2% Pale Chocolate Malt
- 2% Munich Malt
- Cask Type: New American Oak
- Maturation Time: 3 Years
Release Info
- Spirit Type: American Single Malt Whiskey
- Bottler: Wanderback
- Series: Evergreen Collection
- Release Name: Batch No. 1
- Release Date: Summer 2017
- ABV: 45%
- Size: 750ml
- MSRP: $64
- Total Bottled: 2160
From The Bottler
- “Nose: Smooth caramel, dark chocolate, sandalwood, and vanilla”
- “Palate: Rich malt layers of chocolate, caramel, and toffee with a finish of baking spices and campfire smoke”
Awards
Links
- Wanderback: The Evergreen Collection (archive.org)
- Wanderback: Cooking Up Our Bespoke Malted Barley Mash Bill(archive.org)
- The Whisk(e)y Wash: Wanderback Whiskey: A Sourced Whiskey Story Done Right
Databases
- Distiller: Wanderback American Single Malt Batch No. 1
- TTB: COLA 17079001000370
- Whiskybase: Wanderback 02-year-old (WB130327)