Mellow notes in country music star’s whiskey

Country music star Randy Rogers is living up to the title of his song “Whiskey’s Got a Hold on Me.”

The Texas native, along with a posse of friends and business partners, has just launched a new whiskey label dubbed Bahnbrëcker headquartered in New Braunfels. Their first release is a smooth, easy sipper called Slow River Blend that tastes like a subdued version of an old-fashioned.

Bahnbrëcker bills Slow River Blend as a hefeweizen-inspired spirit made from a mixture of wheated whiskeys infused with lemon rind and clove intended to celebrate the German and Texan cultures of New Braunfels. And the spirit is as genial and relaxed as that river-tubing Hill Country town.

Slow River Blend isn’t a typical whiskey drinker’s sipping whiskey. It’s more of a country crooner’s ballad than an outlaw rebel shout, with soft edges and a mellow finish. It’s remarkably sweet thanks to all that wheat, with little of the peppery bite found in whiskeys made with more corn or rye in the mash bill.

My first taste of the stuff had me convinced I was sipping a lower-proof liqueur, and I was genuinely surprised to see it’s bottled at 40 percent alcohol by volume.

The lemon is immediately present, giving this whiskey an agreeable, fruity taste and aroma. The tingle of clove lingers on the palate without overpowering the whiskey’s inherent vanilla and caramel notes. Drink it straight over ice, and you get all the fun of a whiskey cocktail without all the effort.

Bahnbrëcker’s Slow River Blend was released Sept. 15 and is available at Total Wine & More stores across the state with a suggested retail price of $37.99 per 750-milliliter bottle. More at bahnbrecker.com.

Bahnbrëcker Bahnbrëcker's sweet Slow River Blend whiskey tastes like an old-fashioned cocktail.