George Remus Master Distiller Experimental Series No. 2 Straight Wheat Whiskey 700ml

George Remus was the King of the Bootleggers. A lawyer by training and a criminal by opportunity, he exploited a loophole in Prohibition's Volstead Act that permitted individuals to operate distilleries for medicinal whiskey, bought every working distillery in the greater Cincinnati area, and then had his employees hijack the whiskey shipments and sell them on the black market before double-dipping by filing insurance claims for the stolen product. He was eventually convicted, imprisoned, and — in a series of events too baroque to be fictional — ended up murdering his own wife after discovering that her lover, an undercover agent who had befriended him in prison, had helped her embezzle his hidden fortune while he served his sentence.

A jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity in twenty minutes. Ross & Squibb Distillery, which operates the 170-year-old facility in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, named its flagship premium whiskey brand after him. The name suits the spirit of the Experimental Series — because Ian Stirsman, Master Distiller at Ross & Squibb since 2016, is not interested in simply producing more of what already exists.

Experimental Series No. 1 — a 9-year bourbon aged in lightly charred, heavily toasted Seguin Moreau barrels — won Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and earned Whiskeyfellow's highest "Bottle" rating. Series No. 2 goes further and goes stranger: it is the first wheat whiskey the Remus brand has ever released, distilled from a 95% wheat mashbill in 2017, aged nine years in standard new charred oak barrels, then finished in four separate and specifically chosen wine casks — Tawny Port, White Port, Oloroso Sherry, and Ruby Port — each contributing a distinct layer to what is, in every reviewer's description, a genuinely extraordinary result.

"There is nothing more exciting to a Master Distiller than having the space for exploration," Ian Stirsman said at the release. "With Series No. 2, I set out to create something entirely new for Remus by working with our LKSV, 95% wheat whiskey mashbill for the first time. It's a continuation of our commitment to innovation while respecting the deep-rooted heritage of our distillery."

Good Spirits News awarded an A+: "high malty, port-driven notes are mouthwatering on the nose. The production is elegant, refined and damn tasty in the glass. We found ourselves going back to this one over and over again. A class act from the spirit to the bottle and label." Whiskeyfellow rated it a Bottle: "in many ways this is a dessert whiskey — sweet, fruity, and a chocolate bomb. At 113 proof, I anticipated more heft from the alcohol. That never materialized, making this one of those dangerous whiskeys because it is such an easy sipper that you'll have trouble when you try to stand up." Breaking Bourbon described "a very dynamic sip that never stays in one place for too long — its complexity, paired with staying power, will make an immediate impression on you."

A wheat whiskey. Finished in four wine casks. From the distillery that makes some of the most widely sourced and most critically praised whiskey in America. This is what it looks like when a master distiller gets a blank canvas.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana — historically known as MGP Ingredients (Midwest Grain Products), one of the most widely recognized and most widely respected distilleries in American whiskey — has been producing whiskey on this site for 170 years. The facility uses naturally limestone-filtered water from the Great Miami Aquifer throughout production, and its portfolio encompasses everything from its widely distributed high-rye bourbon mash bill to the experimental, limited-production releases that Ian Stirsman has been building since taking over as Master Distiller in 2016.

The Experimental Series was created specifically to give Stirsman what most master distillers at volume-production facilities are rarely afforded: a blank canvas. Series No. 1 used a 9-year bourbon in unusually toasted barrels. Series No. 2 goes in an entirely different direction — away from bourbon entirely, into territory that Ross & Squibb has explored for other brands but never released under its own Remus label.

The base spirit is Ross & Squibb's LKSV mash bill — 95% wheat, 5% malted barley — distilled in 2017 and aged for nine years in standard 53-gallon new, charred American oak barrels. After nine years of standard maturation, the fully aged wheat whiskey was divided across four different finishing casks: Tawny Port, White Port, Oloroso Sherry, and Ruby Port, with the finishing composition running approximately 75% Oloroso Sherry and Ruby Port, and 25% Tawny and White Port, with White Port as the smallest component. Each cask type contributes a distinct aromatic and flavor dimension — the Oloroso Sherry's dried fruit and walnut richness, the Ruby Port's vivid red fruit, the Tawny Port's dark sugar and oxidative depth, and the White Port's lighter, more delicate and nutty secondary quality. The finished components are then blended and bottled at natural cask strength — 113 proof / 56.5% ABV — without chill filtration, in a 700ml bottle.

Critics Reviews

Good Spirits News — A+ Rating (confirmed):
"High malty, port-driven notes are mouthwatering on the nose. On the palate entry the port essence continues with a heavy patina of flavor taking the lead role. The wheated whiskey plays more of a supporting role with its softness. The production is elegant, refined and damn tasty in the glass. We found ourselves going back to this one over and over again. Really a class act from the spirit to the bottle and label. For those that enjoy interesting fruit-forward finishes in their whiskies, this one will please."

Whiskeyfellow — "Bottle" Rating:
"In many ways, Master Distiller Experimental Series No. 2 is a dessert whiskey. It was sweet, fruity, and a chocolate bomb. At 113 proof, I anticipated more heft from the alcohol. That never materialized, making this one of those dangerous whiskeys because it is such an easy sipper that you'll have trouble when you try to stand up."

Breaking Bourbon:
"A very dynamic sip that never stays in one place for too long. Its complexity, paired with staying power, will make an immediate impression on you."

The Whiskey Wash:
"Dark tawny flavors with lovely depth of flavor. Dark sugars, aged oak sugars. Sherry wine appears about the mid-palate and holds through to the finish. It's a bit sharper with nice dried fruit like figs and raisins. Opens well and reveals much more of the port flavors you want in a finished whiskey."

Bourbon Guy :
"Hot, sweet, with a great mouthfeel. That sums it up neatly. It is really delicious, especially neat. Unlike most whiskeys of this proof level, you want to be judicious with adding water. It really doesn't take it very well, bringing out more grain notes and suppressing many of the rich notes. Even so, I really like this one."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Topaz in color with thick, crazed tears — the nine years in oak and the wine cask finishing producing a color of genuine warmth and concentration. Dark chocolate and almond praline lead the nose with the most immediately arresting and the most specifically memorable aromatic quality of this release — a chocolate richness that multiple reviewers described as arriving almost overwhelming from the first pour. Candied nuts, brown sugar, and fried plantains add warm, sweet secondary depth. Wintergreen and stone fruit add brightness and fresh-fruit counterpoint. Caramel and vanilla emerge from the wheat whiskey's natural base character. Cinnamon adds warm spice. High malty, port-driven notes add the most wine-cask-forward aromatic dimension — mouthwatering and rich, the Oloroso Sherry and port finishing's most directly apparent contribution.

Palate
Rich and creamy — a mouthfeel of genuine substance that arrives before the wine cask complexity begins building. A quick peppery palate shock on entry transitions immediately into milk chocolate and dense dark fruit — the most consistently described and the most specifically memorable palate quality across every review. Red fruits in their many shades make up the majority of the primary flavor, the four port cask types each contributing their distinct register. Dark sugars, aged oak sugars, and sherry wine appear through the mid-palate with lovely depth. Figs and raisins add dried-fruit complexity. Then slowly, over the course of its sip, some of the sweetness falls away — replaced by dark fruits and a dried cherry note that takes the wine cask finishing to its deepest and most specifically wine-derived dimension. At 113 proof, the alcohol is genuinely present but remarkably controlled — an easy sipper that drinks more mellow than the proof suggests.

Finish
Lingering, warming, and specifically dynamic — the finish that "never stays in one place for too long" arriving at its close with noticeable dry charred oak and the residual port and sherry sweetness in specific and genuinely satisfying tension. Chocolate and malt gradually fade into gentle nuttiness at the very close. Cinnamon, mint, honey, and red fruit persist alongside the oak. Long and complex.

Quick Overview

Cocktail Suggestions

Neat — the universal, unambiguous consensus recommendation from every reviewer. The wine cask complexity is most completely expressed without any dilution. Adding water specifically suppresses the rich port and sherry character.

Single Large Ice Cube — the only acceptable dilution format; a slow melt that gently opens the aromatic profile without shutting down the finishing complexity.