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David Nicholson Reserve vs Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
David Nicholson Reserve and Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a sourced, classically built blend versus a new-wave, wheat-forward craft style.
Key Specifications
| Feature | David Nicholson Reserve | Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Traditional Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | Not disclosed | 64% corn, 24% wheat, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 6 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$30 – $40 ~$18 less | ~$45 – $60 |
- David Nicholson Reserve does not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-10; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
David Nicholson Reserve
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
David Nicholson Reserve Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 6/3 spice: David Nicholson Reserve 6 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 3 out of 10
fruit 3/6 fruit: David Nicholson Reserve 3 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
sweetness 5/7 sweetness: David Nicholson Reserve 5 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10
oak 6/5 oak: David Nicholson Reserve 6 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/4 nuttiness: David Nicholson Reserve 3 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: David Nicholson Reserve 5 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The gap between these two is mostly about spice.
- David Nicholson Reserve: The rye-recipe sibling to the 1843, with extra age. Toasty oak and rye spice give it more backbone, and the spice stays put through a long, warm finish.
- Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond: A sweet-mash, bonded wheated bourbon from a distillery founded by two fermentation scientists, and the technical care shows in how clean it tastes. One of the strongest craft arguments on the shelf.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with David Nicholson Reserve if you want a toasty, spicy, 100-proof value bourbon that stands up in cocktails.
- Go with Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond if you want a bonded, sweet-mash wheater from a modern distillery doing genuinely careful work with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
Best enjoyed old-fashioned, cocktails, rocks (David Nicholson Reserve); neat, rocks (Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond).