The Science Guy of Bourbon: Dr. Pat Heist (Wilderness Trail Distillery)

I sat down with Dr. Pat Heist – PhD microbiologist, co-founder of Wilderness Trail Distillery, and literally the guy 200+ distilleries call when their fermentation goes sideways. We go DEEP:
Why Wilderness Trail is the ONLY major Kentucky bourbon still using sweet mash (and why Pat thinks sour mash is overrated)
Cooking mash at 185°F instead of 213°F – the science and the massive flavor difference
Barreling bourbon at 110 proof and rye at 105 proof (and why most rye tastes terrible)
The 250,000-strain frozen bacteria library that might let us resurrect dusty pre-Prohibition recipes
Tasting the core lineup + a 116-proof 6-year single-barrel wheated monster
Beard yeast, rock-band origins, and the 12-year-old Barrel #00001 story

This is the most nerdy, passionate, and eye-opening bourbon conversation I’ve ever had.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro – Who is Dr. Pat Heist?
02:14 – From plant pathology PhD to “The Science Guys of Bourbon”
06:40 – Ferm Solutions: fixing the world’s broken distilleries
10:55 – Sweet mash vs sour mash – the real reason everyone else does it
18:30 – Why they cook mash cooler than literally everyone else
24:10 – Low barrel-entry proof & why most rye gets ruined
30:45 – Tasting the core Bottled-in-Bond lineup (wheated, high-rye, rye)
38:20 – Cask-strength 6-year wheated single barrel (116 proof heaven)
44:50 – The future: designer bacteria, resurrecting dusties, and 12–15 year Wilderness Trail
55:30 – Rapid-fire questions & final thoughts

Official site:
https://www.wildernesstraildistillery...

Ferm Solutions (yeast & distillery consulting):
https://www.fermsolutions.com

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