Milam & Greene brought their latest release in the Wildlife Collection, Rattlesnake Single Barrel Bourbon to the tasting room and the website at 3 p.m. Wednesday (7/26).  Only 126 bottles were available from the "extremely limited, high-proof release," named for the most venomous snake in Texas, the rattlesnake.

There are 10 different types of rattlesnakes living in Texas. The Western diamondback rattlesnake is the most common rattlesnake in Blanco, Texas, where Milam & Greene is based, and the surrounding Hill Country is  The diamondback has a black-and-white banded tail and can grow up to four or five feet. Rattlesnakes prefer warm weather, and they are active in the spring and summer in central Texas.

Milam & Greene whiskies age well in warm weather, and cask #704 is being called into action this summer.

“Our whiskey has a sense of place, and each release of the Wildlife Collection shows just how
distinctly the Texas weather influences the flavors of whiskey aged here,” says Milam & Greene
Whiskey CEO and master blender Heather Greene. “The Rattlesnake Single Barrel was aged for
more than five years in Tennessee where it was distilled before being subjected to the extreme
temperature swings in Texas. Aging Rattlesnake in both deep freezes and searing heat let the
whiskey interact with the barrel more aggressively. It extracted richer oak and vanilla flavors, gave it
a more lush texture, and increased the proof considerably.”