Mississippi River Distilling Company Cody Road Bourbon 750ML

Mississippi River Distilling Company Cody Road Bourbon 750ML is a wheated bourbon from Le Claire, Iowa, bottled at 45% ABV (90 proof) in a 750ml bottle. This small-batch expression earned a Silver Medal at the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and stands apart from most bourbons through its use of locally sourced grain and smaller-than-standard aging barrels.

Quick Facts: ABV: 45% (90 proof)  |  Origin: Le Claire, Iowa, USA  |  Wheated Bourbon  |  Distillery: Mississippi River Distilling Company

Production & Heritage

Mississippi River Distilling Company operates out of Le Claire, Iowa, a small town on the banks of the Mississippi River. The distillery takes a hyper-local approach to sourcing: the mashbill of 70% corn from Le Claire, 20% wheat, and 10% unmalted barley from Reynolds, Illinois means all grain comes from farms within roughly an hour of the still. Rather than using standard 53-gallon barrels, Cody Road Bourbon is aged in newly charred 30-gallon oak barrels — about half the traditional size — which increases the surface-area-to-spirit ratio and accelerates extraction of oak character. Each bottle is hand-labeled with batch notes that include the names of the farmers who raised the grain, a transparency uncommon in the bourbon world.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Sweet corn leads the nose, followed by warm vanilla and a gentle citrus lift. The wheat component contributes a soft, bready quality rather than the spice you'd expect from a rye-heavy mashbill, and the overall impression is inviting without excessive heat.

Taste: The palate opens with vanilla and caramel drawn from the charred oak, wrapping around a core of sweet grain. Midway through, fruity sweetness emerges — mellow and restrained rather than bold — with a sugar-cookie quality that speaks to the wheat's influence. The lighter body carries these flavors cleanly without any one element overwhelming the rest.

Finish: The finish is moderate in length, bringing grassy and nutty notes from the unmalted barley to the foreground as the vanilla gently recedes. A faint shortbread sweetness lingers, leaving a dry, clean close.

How to Drink Cody Road Bourbon

Neat or with a few drops of water is the most direct way to appreciate the grain-forward sweetness and soft wheat character. The 90-proof bottling holds up well over a single large ice cube without becoming diluted too quickly.

• Whiskey Sour — The vanilla and citrus notes complement fresh lemon juice, while the wheat-driven softness keeps the drink balanced.
• Old Fashioned — Caramel and baking-spice flavors respond well to a sugar cube and aromatic bitters, letting the bourbon's sweetness drive the cocktail.
• Paper Plane — The lighter body and fruity undercurrents pair naturally with Aperol and amaro without being drowned out.

Best For

• Bourbon drinkers exploring craft distilling beyond Kentucky
• Gifting someone who values farm-to-bottle transparency and local sourcing
• Fans of wheated bourbons looking for a Midwest interpretation of the style
• Building a home bar that includes small-batch regional American whiskeys

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Cody Road Bourbon taste like? Cody Road Bourbon is vanilla-forward and grain-sweet, with caramel oak notes, soft fruity sweetness, and a grassy, nutty finish from the unmalted barley. The wheated mashbill gives it a gentler, less spicy profile than rye-heavy bourbons.

How does Cody Road Bourbon compare to Maker's Mark? Both are wheated bourbons with no rye in the mashbill, so they share a softer, sweeter character than traditional bourbon. Cody Road is aged in 30-gallon barrels rather than full-size cooperage and uses Iowa-sourced grain, resulting in a lighter body and more pronounced grain sweetness compared to Maker's Mark's fuller red-fruit and oak profile.

Is Cody Road Bourbon good for sipping neat? Yes — at 90 proof it has enough structure to stand on its own without being overly hot. The vanilla and sweet-corn character is approachable and well suited to neat sipping.

Where is Cody Road Bourbon made? Cody Road Bourbon is distilled and bottled at Mississippi River Distilling Company in Le Claire, Iowa, a town situated directly on the Mississippi River. All grain in the mashbill is sourced from farms within approximately one hour of the distillery.

What foods pair well with Cody Road Bourbon? Smoked pork ribs complement the caramel-oak sweetness. Pecan pie mirrors the nutty finish. Sharp aged cheddar contrasts the vanilla and grain notes. Cornbread with honey butter echoes the corn-forward mashbill. Dark chocolate with sea salt highlights the bourbon's subtle fruit character.

What sizes does Cody Road Bourbon come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle. Availability of other sizes may vary by market.

Is Cody Road Bourbon worth the price? Cody Road Bourbon positions as a craft-tier offering — priced above mass-market bourbons but reflecting genuinely small-batch, locally sourced production. For drinkers who value provenance, transparency, and regional character over name recognition, it delivers meaningful differentiation for the category.

Why Cody Road Bourbon?

What separates Cody Road from the crowded bourbon shelf is radical transparency about origin. Each hand-labeled bottle traces its grain back to named farmers within an hour of the distillery — a claim few producers at any price point can make. The 30-gallon barrel aging program gives the spirit a distinct extraction profile, yielding oak influence that reads as caramel and vanilla without the heavy tannin load common in longer-aged, full-barrel bourbons. The 2013 Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition validated this approach on a national stage. For anyone building a bourbon collection that goes beyond Kentucky's usual suspects, Cody Road is a credible Iowa entry worth knowing.