Oregon Spirit - Straight American Wheat Whiskey: MINI

Nose: I got sweet corn, citrus and some fruitiness on the nose (pears, I think). (And then I smelled the whiskey! Bwhahahaha…..) (Sorry, that is SO childish…..No excuse. Well….maybe…..it is Saturday morning and they don’t show vintage Bugs Bunny cartoons in the morning anymore...) Palate: Hmmm….the first sip was pretty good. It started out with a very nice mellow sweetness and then somewhere about in the middle of the mid-palate, it started getting smoky. The smokiness lasted through the finish, but it is light and not overwhelming. This has a very pleasant mouthfeel and there’s not a lot of heat, so you don’t mind holding it in your mouth for a while. On later sips, it seemed like the smokiness started earlier. The smokiness is mixed in with an earthy and woody flavor that reminded me of a single malt or malted whiskey, but it didn’t reach the point that it tasted like a scotch. This seemed like it had a good combination of flavors, but it was still well balanced. On still later sips, a very interesting combination of dark chocolate and a bit of pepper shows up in the middle to end of the decently long finish. I know this might sound odd, but it was actually pretty tasty. Comments: I actually really enjoyed this interesting whiskey. It had that slightly smoky element that I enjoy, without being over the top with smoke. Oregon has interesting weather and the temperature swings there are likely to be a factor in the distinct taste of whiskey from that region. This guy clocks in at 90 proof, but it is pretty gentle for that proof. The only disappointment, if any, with this is that it didn’t really taste like a wheated bourbon, which is kinda what I was expecting. Nevertheless, it was a very pleasant and enjoyable sipper. This mini was a little more expensive than most minis ($3.99), but still less than a shot would cost in a bar. A 750ml bottle at Total Wine will run you about $40. The distillery’s website (oregonspritdistillers.com) indicates that this whiskey consists of Oregon grown winter wheat, rye and malted barley. It is matured in new oak barrels for four years. There is also a Bottled-in-Bond whiskey that they put out and I’m now curious to try it.