Woodinville

Nose: This has a light, cinnamon-heavy “classic bourbon” smell. Later sniffs toned down the cinnamon and brought out some corn, and there is a bit of alcohol present. Its smell is on the light side, but inviting. Palate: The first sip impression on this one is that it is a nice, mellow sipper. The mouthfeel is on the light side and it has almost no heat at all. There is a little bit of warmth in the finish but, like the finish, it doesn’t last long. It has a nice sweetness to it that also appears to have bit of rye spice, but it is well balanced. It has the usual amount of caramel and vanilla along with some oakiness and a small amount of molasses. It leaves the impression of depth of flavor and it leans toward the toasty side, particularly in the finish. Comments: First off, I have to give a shout-out and very hearty THANKS to the kind reader who donated this bottle to the Flying Aces. He’s a young, but very well versed, whiskey lover and he’s the one you can thank for some of the guest reviews in the past. This clocks in at a nice 90 proof. The label states the mashbill is corn/rye/malted barley, but doesn’t indicate the percentages. (Other Internet sources indicate it is 72% corn, 22 % rye and 6% malted barley.) They get all their grains locally and exclusively from one farm. This comes out of Washington State. It runs in the low to mid $40 range. The label also states that the oak used in the barrels is left outside to season for 18 months. They say this seasoning reduces the wood’s tannins and I have to say, I think this is exactly the case. The oak flavors you get are not tannic, but rather a very nice toasty. This distillery was established in 2010 and everything indicates that this is their own juice, vice being sourced. Internet sources indicate that the distillery has confirmed that 5 year old bourbon is used to make this. I like this. It is a very easy drinker. Each sip makes you want another, but it isn’t so complex that you feel you have to wait longer between sips (or analyze it too much) to truly enjoy it. This lack of complexity isn’t a knock against it, it just fits into a different category and would make a good choice when you are in the mood for that type of bourbon.