Review #10: Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey




Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This is one of my oldest bottles, predating the proper beginning of my collection. I noticed the bottle getting low and felt it was time for a review.

Woodinville Whiskey is owned by Moët Hennessy (LVMH), which maybe explains why they seem to have relatively good distribution for a small craft distillery. (Between that and Remy Cointreau owning Westland, it has been said that all the best WA craft distilleries are now owned by big brands, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.)

Name: Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Distiller: Woodinville Whiskey Co., Woodinville, Washington

Brand Owner: Moët Hennessy (LVMH)

Mashbill: 72% Corn, 22% Rye, 6% Malted Barley

Strength: 90 proof / 45% ABV

Age: Straight bourbon NAS, meaning at least 4 years but apparently the company has stated that it's 5 years old. Take that for what it is: not on the label.

Color: 1.2 chestnut

TL;DR: Sweet caramel confections with just a bit of fruit adding some complexity

Handshake (drops drying on the hands): Caramel and cherries

Nose: First out of the glass: A hint of vanilla, and a subtle but definitive whiff of honeydew melon. Next up: Caramel with a background of brown sugar. Rye spice. Maraschino cherries in a fruit cup. After a sip... Peach cobbler a la mode: A hint of just-ripe peaches and sweet buttery shortbread join with vanilla. There's a faint background of some dark fortified wine (sherry or port), though there's no fancy cask work here, just a straight bourbon.

Palate: Hotter than you'd expect for 90 proof. To be honest the heat has routinely been a bit of a turnoff for me in this particular bourbon. Slightly creamy mouthfeel which is nice.

Taste: bubblegum (specifically Dubble Bubble), extra sweet caramel confection; it's surprisingly sweet. It's spicy, too: chili powder and cloves. A whisper of candied lime (it was difficult to identify the "something sour" for a while). When I threw back the last sip, I got a bit of cherry blossoms and rose water (this happened on two separate tastings, so that's neat).

Finish: Medium length. Fennel, mukhwas (Indian mouth freshener with fennel and aromatic candy pieces). It gets astringent, and -- hello, rye! -- turns minty. Peach comes back but feels a bit artificial. A hint of walnut skin at the end.

Afternose (as the glass is drying): Peach, brown sugar, and shortbread.

Overall: I don't find myself reaching for this bottle most of the time but when I'm in the right mood, it's good. Sometimes it'll surprise me as being really nice with certain food pairings, and it makes a pretty good old fashioned.

This bourbon is hotter, sweeter, and less complex than I'd like. Except for the big sweet confectionery notes, everything else is a bit more subtle than I really want, and those distinct fruity elements would be welcome against the confectionery. I don't mean it's sugary though: a side-by-side with Angel's Envy reminded me what a really sugar-sweet bourbon can be like. For me, this would benefit from more elements of bitter/toasted wood or wine funk in the profile -- this may be why Woodinville has been doing port cask and other finishes, which I've heard have done the spirit good.

Rating: 76/100 - solid

Price: $36.99 + taxes in WA.

Value (would I buy this again?): ⭐⭐ 2/5 maybe - Not the best value, but far from the worst. but might be nice to have a bottle on occasion since it's affordable and sometimes hits the spot.

I love that my first experience with a local distillery turned out to be a largely positive one. The bourbon isn't bad. The bottle is very pretty. I used to live near the distillery, but I have not yet done a tour. They have done some interesting cask finishes, one of which (the Port cask finish) is pretty readily available at retailers. They have small batches of other cask finishes available at the distillery from time to time and I hope I get a chance to swing by and pick one up. I've heard good things about their Rye, too, and based on this bourbon I'd definitely be willing to try it. The extra spicy/herbal aspects would probably serve to balance the sweetness a bit better.

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