“All of our staple grains are cultivated exclusively for us on the Omlin Family farm in Quincy, Washington. The grains are mashed, distilled, and barreled in our Woodinville distillery, then trucked back over the Cascade Mountains to our private barrel houses, where Central Washington’s extreme temperature cycles promote the extraction of natural flavors from the oak. Prior to being coopered, the barrel wood is seasoned in open air, rain, wind, sun, and snow for eighteen months, softening the wood’s harsh tannins. The barrels are then slowly toasted and heavily charred to further enrich the wood’s desirable flavors”.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Woodinville Whiskey Distillery.
Proof: 117.78.
Age: 5 years.
Barrel #: 5819. Selected by Jay West for r/bourbon.
Mash bill: 72% Corn, 22% Rye, 6% Malted Barley.
Price: $81.99.
Appearance: Dark golden caramel.
Nose
Wood smoke, molasses, hazelnut, vanilla, celery, sage, dill, black tea, berries, banana rind, nutmeg and oak. As this glass opens up, the smokier notes turn into a sweeter toffee and chocolate with more vanilla, banana, stone fruit, and berries.
Palate
The first thing I notice is a very good creamy mouthfeel. The nose transfers nicely to the palate with less smoke and more oak, with delicious rich toffee and hazelnuts with a hint of chocolate. Herbal notes of sage, tea, and dill are upfront with vanilla bean, banana, berries, and a hint of peach. Allspice gently enters mid-sip and covers every bit of the palate (but never dominates the sip) with a very tasty, toasted oak flavor that continues to the finish. It’s amazing how this delicious pour drinks well below its proof.
Finish
Allspice and oak linger with toffee, vanilla, stone fruit, sage, and tea. Oak continues with sweet leather tannins to create a very long finish.
Conclusion
This Woodinville single barrel selection was the first review I posted on the r/bourbon subreddit in January 2022. I returned to this bottle in May 2023 to re-review it for Mostly Bourbon. I’m glad I saved enough to compare it over a year later. I liked it as much this time as before and could elaborate on my tasting notes.
Most of Woodinville’s story at the beginning of this review came from video interviews with Brett Carlile in 2020 from Bourbon Real Talk and the Bourbon Pursuit Podcast. When talking to Bourbon Pursuit, Brett mentioned that five years became the “sweet spot” for the age they liked best for their whiskeys. Though I would love to know what a Woodinville bourbon barrel aged 7 to 10 years tastes like, I can imagine how a few more years could ruin this barrel if they weren’t careful. Despite the “5-year rule”, Brett said they’re holding back barrels for a special release but wouldn’t say when. That was three years ago, so maybe we’ll see a special older-aged release from Woodinville in the future. I love Woodinville’s flavor profile, philosophy, and dedication to quality, and I look forward to what they do next.
Rating: 7.8/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
