Woodinville Cask Strength Rye Whiskey

As promised in the Woodinville Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey review up next is the Woodinville Cask Strength Rye Whiskey. A rye that sits in a fairly unique and small category of rye as it uses no barley or corn in its recipe, it’s 100% rye. Intriguing no?

Like with the bourbon, I tried the standard Woodinville Rye back in 2018 so there’s a bit of difference between what I had then vs now: 1 year more in age and no water added. Two things that don’t sound like a lot in word form, but can potentially make a huge difference in the glass.

Woodinville Cask Strength Rye Whiskey – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Region: Washington, USA

Distiller: Woodinville
Mash Bill: 100% Rye
Cask: New Charred Oak and Used Oak
Age: 5 Years
ABV: 61.57%

Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Price: $70

White background tasting shot with the Woodinville Cask Strength Rye Whiskey bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.

“This 100% rye starts with pure, traditionally-grown rye cultivated exclusively for us on the Omlin family farm in Quincy, Washington. The grain is mashed, distilled & 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.” – Woodinville Whiskey Co

Tasting Notes

EYE
Ruddy amber

NOSE
Dilly rye spice, red Twizzlers, cocoa powder, woody oak, floral, vanilla, leather, dried dark fruit.

PALATE
Woody, oaky, cocoa, leather, red Twizzlers, candy vanilla, herbal, spicy

FINISH
Med-long -> spice, woody-oaky and vanilla floral

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Ok balance, medium body and a soft warm feel.

Woodinville Cask Strength Rye Whiskey – Overall
Aroma starts woody and crafty but with some nice sweet and spicy notes that try to climb to the top, as it opens it gets quite floral but never overwhelms – kind of an odd and quirky profile; Palate pulls through the woody, spicy and sweet aspects, but surprisingly the floral aspect as well – not an artificial and soapy floral, but a more vegetal floral, like the edible flowers placed on small dishes at fancy restaurants; Finish is easily my favorite part and pulls through a nice balance of sweet, rustic and spicy notes.

I like this more than the standard rye I tried 2+ years ago and, like the bourbon, it’s a super unique and interesting execution.

Woodinville Cask Strength Rye Whiskey – Final Thoughts and Score

Part of me doesn’t exactly know how to think about this because it’s a bit atypical in the rye world. The floral nature comes through in a way that’s not unpleasant but does give me pause because it’s not one of my favorite things to find in a whiskey. Though if you enjoy those floral profiles then this might be the rye you’ve been looking for.

That said, the floral notes are not overwhelming and after a bit of sipping they become just another facet of the whiskey and end up adding to its overall character. Water doesn’t change the Woodinville Cask Strength Rye Whiskey too much at first, but too much water and that woody craft note that was hanging out in the back starts moving forward. So you might want to be a bit restrained with those droppers.

SCORE: 3/5