The problem with the term “blended whiskey” in America is that it’s incredibly broad and includes whiskey-flavored vodka like Seagram’s 7 Crown or whiskey like this Woodinville Double Barrel Blended Whiskey. Which is a blend of their straight bourbon with bourbon that was finished in used cooperage. Which puts it in the same vein as the Heaven’s Door Double Barrel.
Though, there are some differences between the HD and this Woodinville. Frist, Woodinville distilled theirs up in Washington and HD sourced from Tennessee (George Dickel). And second, the whiskey aged in used cooperage in HD’s was 100% aged in it, not finished. Yet, Heaven’s Door doesn’t call theirs a blend and, really, Woodinville didn’t need to either. And maybe they shouldn’t due to its poor connotations in America.
They could easily take a page out of Smooth Ambler’s book and name it with a more approachable, yet equally broad and semi-meaningless, term: American Whiskey. Like the HDDB, The Old Scout American Whiskey uses “Tennessee Whiskey” fully aged in used cooperage instead of straight whiskey finished in used cooperage, but either way American Whiskey would work just fine. Isn’t whiskey naming fun in America!
Woodinville Double Barrel Blended Whiskey – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Region: Washington, USA
Distiller: Woodinville
Mash Bill: 72% Corn, 22% Rye, 6 % Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak and Used Oak
Age: NAS (4+ years)
ABV: 43%
Price: $40
Tasting Notes
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Woody-oaky and a touch crafty with notes of an herbal-profile, cocoa, cinnamon, overripe fruit and nuts.
PALATE
Woody-crafty with touches of cocoa, leather, overripe fruit and herbal.
FINISH
Medium-> Crafty, spicy, woody and touch smoky
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Not fully balanced, medium body and a dry feel.
Woodinville Double Barrel Blended Whiskey – Overall
Aroma comes through rather muted, with little going on below the crafty woodiness that dominates; Palate again is dominated with that crafty-woody profile and ends up coming through like an “ok craft whiskey”; Finish picks up the most spice and even an interesting smoky note – definitely my favorite part of this whiskey.
There is odd sweetness riding under the whole whiskey that’s intriguing, but I mostly get that immature craft whiskey profile of raw wood that I have zero affinity for.
Woodinville Double Barrel Blended Whiskey – Final Thoughts and Score
I love that they’re experimenting and trying, but with them also having two different core bourbon releases (regular and cask strength) I have to ask why? Why take, presumably, good straight whiskey and finish it in used cooperage? Outside of curiosity, the only thing I can think of is this is a way to do something with the not-quite-as-good casks to help salvage the whiskey.
I don’t know, that’s just a guess, but what I do know is that I’m not a fan of this… yet. Being up in Washington, I think this just needs more time to mature and further shows that get to the same level of richness of a 4 yo whiskey in KY/IN/TN other areas, especially drier ones, need 6-8.
I know Woodinville will get there and could be a serious contender with what’s coming out of the 3 major whiskey states in the near future. But for me, it’s just not there yet with that crafty woody profile still coming up in releases like this Woodinville Double Barrel Blended Whiskey.
SCORE: 1.5/5
Woodinville Double Barrel Blended Whiskey Review $40
Overall
1.5- Nose (2)
- Palate (1)
- Finish (2)
- BBF (1)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Summary
I’m not getting a whole lot of complexity out of this whiskey. It mostly carries that craft profile that I’m not wild about and I’m just not getting that integrated maturity they talk about in their marketing.
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