I Was Skeptical of This Hyped, Award-Winning Bourbon from Washington State. Then I Drank It

[Celerity]

https://gearpatrol.com/2020/04/30/best-booze-april-2020/

Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey



If you don’t know Woodinville yet, you will soon. The distillery has earned numerous accolades, including Craft Whiskey of the Year and, more recently, Best Straight Bourbon at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition this year. Bourbon authority Fred Minnick said he’d “buy every single bottle of Woodinville.” Its straight bourbon is an easy-drinking 90 proof that’s aged in standard 53-gallon drums for five years which, for a non-major distillery (like Jim Beam, Buffalo Trace or Brown-Forman), is a rarity. What’s rarer, the booze is better than its stats. It’s rich, buttery and sweet, and, at $40, it won’t cost you a fortune.

https://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/products/straight-bourbon-whiskey/



2016 Craft Whiskey of the Year
-American Distilling Institute Craft Spirits Awards

Woodinville® Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 45% ABV

This truly small-batch bourbon starts with traditionally grown corn, rye and malted barley. 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. This meticulous process yields a truly hand-crafted spirit with aromas of crème brûlée and spice cabinet, as well as notes of rich caramel, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean on the palate with a sweet, lingering finish.

*Also available in Cask-Strength at distillery only.

[Aristus]

1. I'll see about picking up a bottle.

I like bourbon, but I don't feel like propping up a red state industry. So, it's local for me...

[BeyondGeography]

3. That's crazy

Gov. Andy Beshear. Hello? Support red state Democrats.

Bourbon is one of America’s best consolation prizes. Drink up.

[Celerity]

4. one of my favourite US winemakers is in Washington State, Charles Smith, of K Vintners, etc

https://winesofsubstance.com/

Great Syrah wines.

[Celerity]

6. another great Blue state bourbon is from Maryland, Sagamore Spirits (superb Rye's)

The Port Finish Rye I had was crazy good. (My wife and I are Scotch and Bourbon girls)

https://sagamorespirit.com/spirits/

[Aristus]

7. Thanks for the recommendation.

But I'm going to start with Woodinville first. The local stuff from my favorite Blue State.

[Celerity]

8. yw and let me know how it was!

[Aristus]

13. I will!

I may not be able to get a bottle as soon as tomorrow, but as soon as I get one, I'll incorporate it into my next Friday Night drinking thread, to which you are always welcome.

[Celerity]

14. sounds like a go!

[MontanaMama]

2. Nice!

My bourbon loving spouse has a birthday next week. This is going in my list!

[blm]

5. Thanks for the tip.

Mr blm deserves some of this. The guy works really hard.

[SeattleVet]

9. Another really good one is BSB (Brown Sugar Bourbon) from Heritage Distilling.

Ballard-based. This one is a flavored bourbon, with brown sugar and cinnamon.

I'm not usually a huge fan of flavored booze, but the first time I tasted this I was hooked. Available at Costco.

They have two versions, and I find the 60 proof one is a much better sipping refreshment than their higher proof version. The higher proof seems to bury the subtle flavors.

Woodinville is a great one, and another favorite.

[Celerity]

10. interesting, it might make a good mixer

I see their site has this

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

11. Just saw it at Costco

I already have some Jim Beam so I didn't get the urge to buy additional bourbon. I'll have to give it a try some time though.

[KT2000]

12. How about gin?

I have a yard full of overgrown junipers I would like to get rid of!!