Following more than 10 years of experimentation, Woodinville Whiskey Co. announced the release of its 8 Year OId Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

The bourbon will be released August 17 exclusively at the Distillery, followed by a national rollout Sept. 1. The whiskey has quite a back story.

According to the Washington-based distillery, some 10 ½ years, ago Woodinville founders Brett Carlile and Orlin Sorensen set out to establish, once and for all, what kind of barrel would make the best bourbon in the world. They saw it as an investment in the future.

Since it’s generally accepted that more than 70% of the flavor and character of a bourbon comes from its barrel, it seemed to them they’d need the best barrel in the world if they wanted to make the best bourbon in the world.

Woodinville’s partners at Independent Stave Company suggested they run a test. They offered up eight different barrels for experimentation:

• #1 Char Standard Kiln-Dried
• #2 Char Standard Kiln-Dried
• #3 Char Standard Kiln-Dried
• #4 Char Standard Kiln-Dried
• #3 Char 18-Month Open-Air Seasoned
• #5 Char 18-Month Open-Air Seasoned 
• Heavy Toast/Light Char 24-Month Open-Air Seasoned
• Thin-Stave Barrel

Brett and Orlin filled the eight test barrels with new-make whiskey and waited. And waited. And waited. Four-and-a-half-years later, the whiskies were ready for analysis by gas chromatograph at ISC. The heavily toasted, lightly charred barrel made from 24-month open-air seasoned staves was found to have significantly higher amounts of whiskey’s favorite core compounds: furfural (sweetness, almond, baked bread), vanillin (vanilla, creaminess), and phenols, namely guaiacol (smoky, spicy) and 4-methyl guaiacol (sweet, candy, clove, leather). But they couldn’t declare the mission complete just yet.

Brett and Orlin noted the whiskey from this barrel had a slight “graininess,” attributed to its light char. (Think of the carbon filter in your fridge’s water dispenser.) They decided if the barrel could be aged a little longer, that grain character would soften and transform into desirable flavor compounds. A little longer meant four more years.

Brett and Orlin call it Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 8 Years. The finished experiment went to the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, which in April awarded this bourbon their highest honor, a double gold medal.

The American Spirits Council of Tasters by Fred Minnick, meanwhile, bestowed 8 Year with double platinum status, noting how its “mint and aloe on the nose turns to a floral and soft palate featuring caramel, cinnamon sugar, and apple notes.”

For more information, visit https://woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/.

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