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As I’ve written many times before, when it comes to whiskey age is not necessarily an indicator of quality. In fact, sometimes the opposite is true — trust me, 30-year-old bourbon has a very good chance of not tasting good, while 30-year-old Scotch whiskey can be very good. Still, when a relatively young distillery can finally put an age on its label, it’s a big moment — and that’s the case with Washington’s Woodenville Whiskey, which just announced that four of its core expressions will now bear a six-year age statement.
Woodenville Whiskey was founded in 2010 by Brett Carlyle and Orlin Sorenson, and was initially led by the late Master Distiller David Pickrell, a whiskey industry figure who has helped many young distilleries. Woodinville was acquired by Moët Hennessy in 2017, so while it’s technically no longer a craft distillery, it still essentially functions as one. The whiskey is made from a mash of grain grown by the Omlin family in the town of Woodenville, outside Seattle, and then shipped 170 miles to Quincy in central Washington to age in a drier climate. And the resulting whiskey is great—the bourbon and rye made from it can stand up to the best that comes out of Kentucky.
The four whiskeys that will now carry a six-year age statement on the label are: Woodinville Straight Bourbon Aged 6 Years, Woodinville Straight 100% Rye Aged 6 Years, Woodinville Port Finish Bourbon, and Woodinville Applewood Finish Bourbon. These aren’t actually the oldest whiskeys the distillery has released—it’s put out eight- and nine-year-old bourbons over the past few years, and will release a 10-year-old version this year. Still, the addition of an age statement to these core expressions, in addition to a label redesign, is a milestone for the brand.
“From the beginning, we set out to create a whiskey that would rival the best,” explained Carlyle Rob Report. “And age matters. Patience isn’t in my nature, but it’s important in distilling. Dave taught us that early on, and prepared us to wait years for (Independent Stew Company) to work its magic on the liquid inside the barrel. It would be nice to finally get to the point where we put a six-year age statement on every one of our flagship bottles. Agree.”
All four new bottles are now available at retailers nationwide. Websites like ReserveBar may still carry older bottles, but that should change in the coming months.
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