Hoping for more exciting whiskey from locations outside our typical Kentucky bourbon, we ventured out to whiskey from Utah, Oregon, and Washington. What we found were 3 whiskeys that would make great a great base for a cocktail. Each of these was smooth, easy to drink, and not all that flavorful.
On a personal note, I think a solid price in Oregon for a cocktail whiskey is $20 or less. That puts each of these well above my threshold for the purpose. However, if you’re able to call your whiskey for your cocktail at a bar without paying a premium price for the whiskey, any of these are probably a good choice.
Broken Top Bourbon Whiskey
Cascade Street Distillery, Sisters, OR
Overall
4.5/10
Burn
3.83/10
Specs
Age: N/A
ABV: 43.7% or 87 proof
Price (Oregon State): 750 ML $31.95
(Value) Our club average value placed on this bottle was $29.60
(Flavors) Black peppercorn, smooth***** apple, fresh cut grass, chemicals***, anti-freeze
(Notes) At more than $30 a bottle, we expect a lot more from the flavor and complexity of a whiskey. We all struggled to find any notable flavors, and there were several complaints that it tasted, ‘chemically.’
The part that may draw people to buy a bottle of this is that it’s really smooth. In fact, we were as surprised by how easy it goes down as we were with how little we could taste it. If you’re not looking for much more than a spirit with a little oak to make an old fashioned out of, this might be OK.
Links:
Last featured tasting (click here)
Distiller’s website (click here)
Woodinville Straight Bourbon
Cascade Street Distillery, Sisters, OR
Overall
5.33 / 10
Burn
2.83 / 10
Specs
Age: N/A
ABV: 45% or 90 proof
Price (Oregon State): 750 ML $39.95
(Value) Our club average value placed on this bottle was $31.00
(Flavors) Bread, red wine, granola, raisins, cranberries, maple, pear
(Notes) While this one had some really unique and tasty flavors, they were fleeting and not all that noticeable. One of the most common phrases heard during this part of the tasting was, “I don’t really taste anything.” It’s easy to drink and has one of the lowest scores we’ve ever seen for burn, but that just isn’t all that impressive from a 90 proof whiskey with such a light flavor.
With the flavors included, it probably wouldn’t be great in an old fashioned or Manhattan. It may be more suited to a more exotic whiskey-based cocktail and certainly isn’t that impressive by itself. It’s worth trying, but most of us wouldn’t go out of our way to buy it at this price point.
Links:
Last featured tasting (click here)
Distiller’s website (click here)
High West Prairie Bourbon
High West Distillery, Park City, UT
Overall
6 / 10
Burn
5 / 10
Specs
Age: (blended bourbons 2 to 12 years)
ABV: 46% or 92 proof
Price (Oregon State): 750 ML $34.95
(Value) Our club average value placed on this bottle was $33.00
(Flavors) Brown sugar, cherry, smoke, cane sugar, ocean mist, orange peel
(Notes) This whiskey is another one that, if it was cheaper, we would all happily use for an old fashioned. It’s not great by itself. Like the previous tastings, this one went down very easy and was remarkably smooth. However, the flavors just weren’t all that noticeable. If you can get it for about half the cost, pick up a bottle and make a cocktail!
Links:
Last featured tasting (click here)
Distiller’s website (click here)
