Woodinville whiskies

History

Two local friends founded the distillery at the end of the 2000s with the help of a veteran Kentucky master distiller, who helped them define their recipe and process. From the start they bet on grain grown in the state and on patience: they did not release their bourbon until it had several years in the cask. The good reception of their whiskeys caught the attention of the big groups, and in 2017 it was bought by Moët Hennessy, which keeps production in Washington.

House style

Woodinville’s bourbon is sweet and rounded, with caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate and soft spice. The climate of eastern Washington, with hot summers and cold winters, favours intense maturation. The house also makes a rye from rye grown on the same farm, spicier. It is enjoyed neat, with an ice cube or in classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, and it is a good way to discover American whiskey made far from Kentucky. Its sweetness makes it very easy to recommend to those starting out with bourbon.

Where to start

Woodinville Straight Bourbon is the catalogue’s benchmark. If you like it, compare it with sweet, rounded Kentucky bourbons, such as Maker's Mark or Buffalo Trace, and with other western craft whiskeys, such as Stranahan's or Westland, to see the variety of American whiskey outside Kentucky. It is also a good bottle to give to someone who already knows bourbon.

• Woodinville Straight BourbonBourbon · 45% ABV