Review: 4 Woodinville Whiskeys, 2025 Releases
Review: 4 Woodinville Whiskeys, 2025 Releases
Washington’s Woodinville is one of the OG craft distillers, with 15 years of history now under its belt. Outside of some unusual finishing choices (Ginja cask, anyone?), Woodinville hasn’t rocked the boat all that much over the years, and has been happily cranking out bourbon and rye to a welcoming public. Recently we received four expressions from the company for review, including a fresh bottling of one of its flagship releases. Let’s give them all a try.
Woodinville Whiskey Company Straight Bourbon Whiskey (2025) Review
We last saw this release 8 years ago, and it looks to be the same — pot distillate, made from a mash of 72% corn, 22% rye and 6% malted barley. It’s aged 5 years but carries no formal age statement and has no finishing. Even the bottle hasn’t changed at all. As Drew wrote so many years ago, this is a wood-forward whiskey that is dominated by tannic oak, well evident before ever taking a sip. Pepper and tanned leather add a little something on top of that, but it’s all far from subtle. The palate continues the theme, with a mouthful of wood that I struggled to find a way past. Again pepper and tobacco play a supporting role, and as the onslaught of wood fades, a pinch of cinnamon and allspice are finally revealed. I’m surprised that time has not convinced Woodinville to let this mellow a bit longer before release, because it’s not overly accessible in its current state. 90 proof. B- / $40 [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR] [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Woodinville Whiskey Company Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8 Years Old Review
This is not the flagship bourbon with extra age on it: It’s made from a mash of 55% corn, 35% rye, and 10% malted barley, aged in heavily toasted, lightly charred Independent Stave Company barrels made from 24-month open-air seasoned staves. The 8-year limited release will be followed by a 9-year later this year and a 10-year in 2026. It is a considerably more interesting product, starting with a nose that is still layered with wood, but tempered by notes of dark chocolate and some exotic Asian spice notes evoking thoughts of both saffron and hookah den. The palate perks up nicely, taming that wood with a strong apple-cinnamon quality and more of that saffron-laden character, followed by mint and a surprising burst of dried ginger. The finish is surprisingly effervescent, filling the mouth and nose with a eucalyptus quality that could rival Hall’s. Unique and exotic. 100 proof. B+ / $150 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Woodinville Whiskey Company Founder’s Find Whiskey from a Bourbon Mash 12 Years Old Review
Not a bourbon, but rather (mostly) a 12 year old whiskey from Tennessee, blended after six years of that aging with a small amount(4%) of 15-year-old Indiana bourbon. This is all then aged in a reconditioned barrel, “a process by which used barrels are scraped clean and freshly toasted and charred.” I’m not sure about the Tennessee whiskey and whether it has undergone the Lincoln County Process or much else about it — except it’s “from a bourbon mash,” of course. But it’s the barrel treatment that disqualifies this foremost from being called simply “bourbon.” It’s another step up the ladder for Woodinville in this roundup, though it’s every bit as intense as the younger stock we tasted beforehand. The nose has the same burly char character — here quite peppery, evoking a hearty barbecue brisket bark, with a backing of smoldering green wood branches. Aromas of orange peel, ginger, and mint tea round things out. The palate fires off a bright orange attack, then all the classics of bourbondom — vanilla, chocolate, and char. A creamy coconut note emerges as the finish builds, culminating in a reprise of dark chocolate and baking spice. It’s a whiskey that improves with time in glass and which can stand ample water — though it never really needs much tempering. 107 proof. A- / $130
Woodinville Whiskey Company Bourbon Sauternes Cask Review
A corn/rye/barley bourbon finished in fresh Sauternes wine casks. No other aging information provided. The sweet wine finishing does a good job at tempering the heavy woodiness that we’ve encountered in the previously reviewed whiskeys — Woodinville is well-known for its Port finishing — giving the nose an expressive fruitiness, alongside notes of mint and some herbal thyme. The palate is quite similar, sweet up top while making room for a surprisingly herbaceous core: again featuring thyme plus rosemary and mint — before finally sliding into a lightly woody, lumberyard character. The sweetness vanishes on the finish, which is something of a surprise, though there’s enough excitement along the way to merit giving it a taste. 105 proof. B+ / $70
Woodinville Whiskey Company Straight Bourbon Whiskey 8 Years Old
USD150
