Tuthilltown Spirits New York Whiskey
Batch #3, 2009
46% ABV, 92 Proof
About $45, Limited Availability
What The Distillery Says (from notes taken at the distillery tour):
New York Whiskey is Tuthilltown’s experimental line, a series of one-offs used to let the distillers flex their creative muscles. It all started with a blend of leftovers from the weeks distilling. Matt loved that one. It was complex and weird (in a good way). Batch #3 is 100% wheat.
What Richard Says:
Nose: A sweetness that brings to mind a dram that’s now forgotten. It seems like a mixture of rum and Canadian whisky. Water dampens the rum notes and pulls forward the oak.
Palate: A very medicinal flavor. Sinus clearing bite with little of the sweetness promised on the nose. Water opens it up but it is still not the most outgoing whiskey.
Finish: It finishes spicy and then retreats to something reminiscent of cough syrup. Odd but not altogether unpleasant.
Comments: It became more evident to me as I try more whiskey matured over a shorter time span through the use of smaller casks that this imparts a medicinal note on the whiskeys. I get this from Laphroaig Quarter Cask too. I’m all for innovation but I haven’t seen proof yet that this is a corner worth cutting. Overall, this is an interesting whiskey. It’s not for me but I don’t want t dissuade others from trying it. Innovation has a tendency to be polarizing when it comes to whiskey. If you’re in the area then give it a go and decide for yourself.
Rating: Average
What Matt Says:
Nose: Karo syrup, pecans, heavily citrus, honeysuckle and a big plug of charred oak.
Palate: Oak, sweet potato, brown sugar and sweet cream butter.
Finish: Dark fruits, light spice, sweet cherries and menthol. Like a very sweet cough drop or the cherry lollipops my pediatrician gave out when I got a vaccination or had blood drawn (did this happen to anyone else?).
Comments: My experience with this whiskey was very different from Richard’s. I really enjoyed it at the distillery and didn’t get the menthol/medicinal note. Maybe it’s the power of suggestion, but I get it every time now. I still enjoy this whiskey though. It feels like Fall. My official rating is “average”, but I really think it’s somewhere between “average” and “stands out”.
Rating: Average
Overall Rating: Average. An interesting dram worth trying.