Sonoma Bourbon Whiskey
46% ABV
$40 – $45
Website
We would like to thank Sonoma Distilling Co. and Verdant PR & Marketing for sending us a bottle to review.
What the Distiller Says
About Sonoma Distilling Co.
Owner/whiskeymaker Adam Spiegel, distilling since 2010
Non-GMO grains milled in-house
Direct-fire heated 250-gallon Copper Alembic pot stripping stills
Barrel size: 15, 30 and 53 gallons of new American Oak from Minnesota & Missouri
3rd degree charred, 12-24 month dry aged wood
WHISKEY TYPE: Wheated Bourbon
MASH BILL
70% Corn (Origin: California & Canada)
25% Wheat (Origin: California & Canada)
5% Malted Barley (Origin: Wyoming)
AGED: A minimum of fifteen months with majority of blends above two years
FLAVOR PROFILE: Toasted vanilla, almond, toffee brittle, and coffee
What Gary Says
Nose: Young, freshly baked cornbread with a malty twang, vanilla, hint of sandalwood; a tad sharp.
Palate: Sweet entry that sharpens with notes of vanilla, roasted (not quite burnt) popcorn, a hint of bitter dark chocolate with smokey oak.
Finish: Short and drying with lingering pepper spice.
Comments: I really like the bottle – as in, the container and label. We’re big on transparency here, and they do a really nice job of providing a ton of information on the label (and I’m not a graphic designer, but I thought it was well organized and presented). They give you the mashbill right there, including the origin of the ingredients. This is a redesigned label, and I think they’ve definitely improved it over the prior versions.
On to the whiskey itself – this is a young, aggressive bourbon. Most enthusiasts associate wheated bourbon with being less spicy and softer than rye mashbills. I think the sharpness and aggressive nature is a function of the smaller barrels. I get why a small whiskey company is drawn to use smaller barrels; whiskey picks up color and flavor “faster”. If you filled a 15 gallon and 53 gallon barrel with the same distillate on the same day and compared them in 6 months, 12 months, 18 months – the smaller barrel will be darker and picking up flavor from the wood faster. But you can’t leave it in a smaller barrel for very long before (in my opinion) it gets just too oaky. To be clear – this isn’t too oaky, but I am left wishing they would scrap the smaller barrels and let some whiskey age a bit longer in the 53 gallon barrels. I think this is the primary reason I don’t care for a lot of “craft” whiskey.
All that said, I didn’t find the palate or nose off-putting; just about what one would expect from a young bourbon.