Cascadia Rye Whiskey
43.5% ABV
$49 – $57
Website
We would like to thank Cadée Distillery for sending us a sample to review (and for making the time for a call to answer questions!)
What the Producer Says
Handmade in small batches. Well balanced, mellow rye with a rich malt edge. Deep color with a good nose offering malt sweetness and dried fruit. An aroma rich in port, cocoa, dark cherries, toffee, chocolate and mature oak on the palate. Aged for an average of four years in new American Oak, then finished for an average of 12 months in imported 20-year-old French Oak Ruby Port barrels. Rye spice sparkles throughout yielding to a long finish with hints of vanilla, tobacco and light wood notes. Cascadia gently rolls over the tongue like waves to the shore.
Cascadia Rye Whiskey is one of America’s finest whiskeys. We aren’t saying that, these are the gold medals and double gold medals speaking.
Try it out to experience its spicy flavor with malt sweetness and dried fruits. One marked and delicious characteristic of this whiskey is its lingering aroma rich in port, tobacco and light wood notes. This amber-hued whiskey provides an aroma of spicy rye with rich notes of dark chocolate along with overripe fruit, the concentration of flavors is completely inimitable.
Made from 51% rye, first matured in new American Oak barrels and then double barrel finished in French oak casks previously used for maturing rich, 20 year old port in Portugal. The casks were transferred to the distillery’s No.I vault, the Isle of Whidbey’s oldest maturation warehouse. Located at sea level on the shores of Port Clinton, the spirit was left to mature under nature’s care. The straight Rye developed into one of the most incredible whiskies we have produced.
What Gary Says
Nose: Bright with mint, eucalyptus, orange zest, a touch of ginger, some herbal notes and birch wood.
Palate: Quite smooth for rye, with gentle spices of mint, black pepper and allspice amongst chocolate covered cherries and hints of orange.
Finish: Short in length with notes of mint and citrus spice.
Comments: I find that rye whiskey fares better at a young age than bourbon does (not that I prefer young rye over older rye!), so I was looking forward to this. Like Deceptivus Bourbon Whiskey, its age is clear on the nose, although I didn’t get as much of the port finish by comparison. What I did get reminded me of some type of beer cask finish (not being a beer drinker, I apologize for the lack of specificity). In fact, the nose reminds me a bit of Jameson Caskmates Revolution Brewing Limited Edition, which ironically reminded me of rye whiskey. This is very soft, gentle, and smooth for a rye whiskey. If you’re looking for that sharp rye bite – you won’t find it here (maybe a ‘gateway rye’ for folks who have thought rye was too harsh in the past?) but you still get those spice notes and herbaceous qualities. Very easy drinking, and again nothing off-putting. Cadée Distillery’s founder Colin Campbell explained that they use malted barley as well in this mashbill, and with all of their whiskies they use water drawn from Whidbey Island when bringing the whiskey down to bottling proof – which provides a unique character. While this may not be released any older, I do hope they’ll consider perhaps a higher proof offering.