Spirit Works Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45% ABV
$50
Website
We would like to thank Spirit Works Distillery and Verdant PR & Marketing for sending us a sample to review.
What the Distillery Says
Meticulously pot distilled, each batch of our Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the proprietary master blend of our two Bourbon formulas. Featuring 60% corn with wheat, rye, and barley in the mash bills, our grains are all organic and the corn and wheat are California grown. Mashed, fermented, distilled and aged on-site by female distilling team this Bourbon features impressive palate complexity from each of the four grains. Smooth and welcoming in any cocktail our Bourbon is also especially delicious sipped neat.
45% ABV or 90 Proof
Aged a minimum of four years
53-Gallon, New American Charred Oak Barrels
Color of Amber Honey
Nose: Honeysuckle, toasted sugar, and stone fruit
Palate: Chicory, brown butter, and treacle
Finish: Roasted savory cooking spices
What Gary Says
Nose: Light vanilla, cherry blossoms, honey, chamomile tea, toasted oak and a hint of berries.
Palate: Creamy and rounded mouthfeel, vanilla wafers atop black cherry ice cream, almonds, subtle pepper with cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, wet with a nutty spice note.
Comments: The pot still influence comes across in the mouthfeel, which I appreciate. Also glad that they matured this at least four years in full size barrels, although it still tastes fairly young. Many four year old bourbons from the larger distilleries in Kentucky will come from the higher tiers of the rickhouse, where they’re getting significantly more ‘action’ from the barrel during that time (and where they really can’t go a LONG time without it becoming a oaky, tannin-laden mess). I point this out because if you’re sitting down to compare this to one of those, they’ll be quite different – which isn’t a bad thing. I’d love to try this with more age on it (and maybe a higher proof), as I expect the climate in California with less extremes would allow the spirit to mature for a long time before becoming overly oaked. I didn’t find anything objectionable about this whiskey.