Woodinville Straight Bourbon Aged 9 Years
50% ABV
$130
Website
We would like to thank Woodinville Whiskey for sending us a sample to review.
What the Distillery Says
On August 23, 2025 Woodinville Whiskey will celebrate its 15th Anniversary and release of Woodinville Straight Bourbon Aged 9 Years, the distillery’s oldest age statement yet.
Best friends, Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile created Woodinville Whiskey under the mentorship of the late David Pickerell, an industry icon and the former Master Distiller for Maker’s Mark. 15+ years ago Brett and Orlin took a leap, cashing out their 401ks and savings accounts, and started crafting whiskey under Dave’s tutelage in the unlikely state of Washington.
Woodinville Straight Bourbon Aged 9 Years has been aging in Woodinville’s barrelhouses in Quincy, WA since 2016, in heavily toasted, lightly charred barrels made from 24-month open-air seasoned staves by Independent Stave Company. It has a mashbill of 55% corn, 35% rye, and 10% malted barley, which differs from Woodinville Flagship Straight Bourbon’s mashbill.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Butter cookie & fresh citrus.
Palate: Dried mango, milk chocolate, spice drop candies & caramel nougat.
Finish: Toffee with a hint of nutmeg spice.
The first 500 numbered bottles of Woodinville Straight Bourbon Aged 9 Years will be available Saturday, August 23, 2025 at 10:00am at Woodinville’s annual Harvest Release and 15th Anniversary event. It will be sold online at www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/collections/allproducts and nationally on August 25, 2025. When this whiskey sells out, it’s gone. Only 500 cases were made.
“We’re following our 2024 8-year limited release with this 9-year – and a 10-year will follow in 2026,” says Woodinville co-founder and Head Distiller, Brett Carlile. “It’s incredible to see the impact of the unique barrel toast/char finish on this bourbon, along with additional time in those ISC barrels. We’re excited to share it so you can taste what we’ve been tasting as we’ve been checking in on it in our barrelhouses. It’s a tough job!”
What Gary Says
Nose: Toasted oak, orange zest, toffee, salted caramel and almond cookie.
Palate: Chocolate, black cherries, cinnamon, coconut, cloves and nutmeg.
Finish: Moderately long, slightly drying with oak, honey, cocoa and baking spices.
Comments: This is a delicious, spicy and robust bourbon. While it’s quite nice neat, a bit of water brings the fruit forward on the nose and thickens the mouthfeel (while bringing out a bit of pears and apples too!) I think what I enjoyed just as much (or almost as much) as sipping this bourbon was reading about the experimental approach that Brett and Orlin took. Mad respect for conducting tests like they did over a period of years. Is this THE best barrel for aging bourbon? I can’t say, but this is a lovely result – which goes to show you that many of the best things just take time.