Woodinville Whiskey Co recently celebrated a decade of distilling and in honor of that occasion have released its Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 8 Years.
To create the expression, Woodinville Whiskey Co. Founders Brett Carlile and Orlin Sorensen set out to establish what kind of barrel would make the “best bourbon in the world.” Since many believe that the majority of the flavor and character of a bourbon comes from its barrel, it seemed to them they’d need the best barrel in the world.
Woodinville partnered with Independent Stave Company (ISC) to try eight different barrel types (#1 Char Standard Kiln-Dried, #2 Char Standard Kiln-Dried, #3 Char Standard Kiln-Dried, #4 Char Standard Kiln-Dried, #3 Char 18-Month Open-Air Seasoned, #5 Char 18-Month Open-Air Seasoned, Heavy Toast/Light Char 24-Month Open-Air Seasoned and a Thin-Stave Barrel)
Whiskey industry standard is a kiln-dried barrel at #3 or #4 char. Chars #1 and #2 are rarely used in bourbon, and because of the extra time it takes, “open-air seasoning” costs way more than a kiln-dried barrel. Extra time is on-brand for Woodinville, so this open-air method seemed promising. This process promotes a deterioration of the wood polymers, creating smaller molecules that can be more efficiently transformed during charring and toasting. After ISC’s coopers turn those seasoned staves into a barrel, the art of toasting and charring begins.
Brett and Orlin filled the eight test barrels with new-make whiskey and waited. And waited. And waited. Four-and-a-half-years later, the whiskies were ready for analysis by gas chromatograph at ISC. The heavily toasted, lightly charred barrel made from 24-month open-air seasoned staves was found to have significantly higher amounts of whiskey’s favorite core compounds: furfural (sweetness, almond, baked bread), vanillin (vanilla, creaminess), and phenols, namely guaiacol (smoky, spicy) and 4-methyl guaiacol (sweet, candy, clove, leather). But they couldn’t declare their mission complete just yet.
Carlile and Sorensen noted the whiskey from this barrel had a slight “graininess,” attributed to its light char. They decided if the barrel could be aged a little longer, that grain character would soften and transform into desirable flavor compounds. A little longer meant four more years.
Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 8 Years is available now for $129.95.
