The Woodenville private barrel selection program finally reaches Ohio.
The Story
There's just something about the words "privately selected barrel" that puts a smile on my face. I don't know if it's my inner snob shinning through, or if I'm just a sucker for limited edition bottles of bourbon. Either way, I couldn't be happier to have this particular bottle of Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey in my position. Its label is an embarrassment of riches:
Single Barrel
Barrel Proof
Privately Selected Barrel
I mean come on, that's three sought after expressions of bourbon in one. Most enthusiasts (myself included) go crazy for just one of those expressions on an allocated bottle of bourbon. With that being said, the biggest thing the label has going for it, is the name Woodinville.
In 2020 Woodenville won a double gold in the San Fransisco World Spirits Competition for its Straight Bourbon Whiskey. If you've never heard of Woodinville, here's what you need to know. It's a distillery based in Washington State that only uses locally grown grains in its mash bill, distills its own juice, and ages its own barrels. There's not a lot of bourbon brands can say all of that in one sentence.
I couldn't be happier to have this particular bottle of Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey in my position. Its label is an embarrassment of riches...
So when you put all of the information from the label together, in my possession I have a single barrel, full proof, privately selected expression from a double gold winning straight bourbon whiskey. On paper at least this bourbon has potential to be a very special offering from Woodenville. But the reality is... and we all know this, most bottles of bourbon rarely meet the lofty expectations we set for them.
Even with the abundance of riches on this bottle's label, any single barrel bottle that's privately selected is going to be a boom or bust situation. If you get lucky, you'll find a special one of a kind bourbon expression. If you aren't lucky, you end up with bourbon regret and no one likes that feeling. At its lofty $70 price point (with taxes) that's a heavy price to pay for a bad bottle of bourbon.
Tasting Notes
In Ohio, the State Liquor Association (locally referred to as OHLQ) picks private barrels instead of liquor stores. I'm not sure why that's the case in the Buckeye state, but it is. From time-to-time OHLQ names it's bottles based on the dominate tasting notes of the barrels they picked. In my experience those names have been pretty hit or miss, which is to be expected. We all experience whiskey differently. The point is, I don't pay much attention to the names OHLQ puts on it's privately selected bourbons. But the "Spice Bomb" name given to this bottle of bourbon, couldn't be more perfect.
The juice in this bottle explodes as soon as it hits your lips. Tasting notes of honey, butterscotch, and roasted nuts rush over you at first, followed closely by a complex but balanced array of oak and rye spice. The finish is soft but warm and coats your mouth with a mixture of honey and grain notes. I've never had a bourbon experience quite like this before, and I am officially in love with this bottle.
Even though this privately selected bottle of Woodenville Straight Bourbon is only available in Ohio, that won't stop me from hunting down another private barrel pick from somewhere else in the country. I'm not even sure if I can count the number of Kentucky miles I would walk to find another privately selected bottle from Woodville when this one runs out, but it's a lot.
Final Score: 300+ out of 379 Kentucky Miles (An outstanding bourbon experience)
Woodenville Bourbon (OHLQ Pick ) Photo Gallery
