This month, Woodinville Whiskey will release its Special Limited Release Woodinville Moscatel Finished Straight Bourbon in 23 markets (MSRP $99.99 per bottle). At the time of its distillery-only release last fall, the Woodinville 2021 Harvest Release was the first Moscatel Finished Straight Bourbon in the American Whiskey category. The whiskey was introduced exclusively at the Distillery Tasting Room in Washington state last September.
Woodinville Moscatel Finished Straight Bourbon is Woodinville’s fully mature, Flagship Straight Bourbon Whiskey transferred into 10-year-old, 200-gallon Moscatel de Setúbal barrels for “finishing”. Moscatel de Setúbal is a rare, fortified wine produced on the Setúbal Peninsula of Portugal, a region known for its ideal climate for producing these wines. This “finishing” process adds notes of dried apricot and orange peel, with a honey and toffee sweetness. Candied nuts and a hint of fennel greet you for a lingering finish.
As the 2021 Washington state Harvest Release, Woodinville Moscatel Finished Straight Bourbon was named one of the “Best New American Double-Barrel Whiskies of 2021” by Nicolas Stecher in Maxim. For Uproxx‘s “Best Bourbon Whiskey Blind Taste Test” in February, Zach Johnston of Uproxx wrote, “Tasting Notes: There’s a mix of chocolate powder, apricots, and orange that’s tempered by five spice and a hint of wet reeds. Sweet and floral honey opens the palate up to Almond Roca (gotcha!) and peach pits. Ripe plums with more of those wet reeds drive the finish towards soft leather, more stone fruit, and a slightly spicy tobacco chew. My Guess: This is a Woodinville bourbon… that Almond Roca flavor note is very Seattle and gives it away instantly.”
