Woodinville Whiskey, located just outside of Seattle, is currently making some of the best craft bourbon and rye in the country. In addition to its core lineup, the distillery has a range of cask-finished expressions, including a brand-new bourbon that received a secondary maturation in sauternes wine barrels. That whiskey, and another new expression called Founder’s Find, were both released at the distillery over the weekend, and we have the details.
These two new whiskeys are part of the Harvest Release, an annual event that celebrates the corn harvest at Omlin Family Farm in Quincy, Wash., that’s is used to make the bourbon. Corn from a previous harvest found its way into the new Woodinville Bourbon Sauternes Finish. All 500 numbered bottles of this release sold out to dedicated fans who visited the distillery on Saturday, but more will be made available to the general public. The bourbon is made from a mashbill of corn, rye, and malted barley at the distillery, and then aged in rickhouses in Central Washington, where more extreme temperature fluctuations increase interaction between the whiskey and toasted and charred barrels it matures in. The bourbon was finally finished in sauternes casks, a type of French sweet wine, which according to distiller and cofounder Brett Carlile gave it aromas of raisin and ripe plum on the nose, followed by vanilla-soaked pears and kiwi notes on the palate, culminating in a creamy toffee finish.
The second of the two Harvest whiskey releases is something entirely different—a sourced whiskey. Woodinville, which was acquired by Moet Hennessy in 2017, has focused on making its own whiskey since its founding in 2010. But this release, which is called Founder’s Find, is a 12-year-old Tennessee whiskey that comes from an undisclosed distillery. Interestingly, after aging for six years, the whiskey was blended with four percent 15-year-old Indiana bourbon (presumably from MGP). Another unusual fact is that it was aged in reconditioned instead of new barrels, so despite it being a blend of straight bourbon the whiskey is classified as “whiskey from a bourbon mash.” This is a TTB designation that means it meets the same qualifications as bourbon, except it’s aged in used containers without a maximum entry proof. “Working on new whiskey innovation projects with Moët Hennessy, our parent company, introduced me to the world of sourced whiskey,” cofounder and CEO Orlin Sorensen said in a statement. “One bourbon I encountered really called out to me and, when Brett and I tasted it together, we knew it was something special.”
Despite selling out at the Harvest Release event, Founder’s Find (SRP $130) and the Sauternes Finish ($70) are both available now for presale from the Woodinville website. You can find other expressions in the lineup available to purchase now via ReserveBar.
