Strawberry rhubarb | Apple | Whipped cream | Mint ice cream | Toasted oak

Apple | Stewed cherries | Toffee | Butter pecan | Touch of floral flavors

Charred Oak | Light smoke | Chocolate | Pie crust | Lingering smoky dark chocolate note

Two Souls Spirits is an independent bottler headed by James Estrada and Chad Civetti. Known as “The Whiskey Doctor,” Estrada has written for Bourbon Sippers and co-hosts the Whiskey Uncut Podcast. According to Two Souls Spirits, they intend to “curate craft spirits from across the United States,” that are “big, bold, 100% uncut and unfiltered, and exceptionally rare.”

This release by Two Souls features whiskey from fan favorite Watershed Distillery out of Columbus, Ohio. What is most interesting is that this release features the first ever release of Watershed’s American single malt whiskey. It’s aged an impressive 5+ years before Two Souls decided to finish it in the apple brandy barrels for 8 months. With many distilleries throwing their hand into the American single malt space, including major distilleries recently such as Jim Beam and Jack Daniel’s, the results have been mixed so far. Who’d expect an independent bottler finishing whiskey sourced from a small distillery in the middle of Ohio to nail it their first time out?

On first sip you may miss that this is an American single malt whiskey. For some who find the particular style too potent, that will be a good thing, for others, they may miss those strong characteristics that (so far) seem to define the style. Regardless of which camp you’re in, this Watershed distilled whiskey released by Two Souls Spirits is a winner. It often comes down to the delicate balancing act with finished American single malts and that’s where Watershed nails it. The whiskey finds an almost perfect balance between its mild maltiness and its apple brandy finish backed up with a proof point that feels exactly dialed in. This whiskey simply comes together admirably, offering a fruit-forward palate that doesn’t venture into sweet territory almost at all, but takes its malted barley base and keeps its sip light and lively.

If you’re looking for an American single malt to jump into for the first time, or an experienced malt drinker looking for something new and refreshing, I can’t recommend enough Two Souls Spirits Ohio American Single Malt Apple Brandy Finished Whiskey Featuring Watershed Distillery.

The bottle in review is from barrel no. XS2, bottle no. 27. The cask chosen for this release produced a total of 193 bottles.