Ripe peach | Yellow cake | Vanilla cream | Fruit salad | Faint oak

Gentle oak | Mild rye spice | Vanilla | White peppercorn | Faint caramel | Nutmeg | Thin mouthfeel

Rye spice | Corn syrup | Charred oak | Dash of leather | Undertone of white nectarine | Lingering spice & chewy oak

The largest craft distillery in Washington State, Woodinville Whiskey Co. is giving their flagship lineup of Straight Bourbon Aged 6 Years, Straight 100% Rye Aged 6 Years, Port Finish Bourbon, and Applewood Finish Bourbon, a packaging redesign. Started in 2010 by Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile, the company sources all of their staple grains exclusively from the Omlin Family farm in Quincy, Washington. The grains are mashed, distilled, and barreled at their Woodinville Distillery, and then trucked back over the Cascade Mountains to the company’s private barrel houses. The company states that the bottle redesign “features two different textures of glass, the clear and refined upper part representing the purity and terroir of Woodinville where the whiskey is distilled, and the rugged lower half representing the dramatic climates of Quincy where the whiskey is matured.”

The whiskey opens with a sweet, pleasing aroma. Scents of fresh peach mingle with yellow cake and vanilla cream, along with a distinct fruit salad. The palate drops its focus on sweet, instead turning towards mild flavors of oak and rye spice along with faint caramel. These flavors are delivered on a thin mouthfeel overall. As the sip transitions to the finish, a burst of spice is present thanks to its rye mashbill. Corn syrup and an undertone of white nectarine add sweetness, while charred oak adds depth before leaving you with a lingering spice and chewy oak note to ponder.

With more years under their belt and a refreshed bottle design, it’s interesting to see how similar yet different Woodinville’s standard bourbon seems. Compared to its no age stated bourbon predecessor, the packaging makes it feel much more premium, yet maintains its same price from 2020, which is a rarity nowadays. That said, the bourbon contains many of the same notes as its no age statement predecessor, particularly the peach and fruit salad scents on the nose. More so, the sip, even with its thinner mouthfeel, still delivers a good bourbon at a reasonable price for consumers.