Filibuster Distillery was originally based in Washington, DC, not far from the Capitol Building (hence the name), before moving to Virginia. It is a women and minority-owned distillery that prides themselves on strong character and freedom of expression. Their bourbon and rye both feature what they’ve dubbed the “Dual Cask” process, which is a secondary aging step finishing their whiskey in wine-seasoned French oak barrels. Boondoggler, which is a blend of various whiskeys, takes this to the next level by aging the blend of barrels used in the whiskey in each of five different casks. While the time aged in each of the casks is undisclosed, the distillery does state the type used, which includes New American White oak, Red & White wine-seasoned French oak, and Fino & Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks.

Juicy is a odd way to describe a whiskey sip but if anyone could own it, it’s Boondoggler. The multi-cask finishing process is apparent right from the start, as the nose greets you with lush dark berries and summer fruits with slight hints of oak and grain behind them. The palate is so full of those lush berries and summer fruits they drown out any other underlying flavors. The summer fruits carry over to the finish and are joined with oak, fresh leather, and a touch of heat.

There’s barrel finished whiskey and then there’s Boondoggler. A whiskey finished in five different types of casks is quite rare and has paid off quite well for Filibuster. You won’t find your traditional whiskey flavors here, and in fact, the finishing process pretty much masks whatever the original whiskey may have tasted like. In this case though, that’s not necessarily a bad thing either. Not only does the juicy lushness of the whiskey make this really easy to continuously sip on, it also makes me think of all the cocktail possibilities this could lead to.  Jordan - 01/2019

‍The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Filibuster Distillery. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.