Woodinville 8-Year Rye Whiskey Delivers Flavor Beyond Its Age
This is all rye, all rye, all rye, though without dill or mint. There's white pepper in there, a proper dose of baking spice, dried fig and bitter chocolate deposited by the barrel. Surprise guests of toffee and fruit character reminiscent of a nicely aged jammy Zinfandel join the party.
BOTTLE DETAILS
- DISTILLER: Woodinville Whiskey Co.
- MASH BILL: 100% Rye
- AGE: 8 years
- YEAR: 2025
- PROOF: 100 proof
- MSRP: $129.99
- BUY ONLINE: Woodinville Bottle Shop
STEVE'S NOTES
SHARE WITH: Rye lovers, of course, but especially fans of pot distilled rye whiskey. And since you never know what'll turn people on, treat some bourbon-only lovers to this. But skip the "wheated bourbon only" folks. Their delicate palates won't suffer such textural excitement.
WORTH THE PRICE: Hard to say. It's a great whiskey. It's 8 years old. It's 100% rye, and it's pot distilled, which is still largely unique these days and not always done well. But while it checks all the boxes, $130 is still a steep price, but ... it's a great whiskey, and sometimes you gotta pay more for that. So, yes, I've talked myself into a splurge.
BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bar. At that price, you might want to try before you buy. But if you do find it at a bar, get a 2 oz. pour. That should eliminate any doubt as to whether this is a Bottle buy.
OVERALL: I want to lead off with an apology to Woodinville, which sent me this bottle last June. The pace at which samples arrive at my home and the lack of space to hold and organize them sometimes means spirits–even really good ones–get overlooked. I'm sorry that happened here. But I'm definitely glad to have rediscovered it.
Woodinville makes great craft whiskies. I've sipped several and reviewed an 8-year-old bourbon in 2024; all were really good. Both I and Pops Garrett received bottles of this 8-year rye, and he raved about it. At a bottle share around a fire in Kentucky last fall, he said nearly all of it was consumed. That should have been my first hint that I needed to find my own bottle, but sometimes I'm a little slow.
When I finally got 'round to it in March, I knew he was right. The nose on this is elegant and sharply defined. There's no mystery that this is all rye, all rye, all rye, which pleases me immensely. This is not a classic rye nose with dill or mint, there's more white pepper in there, a proper dose of baking spice, dried fig and bitter chocolate deposited generously by the barrel. Cigar leaf and sorghum molasses join the party and bring along surprise guests of toffee and fruit character reminiscent of a nicely aged jammy Zinfandel.
On the palate you get a front loading of cooked cherries, bitter chocolate and molasses ... and then rye and barrel spices come roaring in along with dried flowers. The finish is slightly drying and full of campfire, and it drinks a little older than 8 years–perhaps the result of a barrel whose staves were seasoned for 24 months. This is, in every respect, an excellent whiskey, one you shouldn't delay opening if you buy one. In that case, don't be like Steve. Be like Pops.
BRAND NOTES
Woodinville 100% Rye Aged 8 Years Tasting Notes: Dark molasses, clove and brown sugar on the nose, followed by cinnamon, vanilla, dark honey and a touch of dried cranberry on the palate. It offers a long, warm, peppery finish with a dry, oaky grip in your mouth.
Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.