Bainbridge Battle Point Organic Wheat Whiskey

This whiskey's evolving profile brings me to Washington state and this expression made with organic wheat grown by local farmers. While this distillery is primarily recognized for its Yama Mizunara Cask Whiskey, the Battle Point bottling has also earned some praise. As a brief aside: 'organic' is sometimes viewed skeptically as a marketing tactic, but unlike 'all natural' which has no real meaning, 'organic' requires third-party certification and significant effort. In the context of spirits, organic pertains solely to the cultivation of the base ingredients. It means a farmer avoided synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, and a distillery chose to buy from them. I find this type of agriculture and production method interesting and seek out distilleries that support these farmers. It's a mutually beneficial situation. Returning to the drink: its youth is undeniable and noticeable on both the aroma and taste, though not excessively so. The nose offers notes of honey, maple, grains, and a touch of freshly cut wood. These same flavors are more pronounced on the palate. It's clean and crisp, making it very easy to drink. Score: The distiller's rating in the low to mid-80s seems accurate. I'm giving it a solid 3.5 stars, rounded up because I'm hoping for this distillery's success. I'm rooting for them to keep refining their skills and for their long-term viability, anticipating future aged releases. Cheers to all.

Smell - Sweet vanilla caramels, a bit of raw ethanol bite, uncooked cinnamon roll dough, uncooked monkey bread, brown sugar. Taste - Sweet vanilla initially, transitions to a yeasty uncooked sweet bread dough, cinnamon heat, light ethanol bite, buttery mouthfeel, peculiar offputting green sapling oaky bitter. Finish - Lingering oaky bittersweet, almost like Splenda sweetness, light cinnamon burn. Score - 67/100 Final Thoughts - This had an intriguing smell that showed promise, but unfortunately fell flat. It smelled young, tasted young, was all over the place. The dominant flavor on the palate was like they forgot about a sweet bread dough on the counter and it started to ferment & develop some alcohol. The young ethanol bite was present on the palate, and I guess what did it for me was there was this constant Splenda-like sweetness throughout. I'm glad smaller distilleries are trying to get into the whiskey world, but this is an example of what not to do. Pushing out young product that was quickly aged in microbarrels (if that since they're 10 gallon). Really glad I've constantly passed on this bottle.

Smells faintly of wheat spice. Initially mellow on the palate, but the finish gradually develops into a tingling spice that builds. I really enjoy the unfolding flavor on the finish, it's very neat. Oak flavor precedes the wheat.

Smell: wheat thins and some subtle baking spices. Taste: very light and smooth; wheat and grain cereals with a touch of vanilla. Quick finish with almost no burn. A very easy choice for a nightcap or beginner whiskey.

Golden color with a delicate mouthfeel. The nose has notes of maple, cinnamon roll, dough, and youth. The palate features cinnamon, wheat thins, and green wood. It's good but could benefit from another year or two of aging.

Silky with hints of cinnamon and maple. The finish brings a molasses taste. It's a whiskey for sipping, decent but not exceptional.