Crooked Water Kings Point Port Finished Bourbon

Browsing online at Ace Spirits, from Minnesota, I found another port barrel finished bourbon that caught my eye. Crooked Water Spirits, located in Minneapolis, has taken contract distilled bourbon, originally made at Yahara Bay Distillers in Fitchburg, WI, and aged it in port wine casks. As a relatively new craft distillery, they are employing a strategy of enhancing contracted whiskey through brief “finishes” while awaiting their own spirit to mature for bottling. Gotta make a living, kid. This specific release, named King’s Point, is an award-winning whiskey bottled at 90 proof. Its color is reddish-caramel, and it creates thin, long legs when swirled in a tasting glass. The duration of the finishing casks isn’t mentioned on the bottle or their website, but if the aroma is any indication, it wasn’t for very long. My guess is 6-9 months. The aroma is gently sweet with a pleasant touch of green apple and vanilla, along with ripe vine fruits like grapes and dark berries. There’s minimal hint of wood or spirit heat. The taste is classic bourbon with a nice initial hit of charred oak and vanilla. The port finish is subtle and requires some time and effort to discern, but it’s present. It just takes patience. The finish is lengthy, warm, and oaky, with a final burst of heat just before fading into a sweet, smooth aftertaste. It’s a rather solid bourbon, despite its evident youth. Overall, it’s a good introductory bourbon, well-made and presented. The website and label highlight that the distillery is women-owned and operated, suggesting a facility largely staffed by female employees and managers. This demonstrates that with sufficient passion and drive, anyone can produce quality whiskey for the public. It will be intriguing to see what these women achieve once their own spirits are ready for manipulation and sale. I’ll certainly look for more from them, particularly when shopping online at Ace Spirits. 3.5-3.75 stars. Cheers, folks.

This review is of the Crooked Water King's Point Bourbon Whisky, which has been finished in a port cask and is bottled at 45% ABV. This spirit is produced and bottled by Yahara Bay Distillers in Madison, WI, for Crooked Water Spirits in Minneapolis, MN. I purchased this 50ml sample for $1 and would pay for a pour in a bar to try it again. The bottle states "Distilled from Grain," but I'm not sure why. From what I can find, this is aged for 2 years like typical bourbon and then finished in port casks for 6 to 18 months. Before tasting, I let this dram rest in a Glencairn for 5 minutes. My thoughts and rating are below: Nose: Gentle port sweetness, corn, heat, a little oaky spice. Taste: A bright, sweet, and zesty berry fruit sweetness comes first. There's some tannic zest from the port cask as well. A mild orangey astringency starts after the initial note and lasts throughout the entire experience to the finish. The bourbon doesn't have much spice or rye character, but rather a gentle sweet corn and sugar note alongside the fruitier notes. The texture is slightly oily, which helps the flavors linger surprisingly long. As someone who likes sweet bourbons, I think this is a solid offering. I'll reiterate that it lacks the rye and spice character many enjoy in a bourbon, but it's a great sweet sipper. I've had mixed feelings about port cask finishes for other bourbons and scotches in the past, but I believe this offers a balanced level and is a decent introduction to the port-finished style. Being from a low-volume craft distillery, I appreciate the quality here and think this drinks very well for its age. I can't find any unpleasant notes. I wish it had a little more complexity. 81/100

A friend shared a pour of this with me. I enjoy sampling these new American craft distilleries; they must be creative, finish sourced products, and maintain high quality just to compete and stay relevant. Yet, even if they excel in all these areas, there's no guarantee of profitability, as recently demonstrated by Copper River in NJ closing down. Their best path forward might be to emulate High West and be acquired by a major spirits company. In any case, these producers have put forth a rather good sourced product with their own finishing twist. It has a reddish mahogany color, followed by sweet plums and vanilla on the nose. The taste is classic sweet bourbon, but with an addition of red berries from the finishing. I don't believe they're on the same level as High West in their finishing approach, but it will be interesting to see if their own original product can match Stranahan's, Westland, or other established craft distillers. Thanks to my friend, I'll be watching their progress as they develop.

Aroma: sweet, fruity, with a whisper of sherry. Taste: vanilla, dark cherry, baking spices, and rye. Finish: medium, dry, with a delayed warmth. At 45% ABV and listed as 50, this is a good sipper, even though it leaves the mouth feeling a bit dry. I'm pleased to have this bottle in my collection.

My wife rates it 4.5 out of 5. However, she's only had whiskey twice in her life, so take that with a grain of salt.

Incredibly smooth for the alcohol content. Notes of caramel and vanilla, with a good aroma. Can be drunk straight, actually.