Dry Fly Cask Strength Straight Wheat Whiskey

Tasted with a bit of ice. This is a 3-year-aged, small-batch, 120-proof straight wheat whiskey from Washington state. I appreciate the distillery's direction. The nose is sweet and grassy. On the palate, it's vegetal and sweet, followed by leather, oak tannins, and vanilla, with an almost anise-like taste. The finish is brief, herbal, and mentholated. I'm unsure what other reviewers perceived as "latex" (it might be batch-dependent), but perhaps it was this oaky, herbal, anise element. It has a beautiful golden hue and a medium-light body. This is an unusual wheat whiskey, farm-to-glass, and definitely worth trying. I hope they begin aging their whiskeys for longer than the 3 to 5 years currently released.

This selection from a distillery is from 2018, I recall. The aroma immediately brings to mind high-ester Jamaican rums, similar to Hampden's. The nose has a certain texture. The alcohol's initial impact is surprisingly subtle for its high proof, yielding to sweetness. Flavors of fermented honey and dried figs emerge. The palate is warm and welcoming, like marble cake with rum-soaked raisins. Then, the high proof asserts itself slightly, leaving a pleasant lingering warmth of sweet brown sugar and cardamom spice. Curiously, this 100% wheat spirit strongly resembles rum. I would happily add this to my tea.

I'm a supporter of anything cask strength because I enjoy the intensity of the flavor and don't mind a bit of burn while I try to grasp the distiller's intent. I believe some of the reviews about this whiskey are a bit too harsh. Is it outstanding? No. But it is quite good as an opportunity to taste a full-wheat whiskey and explore something different. I agree that it should have remained in the barrel for a few more years to allow more evaporation and gain significantly more from the charred oak. Perhaps next time.

The aroma is quite potent and requires time to breathe. It strongly resembles a traditional wheated bourbon; in fact, it was indistinguishable from a certain other brand. The palate offers apricot preserves that transition into an amaretto flavor. It's truly distinctive and, in my opinion, surpasses other wheated bourbons and a specific 10-year-old offering. Exceptional!

A superb wheated whiskey. The nose presents dried apricot, vanilla, honey, wheat bread, baking spices, and a touch of ethanol. The palate is quite viscous and sweet with vanilla, dried fruits, and a mild pepper; the heat from the proof builds to a pleasant warmth by the end of a serving. The finish is medium in length, with some sweetness and pepper.

It smells and tastes like plastic or latex. My initial impression was a dentist's office after they've put latex-gloved hands in your mouth. On a second try, I detect notes of a yellow balloon I'm attempting to inflate. I'm not a huge fan of this one, but it certainly earns points for being unique.