Wanderback American Single Malt Batch No. 1

The excitement of discovering new whiskeys is fantastic! A companion recently suggested a particular American Single Malt, and given their consistently excellent recommendations (my collection of other brands and gems now shows for it), I immediately started looking into it. The website for the distillery that makes this spirit has a link to purchase online which leads to a specific retailer. This retailer, new to me, focuses on offering spirits, primarily whiskey, from independent distillers across the country. That's great. I browsed all their listings and researched every unfamiliar one, including one called Wanderback. The retailer had three different batches of Wanderback available. Wanderback is not a distillery itself. The founder developed his own grain recipe, obtained grains from local farmers, and worked with existing distilleries to create the whiskey. Another distillery apparently produced the first batch. The whiskey is then matured at Wanderback's own facility (a renovated barn) in a certain location in Oregon. Each bottling is a limited production of 2000-2500 bottles. The very few reviews I found for Wanderback were highly positive, and I was intrigued. Plus, there was a discount for buying all three batches together. I was sold! First, Batch 1. It's bottled at 90 proof, made with 88% pale malt, 8% crystal malt, 2% chocolate malt, and 2% Munich malt, and has been aged for at least 3 years. 2200 bottles were released. The aroma has some smoke, malt, and a lot of toffee. The taste is toffee that shifts to mild dark chocolate, some anise and spice, and a sweet fruity note that isn't citrus, berry, or dark fruits. The tasting notes on the bottle mention star fruit, which seems fitting. The finish is long, with the dark chocolate being the most prominent element. According to Wanderback, the location experiences significant temperature fluctuations. While some youthful character is noticeable, it's well-balanced. The aroma is very pleasant, and the flavors on the palate are intense and bold. Overall, an excellent American single malt. Batch 2 uses the same grain recipe, is aged four years, and is finished in casks that previously held rum and bourbon. Batch 3 is aged five years and finished in casks that previously held port. I'm eager to try both. And naturally, I also ordered the other spirit mentioned. I've been controlling my bottle openings lately, but that's about to be put to the test...

Rebottling someone else's distilled spirit and adding a label is incredibly simple. In fact, I can do that and come up with some catchy marketing slogans and labels. However, taking someone else's distilled spirit and altering it is a completely different challenge altogether (think Barrell, the current favored blenders, and the past favorites like High West). BUT... collaborating with a distiller to create your own mashbill and aging it yourself is a whole new ballgame! These folks at Wanderback partner with different distillers, using their own mashbill, and age it in Oregon. If you've been to Oregon, the weather is stunningly beautiful. You experience sunny, balmy climates, freezing winter weather, dry conditions with sandy dunes, and a climate like 'cold ocean water smashing against rocks in an Islay style.' So, that variation must play a role here. This was produced using a custom mashbill with Westland, from Seattle. I've sampled many Westland products before, having visited their distillery during a business trip to Seattle. If tasted blind, I wouldn't identify this as Westland. But then again, what I recall most from their tasting was the Garryana and Peat Week offerings, so I'm sure my not guessing this was Westland was more about me and not a reflection of the product. It tastes sweet... but not excessively so. Slightly fruity, not citrusy like Caol Ila, but more like plum or other stone fruits. Mixed with a substantial amount of cocoa. My thanks to a friend for the pour! I'm pleased I received batch 3; if batch 3 is superior to this, and I genuinely liked this one, then in hindsight, I believe I made a sound decision.

I found this batch to be quite enjoyable. A very complex and full-bodied American whiskey.

Not harsh, with notes of coffee, toffee, and earth.