Burnside Oregon Oaked Small Batch Bourbon

Burnside bourbon is made by East Side Distilling in Portland, Oregon. It’s named after Burnside street which separates north and south Portland and runs the length of the city. I had a chance to try this garryana-finished small batch at the Rose Festival during a recent trip. (Garryana is Oregon White Oak) As a former OR resident, I love exploring OR spirits and this impressed me. On the nose, I get cinnamon & sugar toast, caramel, tangerine and whiffs of oak. It’s much softer and smoother on the palate than I was expecting. They don’t give an age but on their site they say it’s a mix of straight bourbon and whiskies ranging in age and mashbill. Whatever the combo is, it works. I get rich butterscotch and caramel, orange, cooked down raspberries, and that beautiful OR oak hangs softly on the tongue. I just heard they just released a 10 year old (that juice is sourced and finished in the same Oregon oak) - I’ll definitely be checking that out.