Old Line American Single Malt

I love trying American craft distilleries, gotta hand it to their ingenuity, trying various techniques to overcome the shortage of time. They don't have the luxury of waiting 18 years. No, they need to get 'er done in less than 2 years. How else are they going to sell this otherwise to Diageo or LVMH or Pernod-Ricard? Show a great IRR, strong customer segment, and a unique market. They're going the route of George Clooney, High West and Del Maguey. But American craft distilleries are caught in a bind. They can't just overnight produce a 18 yr old, and yet their sheer labor cost elevate prices to those of 18 yr olds ( $100 for a 2 year Westland anyone?). This sample was provided by Scott as a bonus sample in our trading team. Sour apples. Strong strong oak...like new wood. A bit bitter. It's a good effort, and you really gotta commend the hands-on craftsmanship. But, needs a bit more time to ease things off or maybe a finishing to hide the bitterness.

This review is from a bonus sample provided by Scott from our tour group. Old Line is a new comer to the whiskey world. This is an American single malt made from 100% malted barley from the Pacific Northwest. Made in pot stills and aged in charred new American oak 10 gallon bucke...I mean barrels, for two years. Bottled at 43% ABV and is probably natural color of a beautiful deep red mahogany. Most likely chill filtered. The nose starts off a little harsh, but a little extra time takes care of that. Strong charred oak. Vanilla, toffee, caramel and maraschino cherries. A little malty, but the oak hides most of it. Red apples and a little berry note. Not bad for only 2 years. After a little more time, some buttercream and vanilla cake, roasted caramel malts and brown sugar appear. There is a slight cardboard note that is a little out of place. Some cinnamon and clove in there as well. Very strong oak on the palate. Somewhat bitter. Vanilla and cherry cough syrup. Sour apples, burnt toffee and caramel. Cinnamon and clove. More bitterness comes in, it really erases the nose in the overall experience. I added water to see what would happen. It takes out any harshness in the nose and brings out more toffee and apples. Water nearly kills the palate but everything is still there, including the bitterness, just all weakened. A medium bodied mouthfeel. Dry but fairly smooth. The finish is long, but that is a bad thing here. Bitter oak, cough syrup and barrel char. It's my belief that the use of such small barrels was simply a way to get product on shelves as fast as possible. I've heard that barley distilled in pot stills is a much harsher spirit than a corn mash bill from column stills. This is why scotch is not typically matured exclusively in virgin oak, because the wood tannins are extracted too quickly and does not play well with the new make spirit. I could be wrong on that, but it's what I remember. The nose on this young single malt is pleasant enough, but the palate and finish killed it for me. 3 stars, but it could be a 3.25 with water. Thanks for the sample Scott. Cheers