One Eight Distilling Untitled Whiskey No. 13

Nose - butterscotch, raisin, spiced vanilla, cardamom, graham cracker, almond, walnut, pecan, plum, fig, dark chocolate, leather, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, pine, rich oak, mint, burnt toast, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - salted caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate, brownie brittle, fig, date, apricot, clove, allspice, raisin, leather, tobacco, almond, walnut, chili pepper, spearmint, spicy oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with dark chocolate, rich oak, spiced dark fruit, and baking spice flavors. Even though One Eight Distilling is located right in my backyard, I hadn’t heard of it until recently. It’s actually right across the street from Don Ciccio & Figli, which produces some delicious liqueurs. So let’s see what this DC distillery can do. The nose is intoxicating. It has everything but the kitchen sink. Chocolate, dark fruit, baking spice, and strong oak, and a nougaty nuttiness. The palate is similar, rich and spicy, with each one of the cask finishes integrating together well. This begs for a comparison to Joseph Magnus Bourbon. Both are highly finished whiskies from DC distilleries. So I’m pouring them side by side to see how they stack up. The One Eight is darker, richer, and fruitier. The Joseph Magnus actually smells closer to a standard bourbon when nosed after this. Similarly on the palate, the One Eight is darker and more brooding. I like the One Eight better in almost every way, with one exception. The mouthfeel is better on the Joseph Magnus, thicker and oilier than the thinner One Eight. Nonetheless, this is delicious whiskey. A big thank you to @pkingmartin for introducing me to the distillery and providing this sample for me to review.

The best cask finished bourbons that I've ever had. The flavor profile is full and finishes nicely

Rating: 20/23 N: Sweet and leathery for sure. I get sweet cherry, tobacco, spice, a hint of musty wood. The tobacco and wood form a little bit of creosote. There's something a bit dry with a hint of mineral, but it's very mild P: Wowee! This is gunning for Joseph Magnus. I'll be shocked if this wasn't aged in oloroso casks. I get a sort of cognac cherry-and-candied-orange sweetness, but it has a little bit of a watery element to it. It seems light in a little bit of a youthful or perhaps light whiskey way. It causes there to be the kind of light, slightly off caramel. Still, there are big, bold spices with rich tobacco herbaceousness, and tongue-coating leather. It's substantially fruitier with less spice, leather, and creosote-covered wood than Joseph Magnus is. In comparison, there's a hint of sort of malty sweetness here and the complexity is greater. The balance seems a little rougher here, but probably more generally acceptable. As I drink more of this, the complexity builds and I start to forgive that awkward light youthful element. I I start getting some more interesting flavors like sultanas coming out alongside a bit of chocolate and cocoa powder. There's clearly a lot going on here and much of it is very mature. There is some nice spiciness in here, but it is less forceful than in Joseph Magnus. F: The sweetness, leather, spices, and vague cognac fruity sweetness (including some of the lightness) linger. Impressively, the complexity here is still quite good and I occasionally pick out a hint of chocolate or rye spice too. A small waft of tobacco drifts through on occasion as well. - Conclusion - I went from impressed to disappointed to wowed on this one. There are a couple of rough edges that I wish could be sanded off, but Corsair Grainiac has a rough edge too and I still love it. There's this light layer that is a little bit off-putting, but otherwise this is very good! There is clearly a lot of finishing going on here. I'll eat my hat if there isn't oloroso and I would wager that there is something else as well (best guess: cognac). Arguably, this is over-finished because the particular finishes stand out, but on the other hand they don't taste bad or unbalanced and they add some tasty, complex flavors. I have no doubt that this is an excellent bourbon. Wild Turkey Rare Breed has similar youthfulness problems and this strikes me as better than that. The rich fullness here really helps this to hold its own against what I presume are higher proof competitors. Since this is better than Wild Turkey Rare Breed, it is a 19 at worst. This won't be a 23 because it has those aforementioned problems. Oddly, although Joseph Magnus is similar in style, it's so much stronger that the comparison is difficult. Corsair Grainiac is lighter, but has a deliberate flavor to it that makes it feel more refined. Although the complexity here is great, the Corsair does manage to beat it. Corsair also manages to compete on fullness. I have to conclude that the Corsair is better. I have the Corsair in the 21 to 22 range, so this can't be more than a 21. With all of that considered. I think that this is realistically a 19 or 20. It's a really tough call, but I think I will land on a 20 here. If I were to go anywhere from here, I think I would go down. I can definitely see this being a 19 and maybe even an 18. I don't think I would go below that. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't go up to a 21 either. This is a heck of a good bourbon. I had no idea what to expect going in, but I'm thrilled to have gotten to try this. Why aren't there more like this? Thanks @pkingmartin for providing me with a sample!

This is a smooth Bourbon, but can't add anything more than that.