Oregon Spirit Straight American Bourbon

The Oregon Spirit bourbon is a straight American bourbon, with a corn forward approach with a mix of rye, wheat and malted barley. The combination of the mash bill should provide sweet, earthy, spice that should hold for an interesting experience. The Nose is noticeable right out of the pour, the rich and intense aromas are noticeable long before a swirl or a whiff. Cinnamon spice rolls out of the glass and decorates a wood and slight vanilla like nose—cereal grains accompany a deeper spice note as you approach the glass. What’s also noticeable is a well heavy dose of ethanol, maybe it’s due to the age but it’s noticeable and ruins what would be an otherwise pleasant aroma. The taste—intense cinnamon spice is very forward, while the finish is slightly sweet and woody. Second taste a little more develop nice fruity notes underneath the rich spice, the oaky and vanilla finish is a nice touch. The drink isn’t overly complex and is fairly simple, the spice really comes through, maybe even too much, would be nice to get a bigger hint of the fruit, oak and vanilla that’s pretty pleasant. The Oregon spirit is definitely worth a visit, it doesn’t have a great nose, nor is it very complex, but it’s a great pour with intense spice forwardness and a polite woody vanilla finish, it leaves more to be desired, but was surprisingly good. — the scotch guy

Nose - cherry, berry, Cap’n Crunch, licorice, clove, dill, salted caramel, cinnamon, peanut, vanilla, leather, tobacco, eucalyptus, apricot, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - prepared caramel, cherry, cinnamon bark, clove, leather, wine, red berry, sweet tobacco, dry vanilla, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing fast and bitter with sour barrel char, cinnamon, and tannic leather flavors. Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I’ve decided to embark on another tasting series of a Total Wine house whiskey brand. After the Winchesters I endured, I have very low expectations for this brand. I’m pleasantly surprised by the nose. It’s reminiscent of a young MGP rye, with the dill, licorice, and clove aromas, but this is much sweeter and berrylicious. Along with some of the classic bourbon notes, cherry and peanut make a strong entrance. The palate arrival is the nicest piece of the experience. Immediate rich, salted caramel and cherry shock my tongue. Is there wheat in the mash bill? Yep, just confirmed it’s a four grain with wheat as a component. Strong cherry notes usually coincide with a nontrivial percentage of wheat in the mix for me. After the arrival, things head south. The flavors muddle and that familiar, hot youthful sourness appears, quickly ending not with a bang, but a sour, dry whimper. Overall, this is neither terrible nor particular exciting, just slightly above average for me. If the finish wasn’t so disappointing, I could find it in myself to even call this good. Tune in next time for my thoughts on their rye and wheater. All things considered, I’m pleasantly surprised so far.

Wood spice and soft caramel, somewhat hot