WOODINVILLE 8 YEAR RYE
Limited Release 2025MASH BILL – 100% rye
PROOF – 100
AGE – 8 years
DISTILLERY – Woodinville Whiskey Co.
PRICE – free sample (msrp $129)
WORTH BUYING? – Absolutely
In the very long history of American rye whiskey, an 8-year age statement is not a particularly ripe old age. But for the craft distilleries that started distilling ten and fifteen years ago, a rye edging close to the decade mark is certainly a milestone.
Rye was originally the go-to grain for early American whiskey distillers. Compared to corn and barley, however, it’s a tough little grain, oily and given to gumming up equipment. As the American whiskey industry evolved, for practical reasons in addition to drinkers favoring sweeter flavors, corn took prominence and so bourbon with it—corn being bourbon’s defining grain.
But the wild and spicy pleasures of rye still hold magic for many of us on either side of the distilling equipment. I’m a big rye fine, myself. I will admit, however, that my journey with Woodinville’s ryes has been up and down. The reason is to do with creosote, a molecular compound found in rye grain that sometimes shows up in rye whiskeys, contributing flavors reminiscent of rubber. With Woodinville, I’ve found this note can ebb and tide over the life of an uncorked bottle. Sometimes it gets lost amidst the dependable apricot and fruit pie crust notes, adding a savory accent. Other times it’s present enough to distract me irrevocably from those pleasing notes.
Nevertheless, when Woodinville came out with this 8 Year Rye, the oldest they’ve released to date, I was intrigued. All the other Woodinville ryes I’ve had have been aged around 5 to 6 years. A small handful more years in the barrel might bring about significant flavor differences. And their 2024 8 Year Bourbon had been quite good.
So here we are, five days after uncorking and two pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using both a Canadian and traditional Glencairn.
COLOR – dark syrupy cherry-red and midnight fire, with deep orange and russet highlights
NOSE – like a well-aged Armagnac, with both fresh and baked cherries, a bouquet of complex herbaceous rye spice, baking and oak spice, sweet gooey caramel
TASTE – a boozier rendition of the nose, now with some dark caky chocolate, an easygoing yet definite edge of tannic oak outlining the core sweet fruit and candy notes, and a slippery syrupy texture
FINISH – more oak and oak tannin, a brandied aspect to the alcohol, the cherry notes darker and subtler, a lingering prickle from the heat
OVERALL – decadent, refined, robust, dense, and old-fashioned like some well-appointed 19th century estate library
More forthcoming in the wider bowl of the Canadian Glencairn, but equally impressive in both glasses, this is easily the most immediately satisfying Woodinville Rye I’ve experienced, and certainly among the most complex. At uncorking I did detect a touch of the creosote I’ve come to expect. But a few days later that note is now lost entirely amidst the overwhelming cherry, brandy, and oak.
I’d say this is also the most decadent and old-school whiskey I’ve tasted from Woodinville, whether bourbon or rye. Sipped blind, I don’t think I’d even guess it to be a Woodinville product. The lovely weathered oak and variety of apricot notes I associate with the brand have evolved here in a much deeper, darker, denser direction. It actually reminds me very much of a 2024 Old Potrero 17-Year Rye Release, also a 100% rye mash bill but malted and much older. It’s that rich Armagnac quality, and the substantial cherry notes. But I’d say this Woodinville Rye is the more refined of the two overall, even at less than half the age.
Despite the age—not exceptional in the broad scope of American rye whiskey though an accomplishment for Woodinville specifically—given the sum-total richness of this whiskey, had I not received this bottle as a sample but paid the msrp, I’d be quite content with my purchase. Overall it’s not an unprecedented tasting experience. But it is absolutely a rare one among the many rye whiskeys I’ve explored. This is not a whiskey I will be mixing into cocktails—though it would make an amazing Manhattan! This is a pour for the end of the night. A fine dessert to offer special guests and good friends. A whiskey for relaxation, contemplation, and conversation. Well done, Woodinville.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 