American Whiskey Reviews #68: Oregon Spirit Distillers Straight American Wheat Whiskey

Distillery: Oregon Spirit Distillery

Region: Oregon

ABV: 45%

Age: NAS.

Color: 1.5, Auburn/Polished Mahogany.

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Nose (according to the wife) There’s a lot of charred and smoky notes here (note: she doesn’t like it). There’s a bit of charred wood along with a smoked ham. Towards the end, there’s a distinct cooling note of mint and menthol.

Palate: Rather light and sweet on the tongue with notes of cereal. There’s a note of artificial mint along with the tiniest hint of maple syrup.

Finish: Fairly long. It’s a mix of cherry cough syrup, menthol, and mint. The menthol last the longest. Towards the end, there’s are lingering notes of evergreen trees (think fir, spruce) that’s rather strange and a mix of herb-y and grassy.

Conclusion: This week, the wife and I made the trek up to Minnesota for our favorite fall activity, what we like to call “chasing fall colors”. I grabbed a couple of minis I’ve had around the house for ages to enjoy in the great outdoors including this wheated whisky from Oregon. It’s an interesting one for sure. The nose make it seem like it’ll be a bit smoky and savory. The palate is far from that being sweet and minty. The finish is an interesting mix of medicinal notes and evergreen trees. It’s easy to drink and fairly refreshing but I’m not sure what exactly the end game was for flavor. It’s quite strange and I can’t say I’ve had anything quite like it. Not bad, but not something I’d seek again.

Final Score: 72.

American Whiskey Review #68, Whisky Network Review #319

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.