Woody Creek Colorado Straight Bourbon

Securing this bottle was a bit more difficult than I had planned. I am a big fan of Woody Creek’s ryes (in particular their single barrel offering), and when I heard they had a straight bourbon I knew I needed to try it. So, on my last trip to Colorado over Thanksgiving I planned a special trip to Basalt to experience the distillery. Things did not go as planned, as a car accident diverted us off the freeway and into a blizzard. We never made it to Basalt, but I did find a bottle at a small liquor store in Steamboat Springs. Was it worth it…? Nose: Cinnamon, honey, a hint of shoe leather. Palate: Orange peel, spicy, a bit oaky. Finish is mild but long. Water adds a lovely spice to the nose, and much needed balance to the palate. Improves the finish as well. Overall: a solid offering from a good distiller. Neat, the flavors don’t quite work, but just a drop of water made a big difference for me.

First of all this bottle is a screw top and doesnt have a cork… It looses a couple of points from me before i taste it. Just sayin… On the nose i get vanilla, oak, char, and the slightest hint of cut grass. First sip has a heavy woody taste as the name proclaims. Also noted some sweet vanilla and charred oak. Ice softens some of the burn and offers a stronger note of vanilla and smoke. I like this with ice more than neat.

I tried this at a bar as I never heard of this distillery. The nose had a hint of caramel and more of an ethanol flavor to it. Wasn’t too bad overall but nothing to exciting. The palette had more of a caramel and oak flavor which was pretty good. The finish was short, a little heat and didn’t last. Was hoping for more. Overall, it was okay. I wouldn’t buy a bottle and probably wouldn’t order a pour again.

Sweet and mellow, zero burn whatsoever. Tasted side by side with the EH Taylor 4 Grain as this is also a 4 grain mash bill. The general difference I got was that EHT had a noticeably longer finish, but outside of that the two seemed incredibly similar on the palate. Cherry Vanilla Caramel light spice on the finish.

On the nose i get vanilla and oak. Fist sip offers sweetness that lingers and gives way to some bitter char and some ethanol. Finish is a black pepper with slight oak and char. Ice smooths this out but removes most flavor and complexity. In my opinion this is better dulled and with ice.

Blind tasting Aroma: cherry, barrel char, sugar in the raw Flavor: barrel spice, citrus peel, cherry Overall: tastes a tad young and harsh but had good classic bold bourbon flavors