Tasting Notes: Aged 0 Weeks

With my whiskey barrel sitting full of water, there's nothing to drink around here. Besides the unaged bourbon mash itself! Okay, so really it turns out that it tastes like crap, but I'll try to write it up in the snooty style you find in tasting reviews...

The liquid is gin clear, as you would expect. All of a whiskey's color is imparted by the aging process, so anything ready for barreling should look like water.

The nose on this moonshine is clearly not water. The aroma is fruity, but very sugary like bananas or an unfired crème brûlée.

I hosted a whisky tasting over the weekend and we interjected the white dog, but this turned out poorly. In hindsight it was probably unfair to the unaged spirit. Upon retasting, I find the palette unoffensive but just that. This is still akin to moonshine, and the taste is stinging and sharp despite the fruit undertones still present. The finish is warm with pepper, of moderate length.

I suspect I'll not regret the decision to age this mash.

Fill 'Er Up

Let's get to the whiskey! Oh, wait...

Step 1:

A whiskey barrel must be swollen with water prior to adding the un-aged whiskey so it does not leak. Ensure the spigot is tight by gently tapping on it with a mallet or hammer. Fill the barrel completely with hot water. The barrel will leak so ensure you place it in a bathtub, sink, or outdoors. Gently place the bung in the bung hole.

Step 2:

Continue to top off the barrel daily until it stops leaking. This should occur in 2-4 days once the wood absorbs the water and swells shut.

The barrel doesn't seem to be leaking, but I doubt mine is some type of prodigy. I'm assuming "top off" implies the leak is often slow, so I'll sit tight and check back tomorrow.

A Good Deal?

Was the Woodinville kit a good deal monetarily? Supposedly the kit retails for $150 but was $108.40 after tax at Costco. Let's look a each component:

This guy is the star of the show, of course, and can't be bought separately. We'll work backwards to determine its effective price.

 Woodinville does sell their white dog individually, but only from their distillery in Washington it seems. Rumor has it the price is $35, not including the PITA of getting to Washington.

Glencairn glasses are usually about $10, but I recently purchased some in bulk for $6.08 ea. I'll use the bulk price here to discount the Woodinville branding.

For the sake of completeness, the kit came with a funnel. I'm going to mark it zero (this isn't Nam).



So we have:

• 2 750mL Woodinville White Dog Whiskey - $70
• 2 Glencairn glass (Woodinville branded) - $12.16
• 1 crappy plastic funnel - $0
• 1 mini barrel - $26.24

Ultimately I'm happy with the purchase, although it's almost certainly too much to pay for the whiskey. Unaged whiskey should be dirt cheap to make, but it's also somewhat of a novelty so I'll call it a wash and get on with my life.

A Bit of an Impulse Buy

Costco, our benevolent wholesaling overlord, sells many bizarre things. Try as I might, Costco's glittering wares often force me to violate the Man Code of Shopping and begin mere browsing. On this most recent voyage into the spirit bazaar, I was ensnared by the Woodinville Whiskey Co. Age Your Own Whiskey kit.

Tacky? Yes. Cliche? Probably. Mine? My precious.

Supposedly this kit will turn water to wine in three months or less. I invite you to join me on the journey of assembling and aging my very own whiskey. I'll taste weekly and provide updates on the aging process. And if it turns out to be a dud, well there's always the Costco return policy.