Death's Door White Whisky

Death's Door White Whisky is distilled by Yahara Bay Distillers of Madison, Wisconsin for Death's Door Spirits. Death's Door Spirits exists partially to promote small and medium scale family farms in rural Wisconsin. They also produce a gin and a vodka. The colourful name is the French settlers' translation of the Winnebago and Potawatomi Indian names for the straits between Washington Island, Wisconsin and the Door County, Wisconsin peninsula in northern Lake Michigan. Quick sudden storms and intense currents here have caused many shipwrecks and many deaths over the years. The whisky is double pot-distilled and aged 72 hours in uncharred oak barrels. The mashbill for this whisky is 80% wheat and 20% malted barley.

Nose: Moderately strong sour new-make aroma, slight balancing sweetness, cooked wheat-berry cereal smell, and a hint of citrus

Taste: Wheat is quite noticeable on the palate. The palate is not nearly as sour as is the nose, and there is a good bit of counterbalancing sweetness in the mouth. The producer claims that this tastes somewhat like pisco--Andean clear grape brandy. I agree with that assessment, though I haven't yet tasted a pisco that I liked. Death Door Spirits also suggests that this tastes like tequila reposado, but I really do not taste blue agave here at all

Finish: the sourness lingers longer than the grain flavours and the sweetness, common for unaged grain spirits, but not particularly appetising

Balance: This is an interesting study in wheat flavours. As a cask strength kind of guy, I would have preferred this less diluted at higher ABV, in order to taste the wheat more strongly. These flavours are interesting to observe, but I would not say that they harmonise particularly well. This whisky makes my list only as a study tool to learn the grains--it is not sufficiently pleasant to want to drink for other purposes. It would be interesting, though, to see what this same whisky would taste like after six years of aging in new oak.