Oola Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey

Oola Waitsburg Cask Strength Bourbon WhiskeyThis cask strength bourbon, which is made from a four-grain mashbill and earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2013, was bottled at a robust 116 proof without the use of chill filtration.*EXTREMELY LIMITIED RELEASES*Choice barrels of our Waitsburg Bourbon Whiskey are occasionally selected for bottling. As with vintage wine bottlings, theres no exact schedule for these releases. At barrel strength our Bourbon presents an explosive nose of concentrated spice and toasted sugars. The finish is long, with heightened aromas of toffee, bright cherry, fresh tobacco leaf, vanilla bean and smoke. The spicy kick of a high rye content is balanced by sweet, smooth corn and the unmistakably silky viscosity of organic Washington soft white winter wheat. Aged initially in ten-gallon American oak casks and then matured in 53-gallon barrels, this meticulously handcrafted Bourbon has mellow tannins even at high proof.Never chill-filtered, our Cask Strength releases present Bourbon enthusiasts the opportunity to fine-tune their enjoyment.Our Cask Strength release offers the chance to taste Waitsburg Bourbon just as it comes out of the barrel. While some batches are a single barrel, most are selected from a variety of barrels”each with something subtly different to contribute.-Kirby Kallas-LewisOola Waitsburg Cask Strength Bourbon is crafted from a mash of approximately 65% corn and 20%-28% rye, with the remaining balance split evenly between malted barley and white winter wheat "All our grains are sourced from two organic farms in Eastern Washington," says Kirby. In addition, the use of wheat in the bourbon's mashbill "allows me to hold back on the corn and add more rye. This results in a more complex, balanced and less overly sweet bourbon." Once the ingredients arrive at the distillery, they are milled and mashed before being distilled through Kirby's copper-pot still.Following distillation, the bourbon is matured in small, American white oak casks that are subjected to large temperature swings of up to 50-70° each day. "The idea is to extract a lot of the influence from the barrel early on in the aging process." After this initial beautyrest, the bourbon is transferred to 53-gallon, American white oak casks that boast an alligator char. The alligator char allows the whiskey to penetrate the wood, which hails from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, up to a ¼ inch. There, the bourbon rests for an additional three to four years. Whereas at that point, multiple casks are typically married together to create a blended bourbon whiskey, Oola Waitsburg Cask Strength Bourbon represents a single barrel bottling from Oola's finest stock of maturing whiskey.Oola Waitsburg Cask Strength Bourbon has a spicy aroma, with touches of cinnamon, ginger and black peppercorn that give way to notes of caramel, vanilla, cherry and oak on the palate. The finish is warm and balanced, with hints of brown sugar, toffee and maple syrup complementing each other.The bourbon was "highly recommended" by the Beverage Testing Institute, and has a "pleasingly long and mellow finish," according to the Capitol Hill Times. In addition, it earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2013 and the Silver Medal at the Beverage Testing Institute Competition in 2012.