Hannah’s Dry Fly Port Finish Review
Original review written on December 31, 2019
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This one is bursting from the bottle in memories, and I am extremely pleased. If you like fruity flavors and don’t mind a little sweetness, grab yourself a bottle! Read on for my full Dry Fly Port Finish Review here! 91/100
VITALS:
– Made In: Spokane, Washington, USA
– Distiller: Dry Fly Distilling
– Classification: Port-barrel Finish Washington Whiskey; Twice distilled
– Age: 3 yrs. plus an additional 6-12 months in huckleberry infused port barrels*
– Mash Bill: 100% local soft white wheat from eastern Washington
– Casks: New 53-gallon American oak barrels; Char #3
– Barrel Entry Proof: undisclosed
– ABV: 45% (90 proof)
– Price: $36.95 USD in Idaho
*Port barrels are from neighbor Townshend Cellar in Washington, which produces huckleberry port. The juice that goes into the port barrels is the Dry Fly Straight Wheat Whiskey.
Find more information about this whiskey on dryflydistilling.com
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
I enjoyed the juice neat on New Year’s Eve 2019 from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.
Check out his review for this whiskey here!
SETTING:
This one is full of memories – standing in an old two-story winery with the tastings on the second floor. Little dried huckleberries in custom packaging are like candy and every sense, from sight to smell is overflowing with a perfect, cozy warmth.
Photo by Daniel Vogel on Unsplash
NOSE:
At a gentle 90 proof, you aren’t likely to get hurt on this one. I’m met instantly with a wheat-y sweetness that has a fruit lingering just behind – likely the huckleberry from the port barrels. This glass in particular happens to be the last of the bottle; I remember the huckleberry being much more prominent in the first pours, but at bottle’s end, this is still enjoyable. I find a little milk chocolate and very little spice. The oak is also sweet, yet still managing to be warming.
PALATE:
– Mouth Feel: Rough and gritty with a lot of weight to it. Love it!
– Balance: The fruit may be too much for some, but I think there’s enough spice to make for a nice blend.
– Visual: Mahogany in color, there is a nonexistent crown, but there are long, clinging legs present.
– Taste: Juicy huckleberries are immediately apparent along with the unaggressive bite of black pepper and ginger, but there it is strong enough to cut through the fruit. Nevertheless, this is a sugary whiskey that I can imagine being too much for some, like my father. I, personally, am enthralled by it.
The straight wheat of the mash bill is present as well, making for a rough breadiness, which results in a wheat toast with huckleberry jam in a bottle. Y-U-M.
A Kentucky chew livens the alcohol, making the fruit even spicier and leaving the mouth feeling tingly and warm. The oak is there, but just as an undertone that blends the other flavors really well.
FINISH:
– Lasting Power: Long; I feel a lingering warmth that hovers in the upper chest.
– Between Sips: I remember huckleberries giving me a lasting impression in earlier pours, but now the bite of black pepper and ginger mingle at the back of the throat as well.
– No More: All of the flavors intensify the further into the glass I get, along with the addition of some cherries that are still very sweet. The spice is still there too, keeping the warmth alive and well.
The empty Glencairn is a sweet oak sawdust with the huckleberry still – miraculously – sticking around. I enjoy this one start to finish every pout … Now, to buy another bottle.
WORTH THE PRICE?
Absolutely. I’d like to keep this one around on the shelf for sure.
RATING: 91/100
Click to see Hannah’s rating process
To access other whiskies with this rating, click 91/100.
Click Dry Fly to read my thoughts on other whiskey from this distillery.
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