Alchemy Distillery Boldt White Whiskey

I'm really excited about this review.  Alchemy Distillery is a new, local distiller in my neck of the woods (literally) that has done, and is doing things right.  They have another business and about two and a half years ago started a kickstarter campaign to fulfill their whiskey loving ambitions.  It took them a while to come to market and I think in doing so they set things up in just the right way.  They took their time, going on a distillery tour of the US, purchasing all American made equipment (including a beautiful Vendome copper still), doing all sorts of research and attending distilling classes and conferences.

Their first whiskey release was in March of 2016, nearly two years after their kicktarter concluded.  Like most new distilleries the first product to come off their still was a white whiskey.  It is different in vodka as it has to be distilled to 160 proof or lower.  To be classified as bourbon or American whiskey, it has to enter the barrel at 125 proof or lower.  Some distilleries do water down their whiskey before placing them in barrel (ie: Wild Turkey).  The good news now is that Alchemy Distillery has put away at least one barrel of their wheat whiskey and is looking to do more.

They started by sourcing local Humboldt County grains and distilling them in a 100% varietal mash bill.  This has given birth to their first two releases, a soft white wheat whiskey and a hard red wheat whiskey from Hindley Ranch.  It is bottled at 90 proof.  It was delicious, and immediately drinkable at the 150 or so still proof, but it's hard to sell a white whiskey at that proof.


The soft white wheat is brighter with more tangy, citrus, limestone, chalky notes with an edge of green.

The hard red wheat is wider with notes of grain, dustiness, sweeter, floral edges and just a hint of bitterness.

The hard red wheat gets the edge with my palate in being more whiskey - like while the soft white wheat has more of a kinship with vodka or gin.

Both worked well in a Boldt-Julep with mint, simple syrup, lime and soda water. The neat thing is that you can really taste the whiskey character in the cocktail.

For now they are only available in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.

Dry Fly Distilling Port Finish Wheat Whiskey

I was looking for something fun to taste from my shelves and found a bottle of Dry Fly Distilling Port Finish Wheat Whiskey . I've had this bottle since some time last year and when I first cracked it I was a little underwhelmed. It seemed tight, a bit tannic and had an edge of bitterness. I could have come back to it at any time, but I think it needed a moment to breathe and open up a bit.

Dry Fly touts themselves as 'Washington's First Distillery' and are proponents of the farm to bottle movement.  They contract with farmers in eastern Washington to source their grains, and make a wide variety of products from vodka and gin to whiskey and bourbon.  One of their products is even a three year aged triticale whiskey.

This Port Finish Wheat Whiskey was tasted neat in a glencairn.


It's fairly light and golden in color.

The nose is decently expressive with plum and raspberry fruit, light grain, a technical cleanness and brightness.

The palate is sweet, bright and fresh, with cake icing, powdered sugar and a light spice.

The finish is medium in length, clean, sweet sugar cookie and frosting, and some plum and plum skin.


I'm really happy with this whiskey though it wasn't what I was expecting. I've had other Port or alternative finish whiskies and was expecting deeper flavors or dried fruit, baking spices and a richer mouthfeel. What I got was something light and fresh, with more sugary notes (not even veering toward caramel) with fresh fruit tones.

I do recommend this whiskey. It's the only Dry Fly whiskey I have had a chance to try and usually runs around $30 for a 375ml bottle. It's composed of their two year Washington wheat whiskey that is further aged at least six months in their neighbor's (Townshend Cellars) used huckleberry port casks.

I couldn't find out what the mash bill is, whether it is 100% wheat or has other grains mixed in.