Woodstone Creek Bourbon comes from Ohio’s first licensed microdistillery. What exactly does that mean? Well in the state of Ohio that mean the folks at Woodstone Creek can’t make more than 500 barrels worth of spirit per year, which is a tiny fraction of what the big guys are continually pumping out when you consider Jim Beam fills about half a million barrels a year. Something else that sets WC apart from the big guys is they use a direct-fired potstill instead of the more popular column still… and then there’s the mashbill.
To make the Woodstone Creek Bourbon the WC folks started with a mash that’s at least 51% corn so it could be classified as a bourbon and the rest is malt and the combination of corn and malt account for five different grains. Perplexed? WC uses two different types of corn and three different types of malt. I can’t find anything about which strains of corn they use, but their malts are malted barley, malted rye and malted wheat. That is definitely among the most unique mashbills I’ve heard of.
Woodstone Creek Bourbon Info
Region: Ohio, USA
Distiller: Woodstone Creek
Mashbill: 2 Types Of Corn (51%+), Malted Barley, Malted Rye, and Malted Wheat
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: At least 2 years old
ABV: 47%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color | Single Barrel
Barrel: 2
Price: $130
Woodstone Creek Bourbon Review
EYE
Light caramel
NOSE
Caramel syrup, imitation vanilla, wood, weak spice, an old dusty room and a weird stale anise-like note that’s clashing and stomping about my nostrils. It’s sharp and unattractive, really not enjoying the smell of this whiskey.
PALATE
Sharp like the aroma it cuts across the palate with razor blades of dry wood, stale anise, dust, kitchen cleaner, cardboard, caramel syrup and a stale baking spice followed by a light sandpapering of a weird / off herbal note before it dovetails into the finish.
FINISH
Hideously long, musty and peppered with notes of wood, stale spice, imitation vanilla and burnt cardboard.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Off balance with notes clashing left and right, thin and watery and runs hotter than a 47% should.
OVERALL
I don’t know if the sample I got was tainted or if it always tastes like this; all I know is that I absolutely did not like Batch 2 of the Woodstone Creek Bourbon. It was harsh, off, dry and just all around unpleasant from beginning to end. By far one of the worst bourbons I’ve had and definitely the worst craft bourbon I’ve ever had. While this assessment makes me stare at that $130 price tag in complete and utter dismay, at least I can add it to the list of $100+ bottles I won’t be tempted to buy!
SCORE: 68/100
Woodstone Creek Bourbon Review - Score Breakdown
Summary
Woodstone Creek Bourbon is hot, harsh, sharp and just an all around not-good bourbon.
Overall
- Nose - 72
- Palate - 68
- Finish - 67
- Balance, Body & Feel - 65
Josh, I have owned a sample of this for about three years now, tried it two years ago and finally, I am taking a second pour, looked for reviews and your review is SPOT ON.
Good to know I’m not the only one :) Cheers, Danny!
I’ll take it, then I’ll post my review of it here in the comments.
Question: is wingdings supported in HTML?
Ha, I’m not sure.
when u drink for free, you have to take the good with the bad. but, thank you for the classy response (see! all lower case) add smiley face. give me your address – I do want to send you something.
The way you phrased that “I do want to send you something” is mildly disturbing. I rescind my offer to let you send me anything. On a side note, when people add a smiley face they typically do this :) not write it out…
MR PETERS DID NOT OBTAIN HIS SAMPLE FROM WOODSTONE CREEK. WE DO NOT PROVIDE SAMPLES TO UNCREDENTIALED BLOGGERS. AS YOU CAN SEE THE “PACKAGE’ IS NOT BRANDED OR SEALED. IF THIS IS OUR PRODUCT, WAS THE CONTAINER/CAP CLEAN? DID THE CONTRIBUTOR KEEP THE PRODUCT IN OPTIMUM CONDITIONS – OR DOES THIS PERSON THINK WHISKEY IS INDESTRUCTIBLE? SINCE BARREL #2 WAS SOLD OUT OVER 10 YEARS AGO, HAS YOUR CONTRIBUTOR HAD IT OPEN ALL THAT TIME? OR . . . IS MR PETERS AND HIS CONTRIBUTOR JUST “HATERS” INTENT ON DAMAGING A VERY SMALL BUSINESS? PERHAPS YOU HAVE OVERLOOKED OUR OTHER REVIEWS: JIM MURRAY, MALT ADVOCATE, SAVIOUR MAGAZINE, BEVERAGE TESTING INSTITUTE. COULD YOU PROVE THIS UGLY LITTLE SAMPLE IS REALLY WOODSTONE CREEK IN COURT? NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!
Holy shit… I’m having troubles even knowing where to start besides letting you know that your caps lock is on. Here’s the deal. I’m going to go pour myself a glass of palatable whiskey, something like Wild Turkey 101 that costs $22, and then I’ll dig into your crazy pants rant. Be back in a few.
Ok crazy pants. I’ve poured myself a glass of Tom’s Foolery Bonded which is an amazing bourbon put out by a craft distillery and only costs $50. Now that I have a little liquid inspiration coursing through my veins let’s dig into your rant.
“MR PETERS DID NOT OBTAIN HIS SAMPLE FROM WOODSTONE CREEK. WE DO NOT PROVIDE SAMPLES TO UNCREDENTIALED BLOGGERS.” Well no shit. At no point in this review did I say I got it from you. I don’t even know why you even bothered with that and what the hell is a credentialed blogger? Is there a bloggers union now? A blogger registry? Seriously… I’m asking.
“AS YOU CAN SEE THE “PACKAGE’ IS NOT BRANDED OR SEALED.” Again, no shit. How do you think I drank the sample? Though Osmosis?
“WAS THE CONTAINER/CAP CLEAN? DID THE CONTRIBUTOR KEEP THE PRODUCT IN OPTIMUM CONDITIONS – OR DOES THIS PERSON THINK WHISKEY IS INDESTRUCTIBLE?” Yup I took home this sample in a a brand new, never-before-used, sample bottle. The whiskey wasn’t sitting out in the sun if that’s what you’re asking and of course whiskey isn’t indestructible, but kept in a cool dark place it’s pretty damn resilient. I’ve had some great whiskey that was bottled nearly 100 years ago… what’s your excuse?
“SINCE BARREL #2 WAS SOLD OUT OVER 10 YEARS AGO, HAS YOUR CONTRIBUTOR HAD IT OPEN ALL THAT TIME? OR . . . IS MR PETERS AND HIS CONTRIBUTOR JUST “HATERS” INTENT ON DAMAGING A VERY SMALL BUSINESS?” Nope, fairly freshly opened bottle and like I said in the other comment I’m not a hater. It’s not like I purposely tracked down someone with your Batch #2 just so I could convince them to open it so I could taste it and then give my honest opinion that it’s not very good. No such agenda was in place. It was there, I didn’t like it and I wrote about me not liking it. Not too complex of a process.
“PERHAPS YOU HAVE OVERLOOKED OUR OTHER REVIEWS: JIM MURRAY, MALT ADVOCATE, SAVIOUR MAGAZINE, BEVERAGE TESTING INSTITUTE.” Yes I did overlook them because I don’t give a single wet fart about them. What they think or write about a whiskey has no bearing on my opinion. My opinion is mine alone. Sure I may read their reviews after I publish my own just so I can cay “WHAT? Really?”, but in no way, shape, or form do their opinions even enter mine and that’s what this is… my opinion. The opinion the 1st Amendment gives me the right to have and express. It’s the same amendment that gives you the right to put your caps lock on and yell like a person wearing their crazy pants.
“COULD YOU PROVE THIS UGLY LITTLE SAMPLE IS REALLY WOODSTONE CREEK IN COURT? NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!” Well not now, we drank it all. It’s gone. There might be some molecules of it floating around the Los Angeles sewer system still, but good luck finding those buggers.
Look, I know you’re probably still all hot and bothered that someone didn’t like your whiskey and dared write about it, but I’m completely willing to give it another chance if you want to send me a sample of a recent batch. You probably don’t, and that’s totally fine, but I wanted to let you know I’m not a hater and I’m 100% willing to give a distillery a 2nd chance. Just look at my Wyoming Whiskey reviews. I hated the first batch they sent me, but they sent me subsequent batches that have gotten better and now I kinda like them at Batch 36.
If you want to send me one of your official samples I’m happy to try it. If you want to leave another all caps rant as a reply to this that’s fine too. But know that I will indeed reply. I’m happy to engage in this useless internet sparring of words until I’m bored with it. Your move WOODSTONE CREEK.
Thanks for taking one for the team! :)
I do what I can Abe ;)
Their website says: Woodstone Creek makes the world’s rarest spirits in Cincinnati Ohio. One of our microdistiller counterparts has said about microdistilleries, in general,”we make less than the big guys spill on the floor”. Woodstone Creek makes three barrels a year – give or take. We have no production lines – no automated equipment, no computers, no bottling line and no employees.
Sounds like a few employees couldn’t hurt! From your review, I’d guess I’d much rather have a pour from whatever the big guys spill on the floor than this swill!
And Ohio is my home state….
“I’d much rather have a pour from whatever the big guys spill on the floor” <- I concur. Cheers!