Mosswood Barrel Aged American Whiskey

Shout out to /u/kilrathi for this sample of… interesting whiskey.

Why interesting? Is it interesting in that “Ah, it’s worldly” way? Or in that “Well, he’s going to end up owning 16 snakes and call himself Mercutio” way? Or maybe that in between, like “He wears pink a lot and sings baritone and has a donkey named Sally” way?

Well, let’s start with Mosswood themselves, shall we? Glad we agree.

Note: If you did not agree, I suggest you skip the next part, as you’ll just be annoyed at me assuming we agreed, as writing is a one way medium…. for now….

Anyway, moving on.

Mosswood sources their whiskey from other distilleries, which are then aged and blended by them to make interesting whiskies. They made a big deal of explaining that their first releases were from Tennessee, and that they were Bourbon.

The second… not so much. They used the term “Light Whiskey”. So I’m going to say that they changed it up. I’m going to state that this is from San Francisco, because that was the last place it was aged, however any information on where it originally was aged would be great. Or if I’m wrong.

So today, for the first of hopefully many of these (I need to trade for more), I’ll be reviewing a whisky from their second release, the Mosswood Barrel Aged American Whiskey – Espresso Barrel.

Totally not a mouthful. Granted, they are from San Francisco, known for many a mouth filled with happiness.

And this lives up to that name.

Price: Really? You think anything makes it up here? There’s no dog sleds big enough to get this one to Canada to be sold.

Region: San Francisco Treasure Island, USA

And yes, they are currently expanding to Berkley, CA, in the Industrial District, to setup their own fully functioning distillery.

Abv: 46%

Colour: Red/Orange

Nose: Dark chocolate, tannins, cherry, salty Freedom Fries, cranberry, butterscotch, Devonshire cream, rubber, coffee cake

Damn, this doesn’t mess around. It’s almost like a beefy red wine. Like the kinda red wine that runs the yard and takes bitches and has a face tattoo.

Wow, can you guess I’ve never been to prison? I couldn’t be more white and suburban if I had a minivan stuck up my ass.

Taste: Cream, coffee, chocolate, grapefruit, craisins, oak

Normally I’d complain about the lack of complexity, and while that is somewhat evident, it has a HUGE flavour. And you can tell I’m telling the truth, because huge is all in capitals.

Also the coffee notes are coming out more, so it’s less beefy red wine and now more like Dalmore. Which is amazing since this is younger than Dalmore and aged in a pretty stable (rainy, foggy) climate.

Finish: Coffee, milk chocolate, orange, butter, herbal, peach, raisins

Amazing finish. Just the right amount of balance on each fruit, chocolate, and bitter flavour. Tons of butter. Tastes like a good Amarone wine or a properly made coffee.

God I miss coffee.

Conclusion: I really miss coffee…

Ahem…

This is so good. It’s well balance, has a unique nose, has a big taste, and that finish. Wow. It tastes as good as Dalmore 15, which is aged longer, in traditional methods, and this still tastes like an upgrade.

Now that all said, it didn’t set off memories for me, which is my seal of amazing whiskies. And the taste, while bold and big, is those notes, and just those notes. Nothing too out there.

Basically I’m covering my ass on this one. While I think it has a lot of elements I love, it’s not perfect. It’s a quality dram, and I’d buy a bottle if I ever see it (good luck).

85/100

Bourbon review #25, San Francisco review #1, Whiskey Network review #255