Cadee Distillery Cascadia Rye Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels

VITALS:

- $50

- 87 Proof

- 22 mos.

- Indiana/Washington

Over the years I've found myself trying out various different whiskey podcasts. It gives me something to do on my long commutes to and from work, or when I have to travel to such exotic places as central Michigan or Fort Wayne, Indiana. At one point I listened to a podcast (I can't think for the life of me which one) that featured the owner of Cadee Distillery.  He was (and I'm sure still is) a Scott who transplanted to Washington where he is now making American whiskey. While I can't recall too many specifics from the interview (it was quite some time ago), I recall really enjoying listening to this guy talk and his passion for distilling, so I made a note of a couple of Cadee's brands in my phone in case I ever came across them.

And that note sat on my phone for probably a couple years with no sign of Cadee whiskeys showing up on my shelf. But, one day on a local Facebook group somebody advertised this service that delivered craft whiskeys from all over the country to your doorstep--but only if you live in Illinois. With my interest piqued, I checked out the site through its app - SpiritHub - and sure enough they had the very Cadee whiskeys that had sat as a forgotten-about note in my phone.  While their bourbon finished in port barrels, Deceptivus, was sold out, I was able to place an order for Cascadia, along with a couple other spirits I've so far only been able to get in the Northwest. And for only $8 shipping, I had my bottle in my hand within two days.

So, it's interesting. I wouldn't exactly say this bottle was hyped in my mind. It was just something that I've wanted to try. So I popped the cork right away, even if it was only early evening, and I immediately got hit with sweet and rich notes, almost like a plum sauce. It surprisingly came across initially as a bit hot, and even bitter. It had some woody notes and even a slight astringent note. 

As to flavor, given the nose, it was certainly smoother than expected.  I got notes of honey and vanilla mixed with raspberry. There was also that dark fruit element, like plum, that I was getting on the nose. It had some earthy tones to it as well, almost like raisin and walnut.

I did get a bit of pipe tobacco, sweet and a bit earthy. Unfortunately, though, I also got notes of young whiskey that so often turns me off of young, craft whiskeys. I got that all too familiar flavor of overripe or overcooked apples. That being said, that note was not as much of a turnoff with this bottle as it usually is. I'm guessing that the flavor was masked to some extent by the barrel finish.

It had a decent, sticky sweet finish to it, like apple and cherry hard candy mixed together. Alone that might have been awful, but the sweetness of that note was tempered by a malty note that also lingered. Unfortunately, there was also this chalky note that seemed to accompany it, and that was what I didn't like about the finish. 

I was thrilled to have gotten my hands on a bottle and thrilled to have tried it. While I was a bit underwhelmed, I'm still intrigued by their port finished bourbon, and I'm sure I'd give that a try as well if given a chance.

Grade: C+