Greenbar Distillery Slow Hand Six Woods Malt Cask Strength Whiskey 750ml Bottle

This American single malt sounded way too good to pass-up – even if it comes from California – the City of Angels. It is aged in six woods! To the eye, it is dark and inviting. It opens with blackberries, blueberries, black cherries, plumbs, mulberries, smoked dark chocolate, and a sprinkle of balsamic, followed by loads of vanilla, cinnamon, and spicy ginger, then just shy of a truckload of black pepper! At 57.5% ABV, that black pepper really lights-it-up. The legs are thick, carrying that spicy berry medley through a long spicy finish, with brown sugar, menthol, and a bit of bitter black tea. This is a dram that warrants more study… long, slow, repeated study… the woods really come through… I’ve never tasted anything with grape wood (vine?), but it adds a unique bitterness that offsets the sweetness of the berries, vanilla, and brown sugar perfectly. The list is growing short, but this is one of the few things that still worth getting out of California. Drink slow, drink long, drink a variety, drink often.