Topo Eight Oak Carolina Whiskey

A little background

Topo Eight Oak Carolina Whiskey is distilled by Top of the Hill Distillery, which is the maker of all TOPO organic spirits and is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This offering is unique because the mash bill is 100% wheat. The whiskey is non-age stated and uses only organic products with the wheat being a local soft red winter wheat. This whiskey is also unique as eight combinations of oaks and char levels are used in the making of the whiskey. The company even puts a toasted oak chip in every bottle to show the importance of oak to their product. Topo Eight Oak Carolina Whiskey is bottled at 92 proof and comes in at a retail of $35.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Light Honey

Nose

On the nose, notes of hay, pear, and apple come through, but they are overpowered by notes of oak, ethanol, and minerals. There is also a lot of sweetness on the nose that is not developed.

Palate

The whiskey has a thin mouthfeel with lots of ethanol, oak, and overpowering heat. Notes of vitamin, apple, and something that wants to be cinnamon but didn’t quite make it there are also present. Overall, there are a lot of undeveloped flavors and astringency present.

Finish

Heat from the ethanol and oak linger for longer than you would think with some allspice and vitamins in the background. All of these flavors accumulate on the back palate and produce a finish that is long but hot and unpleasant.

In closing

Overall, I think this is a whiskey that is very hot and astringent. While those notes may appeal to some people, I personally did not enjoy this offering. However, I would be interested in trying their other offerings as they do use a unique process to produce their whiskey. I could see this offering working well in a cocktail as it would be balanced out by the other ingredients. The offering was not very complex, and when water was added, the astringency evolved and took over the nose, palate, and finish causing the vitamin note to become more present. Maybe pick up a bottle if you are looking for a cocktail whiskey or something produced in North Carolina.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Topo Eight Oak Carolina Whiskey. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.