Oak & Eden Finished Whiskey Rahr Soaked Hopped Oak

A little background

Oak & Eden is doing things a little different with their Ale Series release. They’ve teamed up with Rahr & Sons Brewery out of Fort Worth, Texas to create a finished rye whiskey that’s unlike any other.  Once distilled, this rye whiskey spends a minimum of two years in the barrel. Oak & Eden then bottled the bourbon at 90 proof, along with a Rahr & Sons Dadgum IPA soaked “spire” for secondary in-bottle finishing. The distribution of this whiskey is highly limited with it only being available in Texas & Oklahoma. $54 MSRP.

(Tasted neat from a Halo Glass)

Color

Dark Yellow Gold

Nose

The nose is very interesting up front. A strong scent of caramel and hops are present in the front, while caramelized brown sugar brings up the rear. Warm vanilla, light grape, and a slight oak spice make for a very pleasant nosing. The complexity of the nose is very rich considering its age.

Palate

The palate is unique in that vanilla and coconut are at the forefront of the flavors. The mouthfeel is very nice, thick and oily. Rye spice and light caramel bring up the back of the palate nicely. The depth of the flavors would make one guess that it is aged longer than 2 years.

Finish

The finish is all vanilla, coconuts and hops. It is fairly long lasting, and very enjoyable. The sweeter notes stick to the back of the palate while there is a slight tingle of spice on the front. It is pretty impressive, one of the longer finishes that I have had for any whiskey that is around 2 years old and 90 proof.

In closing

I think this is a great whiskey! What Oak and Eden is doing with these spires is interesting and it definitely works. It makes me wonder what the effect would be if the bottle with the spire inside is left to sit for a while, as opposed to opening and drinking it fairly quickly. I think the value on this is pretty good as well. For a fairly young craft distillery, having a little bit of a higher price point is important so that they can counter the costs of starting their business. Oak and Eden has hit the sweet spot in the balance between price and quality with this specific whiskey. The only downside is that as for now, it is only available in Texas and Oklahoma.