CENTRAL OHIO WHISKEY SOCIETY'S DOUBLE OAKED BATCH #2 REVIEW
COLUMBUS, OH — Our Whiskey War Double Oaked Batch #1 release sold out in 24 hours. Does Batch #2 live up to the hype? The founder of the Central Ohio Whiskey Society, Eric Smith, tasted our newest limited release & gives his expert opinion.
Read below for his thoughts.
“For a couple years whenever someone said there was no good bourbon coming out of Ohio. First, I would look at them a bit sideways but then I would tell them to go to High Bank and get a pour of the Whiskey War Double Oaked. That ended the discussion. For me it was the bar for all Ohio whiskey to measure to. Now Master Distiller Adam Hines is ready to put out Batch 2 of the Whiskey War Double Oaked. The big question now, will it stack up?
I’m going to compare it to Batch 1 Whiskey War Double Oaked (Batch 1) and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition Blended Whiskey of the Year Whiskey War Barrel Proof Batch 12 (BP Batch 12). I know, I have a hard job.
Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.
NAME – Whiskey War Doubled Oaked Batch 02
PROOF – 100 (Batch 1 – 100 proof and BP Batch 12 - 117 proof)
AGE – no age statement – website says 2 1/2 years old in original barrel and then spends another 18 months in a new oak barrel for a total of at least 4 years.
COLOR – reddish bronze (1.5 tawny on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart) (Batch 1 is identical color and BP Batch 12 is a shade lighter 1.4 copper)
NOSE – This is rye forward on the nose. Caramel drizzled pretzel, Madagascar vanilla bean, toasted oak and Grenadine. (Batch 1 nose is very different. Butter, caramel, deep oak and even a balsamic note. BP Batch 12 has more in common than Batch 1 on the nose. Batch 2 has just a bit more oak and overall, slightly deeper notes than BP Batch 12)
TASTE – Hello caramel and oak. Big blast of both right up front. Then comes the cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, peanut shell and cigar tobacco (Batch1 has different sweetness. Closer to butterscotch. It is buttery and more of a cherry note. BP Batch 12 again similar notes to Batch 2. Batch 2 just has just a deeper profile and fuller taste profile)
FINISH - I would call this a long finish. The oak stays along with cigar tobacco dipped in simple syrup. Very pleasant finish that leaves no bitterness at the end. (Batch 1 also has a long finish but is more leather, tobacco and caramel. BP Batch 12 again with a long finish with more of charred oak, tobacco, and some peanut)
REVIEW – If you know Hines, you know he doesn’t want to do the same thing and is always tinkering in an effort to find something even better. Its why a 3-year-old distillery won arguably the most prestigious whiskey competition in the world. Its why this Double Oaked product is not a carbon copy of Batch 1. Its different no doubt, Hines knew that and was fine with it. If you have been trying to find, now one of the hardest to find bottles in the game, Barrel Proof Batch 12 and just want the knob turned up to 11 on the flavors and an even longer better finish, this is your jam.
FINAL COMMENTS – I appreciate High Bank for giving me this bottle to review. What I also appreciate is what Hines has done for Ohio whiskey. He has forced all Ohio whiskey distilleries to up their game and force them not to be happy with the status quo. I will also tell you another thing, the next batch of Double Oaked won’t taste like the other 2 and to me that is fine. As a consumer if I want the same I will buy Wild Turkey 101 and know it will taste the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. One of the reasons a lot of people reading this has more than 1 bottle of whiskey on their shelf is because they like variety. That is what Hines has done with all of his different varieties. He has the guts to try things like blending whiskey with port wine, finish whiskey with a wine barrel no one has ever heard of in the Sangiovese finished and, in this case, not put out a facsimile of a previous batch. To me that’s the way I like things to stack up.
If you would like this product, it will be released to the public for sale online and in our retail shop starting at 11:00 AM on Thursday, July 22nd. The bottles must be picked up in person at our retail shop located at High Bank Distillery Co. in Grandview at 1051 Goodale Blvd. The price per bottle is $64.99 with a limit of 2 bottles per person in what is an expected high demand. Find out more here Double Oaked Batch #2 Release — High Bank Distillery Co. (highbankco.com).”
-- written by Eric Smith, founder of the Central Ohio Whiskey Society