Copperworks Craft Malt Week 2022 American Single Malt Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

 

Craft Malt Week highlights the deep, meaningful connection between local agriculture and craft beverages. According to the Craft Maltsters Guild, craft malt is small, local, and independent. Those terms are defined as follows:

 

• Small: A craft maltster produces between 5 and 10,000 metric tons of malt annually.
• Local: At least 50% of the grain must be sourced within a 500-mile radius of the malthouse. This gives maltsters flexibility in sourcing during bad crop years.
• Independent: The malthouse must be independently owned by a 76% or higher majority.

 

Copperworks Distilling Company of Seattle, Washington, was founded by Jason Parker and Micah Nutt in 2013. Both had backgrounds in craft brewing and were curious about what would happen if they distilled high-quality craft beer into spirits. Jason took the helm as its president, while Micah utilizes his talents as the distiller and performs his magic using traditional Scottish copper stills constructed specifically for Copperworks.

 

“As brewers, we believe the first step to making exceptional whiskey is exceptional brewing. We’re exploring new worlds of possibility in batch-style releases of American Single Malt Whiskey. Our whiskeys are twice-distilled in hand-hammered Scottish stills specifically designed for whiskey. Each release is unique, each a new discovery.” - Copperworks

 

Today I’m exploring Craft Malt Week 2022; an American Single Malt released specifically to commemorate its namesake celebration. It begins with Baronesse barley grown by Joseph’s Grainery in Colfax and malted by LINC Malt in Spokane Valley.

 

Between fermentation and distillation, the yield was only enough to fill a single barrel. That barrel was constructed from new American oak staves that had been aged for three years. The barrel was subjected to a #2 char level, where the whiskey rested for 30 months.

 

The whiskey is packaged at 120.9°, and only 219 750ml bottles are available. It is sold only by the distillery and its online store for $89.99.

 

I thank Copperworks for providing me with a sample of Craft Malt Week 2022 in exchange for a no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and discover what this is all about.

 

Appearance: Served neat in my Glencairn glass, this Single Malt appeared as dark orange-amber. A thinner rim wept slow, sticky tears.

 

Nose:  I smelled flowers, caramel, and apple pie filling. The #2 char level made a toasted oak quality to the aroma. Eucalyptus came across my tongue when I breathed the air in my mouth.

 

Palate: The mouthfeel was oily, and the proof was unmistakable. The second sip allowed my tastebuds to figure things out. The front featured caramel-coated apples and even some nut topping. Once it hit mid-palate, I tasted sweet cola and leather. Char, candied ginger, and tannins formed the back.

 

Finish:  Craft Malt Week 2022 has one of the longest finishes I’ve experienced in recent memory. While I didn’t pull out a stopwatch, I’d estimate it was 4-5 minutes. Ginger and sweet cola stuck around the longest, but leather and caramel also appeared.   

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I drink high-proof whiskey all the time, and I don’t recall the last one that numbed my hard palate, but Craft Malt Week 2022 is the newest to do so. American Single Malts have improved as distillers tweak their skills, and this whiskey is one of the better drams I’ve had this year. When you’re looking at a cask strength, very limited run of whiskey, the $90.00 investment seems like a bargain. I know a bottle may be hard to acquire, but this is definitely worth picking up a Bottle. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.