Oaklore Distilling Story Series: Old Fashioned and Port Cask Finished Bourbon Reviews

 

Oaklore Distilling Co. makes whiskey, vodka, gin, and rum. It was founded in North Carolina in 2016 by two neighbors, Tom Bogan and Matt Simpkins, who met while walking their kids to the school bus. If you want to read about this very charming story (and the perseverance involved in getting a distillery off the ground), you can check out my review of its Four Grain Bourbon from last year.

 

Oaklore works with what it calls sister distilleries, which I suspect are euphemisms for contract distillers. The Four Grain Bourbon was produced at sister distilleries in both North Carolina and Kentucky. The whiskey is aged entirely in North Carolina. The Piedmont region is a friendly climate for aging whiskey. It is a humid, sub-tropical one with large temperature swings.

 

The Four Grain Bourbon is important because it serves as the base whiskey for the two finished whiskeys I’m exploring today: Story Series: Old Fashioned and Story Series: Port. Story Series is the name for Oaklore’s limited-edition whiskeys. Everything that Oaklore talks about is part of a story, from its founding to its tasting room. The tagline is A Story in Every Glass.

 

“These releases represent everything Oaklore stands for—patience, creativity, and a deep respect for the craft. Each finishing process was chosen to tell a different story while letting the underlying bourbon shine.” – Matt Simpkins, Co-Founder

 

Distribution will be limited, with bottles available at select retailers in the Carolinas and shipping nationally through Oaklore’s website at https://oaklore-distilling.myshopify.com.

 

So, how are they? We’ll have to #DrinkCurious to answer that. But first, I must thank Oaklore Distilling for providing me with samples of each in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest reviews.

 

One last thing: I used a fresh Glencairn glass for each and waited 15 minutes before nosing.

 

Story Series: Old Fashioned Cask Finish

• Whiskey Type: Four Grain Bourbon
• Distiller: Undisclosed Kentucky and North Carolina “sister” distilleries
• Age: 6+ years
• Mashbill: 70% corn, 10% rye, 10% wheat, 10% malted barley
• Cooperage: Aged in 53-gallon new American white oak, then finished 18 months in Oaklore’s Old Fashioned barrels, previously used to age Oaklore’s Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer. A combination of #2 and #3 char levels was used.
• Alcohol Content: 49% ABV (98°)
• Price per 750mL: $89.95
• Non-chill filtered

 

Appearance: The liquid possessed a brilliant orange amber color and formed a thicker rim on the wall of my glass, leaving sticky droplets after husky, crazed legs fell.

 

Nose: While I was waiting for the Bourbon to acclimate, my whiskey library was filled with the familiar smell of an Old Fashioned. It made things very challenging for me not to say, “Screw it,” and start early. But I forced myself to sit tight.

 

When I brought the glass beneath my nostrils and inhaled, I encountered bitters, maraschino cherries, orange citrus, sugar, and very muted oak. Drawing the air through my lips brought a taste of orange bitters and oak.

 

Palate: My first sip was silky yet weighty, offering evidence that I was indeed drinking Bourbon. There was a palate-shock of orange bitters and maraschino cherries. My second offered notes of vanilla, orange bitters, and maraschino cherries on the front of my palate. The middle featured cinnamon sugar and pastries, while the back included oak, caramel, and clove.

 

Finish: Caramel, maraschino cherries, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, and clove made for a very level, slightly warming finish. I timed the entire experience at 1:38, with cinnamon and clove fading last.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I must admit that my curiosity got the better of me here. Bourbon finished in an Old Fashioned cask? I love Old Fashioneds (whiskey-based, not brandy) and that’s my go-to cocktail. It is why I explored this one first (no disrespect to the Port Cask Finish).

 

It was pretty much an Old Fashioned cocktail, except that you could drink this quickly and not realize its potency until it’s time to stand up. It drank nowhere near its stated proof; I couldn’t even begin to guess beyond it went down way too easily.

 

How do I rate this? If you have the mindset of, “Well, this is just a $90.00 Old Fashioned,” then you will likely be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you realize that you’re not going to make a 98° Old Fashioned that still tastes like one, and it won’t have a finish anywhere near the duration of Story Series: Old Fashioned Cask Finish, you’ll conclude that this is something special. I’m in that latter category; this is an experience whiskey, and well worth picking up a Bottle.

 

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Story Series: Port Cask Finish

 

• Whiskey Type: Four Grain Bourbon
• Distiller: Undisclosed Kentucky and North Carolina “sister” distilleries
• Age: 6+ years
• Mashbill: 70% corn, 10% rye, 10% wheat, 10% malted barley
• Cooperage: Initial aging in 53-gallon new American White Oak, then finished in freshly dumped domestic port wine barrels. The finishing barrels were used in port wine production for a minimum of 5 years, up to 18 years. A combination of #2 and #3 char levels was used.
• Alcohol Content: 46% ABV (92°)
• Price per 750mL: $79.95
• Non-chill filtered

 

Appearance: The Bourbon possessed a tawny color. The liquid created a medium rim with thicker, widely spaced, slow tears.

 

Nose: As I sat in my whiskey library waiting for it to breathe, I smelled peanut butter. Yeah. That’s the first time this has ever happened, and the last thing I’d expect from a Port-finished whiskey.

 

Once it acclimated, I brought the glass to my nose and started sniffing. It sounds crazy, but I swear that I smelled peanut butter and marshmallow. As I continued to explore, I found raspberries, ripe plums, and graham crackers. When I took the vapor into my mouth, I tasted black cherries.  

 

Palate: A velvety texture left my tongue well-coated. There was no palate shock per se; my taste buds pulled a lot of sweet, almost sherry-like notes. My second sip revealed rich milk chocolate, ripe plums, and black cherries on the front. Notes of raspberries, blueberries, and almonds hit my mid-palate. The back featured sweet oak, pipe tobacco, and leather.

 

Finish: Milk chocolate, raspberries, blueberries, sweet oak, and almonds remained. It was a level finish that carried some heat. It lasted 1:15, making it medium to medium-long.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I found Story Series: Port Cask Finish to be a very unusual whiskey. I’ve had many such finishes, including Oaklore’s Rye, which I enjoyed. In the case of this Bourbon, it seemed lost amongst the Port notes. The big attention-getter was the peanut butter and marshmallow on the nose; however, I can’t love a whiskey just because it has an interesting aroma.

 

Perhaps the proof needed to be bumped up, or a couple of months less in the wet barrels might have allowed the Bourbon to retain its character. I didn’t dislike this expression; there’s quality and love here, but I can’t rate it higher than a Bar.

 

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Final Thoughts: The big difference between the two finished Bourbons was the retention of the Bourbon itself. I found it with the Old Fashioned Cask Finish, and couldn’t with the Port Cask Finish. They’re both quality pours; I can’t imagine a situation where I’d reach for the Port Cask Finish a second time. It will appeal to some folks, maybe even bring Port fans who think they don’t like whiskey into appreciating it. Regardless, I enjoyed today’s adventure. 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 to do so responsibly.