OOLA Discource C American Whiskey Review

Updated April 14, 2019

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B-

OOLA Discourse C Whiskey
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Produced by Seattle’s OOLA Distillery, Discourse C is paradoxically the first release in the series. I write that because when I first saw it, I assumed it was the third; “C” after all. The purpose of the series is to start a dialogue, as much between drinkers as between the distillery and the public, about non-traditional whiskey making. Discourse C is a four-grain whiskey, made from a mash bill of 65% corn, 25% rye, 13% malted barley and 12% white winter wheat. The first round of four years of aging is in standard 53-gallon new, alligator-charred oak barrels. Technically, it could be labeled as a bourbon, although the distillery has chosen not to label it as such. Following that, the whiskey receives a finish in French oak Cabernet wine barrels. It is bottled at 90 proof.

The Whiskey
In the glass, the whiskey has an oily look with a murky gold coloring. Coating the inside of the glass leaves a crown and just a few slow, skinny, beady legs slinking down to the bottom.

A nosing gives the scent of apples and wine, girded with butterscotch and honey. Hovering in the background is the smell of dried straw, so the whole thing comes across as something like an odd bit of refreshment taken in a farmer’s field.

A current of fruit drizzled with honey runs through the flavor. That sweet core is accented by a touch of vanilla on the front and a touch of pepper on the back. The finish opens sugary and peppery, but the sugar soon fades and leaves the peppery to drift away slowly.

The Price
A bottle of OOLA Discourse C should run you about $60, but I’ve seen it listed with online retailers for as high as $90.