Greenbar Slow Hand Six Woods Single Malt Whiskey Review

By Michael Cervin

Rating: B

Greenbar Distillery, based in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles (formerly an industrial area near Little Tokyo) – proudly sells itself as “one of California’s oldest distilleries.” That’s not much of a bragging right since it only opened in 2004.

More impressive, however, is the claim of making the world’s largest portfolio of organic spirits. Founded by the husband-and-wife team, Melkon Khosrovian, and Litty Mathew, Greenbar does indeed have an expansive two-dozen offerings.

Their Slow Hand Whiskey is made from 100% malted barley, clocking in at 42% ABV. Typically they utilize large white oak barrels for aging and for the Six Woods Cask they decline to state their aging statement, instead opting for the wording of aged “nearly three years.” During that time they will add and subtract staves of wood including hickory, red oak, mulberry and maple, all in an effort to elicit a variety of nuanced flavors.

The Whiskey

Color: Dark amber with a little bit of orange highlight coloring.

Nose: Candied apricot, butter toffee, sweet resin. The nose is very compelling but also immediately sweet.

Palate: Honey cashews, back notes of toffee and cocoa and anise. The sweetness is also immediately felt in the palate and while it certainly could not be confused with Scotch or traditional whisky or bourbon, it nonetheless makes a dramatic statement: namely that adventure in distilling can produce something interesting. You will not pick up all the various wood flavors, even though they lay out the elements of each. The drawback is that the aging feels and tastes rushed so the whiskey ends up being slightly immature, but still intriguing. It’s young-ish, yes, but you can also taste the potential.

The Price
You can pick up Greenbar Slow Hand Six Woods Malt for $45.