Sonoma Cherrywood Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: C+

You might expect Sonoma’s Cherrywood-Smoked Rye to be a variant on their house rye whiskey, but it’s actually a different animal. The flagship rye is a 100% rye that gets a finish in ex-bourbon barrels. This is a wheated and smoked rye whiskey; the mash bill is 80% rye, 10% cherrywood smoked and malted barley, and 10% wheat. The whiskey is then aged in barrels partly sourced from Missouri (a normal oak source) and partly from that tight-grained, northerly Minnesota oak. The current version is bottled at 95.6 proof.

The Whiskey
This copper-colored whiskey leaves behind a few chunky tears after a swish and coat of the glass. A sniff revealed an alcoholic tinge, but not so much that I would describe the whiskey as hot. It’s just there, and brashly announces the youth of the whiskey. The nose has that dark rye bread spiciness, a note of molasses and vanilla, and a current of cedar. A sip of the whiskey led with cherries and vanilla, with cinnamon spice and pinewood coming up at the end. The spices turned peppery in the end, leaving a peppery and piney finish. Most curious of all, there wasn’t so much as a whiff of smoke or char through the entire experience.

The Price
A sampling of retailers revealed a range of $50 to $70, with most pricings sitting right in the middle at $60.