The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B-
Sonoma Bourbon
(Credit: Richard Thomas)
Sonoma Distilling Company’s bourbon has evolved a bit since the distillery got started. Initially they had a series of releases called “West of Kentucky.” In 2018, the distillery revamped their whiskey line, with West of Kentucky No. 1 becoming their Cherrywood Smoked Bourbon and West of Kentucky No. 2 becoming the standard Sonoma Bourbon.
For their regular bourbon, Sonoma chose to go with their wheated mashbill. It’s a young whiskey, aged a minimum of 15 months with more than half the barrels in a given batch being two years or older. It’s sometimes said Stitzel-Weller and Maker’s Mark chose to go with wheated bourbon upon getting started because the softer profile tastes better at younger ages, but then again it’s also said that wheated bourbon withstands longer aging periods longer too. Sonoma chose to go with 70% corn, 25% wheat and 5% malted barley, and the bottled it at 92 proof.
The Bourbon
A pour of Sonoma Bourbon has a light copper coloring in the glass, and coating the glass leaves a curtain of tears behind. The nose has a current of marzipan with a gloss of vanilla.
The mouthfeel is light, but it’s still a flavorful bourbon. A simple one, but flavorful, with an earthy caramel base and a layer of candy corn on top, plus a very modest woody tinge. The finish, however, runs quite short.
The Price
A bottle of Sonoma Distilling’s bourbon runs about $50.
