American Woman Whiskey Review

By Andrew Graham

Grade: C

American Woman whiskey seems to currently be in startup phase, with the launch of the spirit expected in early 2020, according to its website. But I received a sample of it in the mail recently.

Bottled at 90 proof, it’s a mash bill of 98 to 99 percent corn with one or two percent barley, aged for more than two years — so, assume less than three — in 30 gallon barrels as opposed to the traditional 53 gallon size. And they’re using barrels with four different levels of char — 2, 3, 4, and 5 — presumably blending them all up in some way prior to bottling.

Is it the mixing of whiskey from barrels that have different char depths that has me intrigued. Generally, using a deeply charred barrel is likely to impart more vanilla and spice flavors, while using one of a light char can make the whiskey more susceptible to influence from the tannins in the wood. (I don’t think there’s one right or wrong way to look at all of this. Barrel science is hard!)

Deeply charred barrels can also act as filtration for sulfur compounds (which sound bad, but maybe they’re good?) that can be present in young whiskeys. There are many, many variables here.

It turns out that the whiskey is something that I can appreciate as unique. Overall, it is what it is—a young whiskey being brought to market quickly—but the interplay of the fragrant vanilla notes on the nose and the astringency on the finish is interesting. Whether or not it is the intended consequence of the competing char levels is beyond me. But this whiskey has some potential.

The Whiskey

Color: Dark honey.

Nose: New oak, vanilla, maple syrup.

Flavor: Spice — cinnamon, clove — clover honey, and creamed corn.

Finish: Lingering sweetness, with some astringency. Quite hot and, again, finishes like you think a young whiskey

The Price
American Woman whiskey is currently raising funds through a crowdsourcing campaign and their whiskey is predicted for a 2020 release, so no official price point is available yet.