Copperworks American Single Malt Whiskey Review (Batch 45)

By Kenrick Thurston-Wilcox

Rating: C

Released at the same time as Batch 44, this whiskey is distilled from Fritz barley, which was grown in Skagit Valley, WA. It was then aged a minimum of 36 months in charred, new American Oak barrels, with a small percentage of the finished product being aged exclusively in used Manzanilla Sherry casks.

The Whiskey
The whiskey looks darker then the 44, a nice rich brown with some shades of red. The nose is pretty strong, full, but doesn’t feel hot and has more traditional notes that people affiliate with whiskey. Wood is the first thing that sticks out, balanced with some nice leather, and a little muskiness to keep it a little more interesting. A slight hint of lemon also shines through, bringing in some needed brightness.

The liquid has good amount of flavor, but feels thin, lacking on oils to help keep the flavors around for longer. The same traditional flavors come through once again. Leather and oak balance this time on top of some cocoa, creating a pleasantly rich flavor, though lacking in complexity. The oak disappears once swallowed, replaced with bitter cocoa and some meaty leather, while the watery liquid doesn’t stay quite as long as you’d like for it to.

Batch 45 lacks much of the complexity that batch 44 has, but is overall more well rounded and pleasant. While batch 44 is trying to go out of its comfort zone, and give drinkers a different experience, batch 45 seems to have more of an identity of what it is trying to be; a good everyday sipper that isn’t pretentious and will appeal to most everyone.

The Price
Copperworks Batch 45 American Single Malt can be picked up online for $70 or in person at their tasting room.