A small expedition in America, Part 2


November 12, 2025

A small expedition in America,
Part II

So, indeed, it was about time we tasted some American whiskies, now that we’ve also completely lifted our tariffs. You might say that raising the percentage of tariffs on something that’s entirely free, like Whiskyfun, doesn’t make much sense… But anyway, we have plenty to taste, so let’s dive in a bit randomly again... There were highs and lows yesterday, but we had to expect that. Let’s set the table again and see what we still have in our 'American stock'...

Ironclad Bourbon Whiskey (95 Proof, OB, Straight bourbon whiskey, +/-2025)

Straight from Newport News, Virginia, aged for two years in 30-US-gallon charred oak barrels. I’ve just seen the brand claim on Facebook that ‘Bourbon is the new champagne’. Perhaps in Newport News, Virginia, but I’m happy to learn that! In any case, the champagnes we enjoy at WF Towers are aged on lees for much longer than two years. Right, let’s dive in… Colour: full gold. Nose: we’re having a laugh, but I’ve already tasted this baby in Hamburg and thought it was very beautiful. That still holds, with a lovely eucalyptus and green tea note, backed by frosty mint, chocolate mint, a hint of smoke, and slightly earthy vanilla. I think it’s easy to miss this profile, but for me, it’s quite successful. Mouth: really very bourbon, more in the old-school style, with a blend of honey, caramel, fresh wood, cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh mint. Finish: long, more liquorice, more spicy (black pepper), but still with honeyed caramel and menthol, making it quite smooth and easy-going. Comments: a lovely surprise. They also have a rather clever label that kind of unrolls!
SGP:561 - 86 points.

Jimmy Rack ‘Cask Strength’ (61.15%, OB, Tennessee straight rye whiskey, Batch 01, 2023)

95% rye, aged for three years and six months (so three years), then finished with ‘maple charcoal’, though I’m not entirely sure what that means. Likely the legendary filtration process… Colour: full gold. Nose: the opposite of the Ironclad, which must have had little rye, here we’re all about the geraniums, orange blossom, tons of pink pepper, and that slightly soapy note that we love in this context. Dove? Poppy seeds in the background. With water: back to dark bread, little biscuits, maple syrup… Mouth (neat): creamy, very fruity, heavy on the mezcal candies and poppy lollipops, but the high proof must be doing its thing. With water: this time it stays fruity and floral, then the peppers come in to bring it all under control—Timut, grey, black… Finish: full-on spiced bread liqueur. This would sell well in Alsace around Christmas time. Comments: I was expecting this to be squashed by the Ironclad, but not really.
SGP:651 - 85 points.

Willett 8 yo (59.1%, OB, Family Estate, LMDW Foundations, Single Barrel Bourbon, cask #18632, 2024)

Colour: full gold. Nose: much less fragrant than the previous two, more focused on burnt American oak, popcorn, and a hint of lemongrass in minimal amounts. Slight touches of citron, but it remains discreet for now. With water: nice, with forgotten vegetables—cardoons, rutabaga, even a bit of turnip. It’s amusing, and Baldrick would certainly approve. Mouth (neat): much more presence than the 10-year-old we tasted yesterday, let’s say a lot of grapefruit and lots of pepper of all kinds, followed by carrots and gentian. A touch of honey scented with camphor. With water: superb! Everything comes together—citrus, vegetables, spices, lemon balm... Finish: medium length, well balanced, with the same notes. Comments: phew, the 10-year-old had me worried, but now I’m revived (S., you’re exaggerating again).
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Willett 3 yo ‘OG Wheat’ (60.3%, OB, Family Estate, Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Single Barrel Bourbon, cask #9847, 2025)

And here we are in D.C.! Colour: gold. Nose: a real treat, with nougat, macarons, pecans, and a small touch of linseed oil. It’s quite elegant and not at all over the top. With water: a foresty side, pinewood, fern... Mouth (neat): oh, this is good! Oily, very much on oranges of all kinds, including the bitter ones, manuka honey, grapefruit liqueur, and a touch of Campari. Not overly complicated, but excellent. With water: and here come those earthy, rooty notes, truly beautiful. Some lovely peppers too. Finish: long, still creamy, dominated by citrus and pepper. Comments: three years, are we absolutely sure? Anyone seen the papers? Just kidding, of course.
SGP:661 - 88 points.

Willett 11 yo ‘Black Forest’ (65.1%, OB, Family Estate, Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Single Barrel Bourbon, cask #5256, 2025)

Indeed, this can happen with cask-strength bourbons—the older it is, the higher the alcohol content. I hear you, you’re thinking the same goes for tasters. Well, know that I hate you and curse you to the sixth generation! Also, the slime of a toad never reaches the white dove (maybe a bit too much, S.) Colour: full gold. Nose: this is crazy, it’s in the same vein as the 3-year-old, but it seems younger, fruitier, easier, with more yellow flowers, acacia honey, custard, and cinnamon cakes. With water: more on the candies and syrups than the 3-year-old, quite the opposite. Mouth (neat): this time it’s a bit spicier, there’s quite a bit of mild curry and a masala note. We love that. The texture is still creamy, almost syrupy. With water: with water, the 3-year-old completely dominates it. That’s insane. Finish: same, it even becomes a bit drying now. Sawdust. Comments: I’m not sure what the Black Forest, which is about forty kilometres from Château WF as the crow flies, is doing here, maybe it’s not the same one. In any case, this Willett is wunderbar, but it doesn’t like water much, it seems. At 65.1%, that’s a bit annoying, don’t you think?
SGP:651 - 84 points.

Some rye, perhaps?

Willett 10 yo (59.5%, OB, Family Estate, Single rye whiskey, LMDW Singapore, cask #2408, 166 bottles, 2024)

Colour: amber. Nose: this is a complex, thick, very ripe rye, with some violet and candied orange, but also notes of aromatic white grape varieties, viognier, gewurztraminer, muscadelle… All this gives it a rather sexy character, let’s say it without hesitation. With water: the nuts and wood show up, which is actually a good idea. Mouth (neat): on the sin scale, we’re diving straight into hell, between, as Rowan Atkinson would say, the lawyers and the French. A very old muscat flavoured with rose, lavender honey, and orange. With water: once again, balance is restored. Pecan pie and peanut butter. Finish: long and surprisingly soft. Comments: the kind of thing you should serve blind to your neighbours. If they guess what it is, invite them over again, they’ve earned it.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Willett 7 yo (54%, OB, Family Estate, Single barrel rye, Wu Dram Clan & Kirsch, cask #2612)

Willett 7 yo (54.7%, OB, Family Estate, Single barrel rye, Wu Dram Clan & Kirsch, cask #2611)

We need to speed things up... Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’ve hit a sweet spot here, there’s olive oil, lemons, fresh bread, mastic, a lovely natural soap, and a touch of coriander mixed with toasted sesame oil. We’ve shifted gears now, this is an ultra-alternative rye. With water: incredible, with notes of chalk and seaweed, we’re almost in Islay territory. I swear. Mouth (neat): a carbon-copy of the nose, which doesn’t happen often. Sublime touches of small mushrooms as well. With water: oh, the fruits! A touch of toothpaste (very high-end, like from the Ritz or Plaza own ranges), then blood orange and the best watermelon I’ve ever encountered. Finish: not immense, but perfectly balanced and effective across all dimensions. Fruits, herbs, earth, spices, sweet resins, ointments... Comments: this one’s magical for me. Quite frankly, there aren’t many American whiskies that move me, but this one does. Kudos to everyone involved.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

We’re stopping with the Willetts, we’ll pick that up next time.

Tennessee Sour Mash 20 yo (46.6%, Artful Dodger, barrel, cask #20, 179 bottles, +/-2025)

It’s undoubtedly George Dickel. Colour: full gold. Nose: this is custard, mixed with vanilla cake, vanilla yogurt, vanilla liqueur, and white chocolate. I imagine you understand that vanilla rules the day here, at least for now. There’s a touch of orange juice, but it’s almost incidental. Mouth: a shift in style, with a muscular punch from the wood spices, like Stallone. On the other hand, vanilla strikes back, like… let’s say Bruce Lee. And the fight continues through the finish... Finish: I have the honour and advantage of announcing that vanilla won the battle. That said, in the aftertaste, small peppers, lavender, cloves, coffee dregs, and very dark chocolate make an appearance. Comments: it’s quite funny to see that all this excitement comes in at the very end! In short, it’s really fun.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

Old Potrero 8 yo 2016/2024 ‘The Valley of the Moon’ (65.8%, LMDW, Ex-Libris, cask #OP 3/16-10, 211 bottles)

The challenge here is to understand, you see, just how pioneering Old Potrero was in the craft whisky movement in the US. Even though the very first bottles, we all remember, were more likely to serve as BBQ starters. I still have a bottle from the very first batch in my stock—it required me to revise my fire insurance policy for that reason alone. Just kidding… Colour: deep gold. Nose: I love this fresh rubber mixed with peonies and black cherries. The problem is that this little one tends to burn your nose... With water: chocolate with spices, especially juniper and clove. Mouth (neat): excellent! Spiced bread, pumpernickel, gingerbread, Nescafé, and plenty of alcohol. Very good, but probably like pastis or ouzo, meaning it’s not meant to be sipped neat, but with water. With water: much smoother, with honey and an unexpected blend of chartreuse, verbena, and benedictine. Finish: long, with honey and spices, almost reminiscent of hypocras. Hints of herbs and broths in the aftertaste. Comments: full of punch. We love it…
SGP:661 - 87 points.

Koval Rye (55%, OB for Navigate World Whisky, cask #6508, 210 bottles, 2024)

Koval was missing from this tasting series... Remember, Koval is Chicago's first distillery since Prohibition. This particular expression is aged in new Minnesotan oak. We love the minimalist packaging. Colour: full gold. Nose: quite light and elegant, without the extremes often associated with rye, though there’s a bit of shoe polish, some light acacia honey, a touch of sawdust, and nougat. With water: still light and elegant. The shoe polish and fresh cement notes remain in the background, with even a tiny hint of gasoline. Mouth (neat): once again, it’s quite soft for a rye, but on the other hand, it’s probably fairly mainstream. Be warned, it’s not lacking in spices, with cinnamon very much present. With water: water works wonders, it wakes up the citrus and a good dozen other spices, including cumin. Finish: similar, just a bit drier, with more noticeable tannins. Bitter chocolate. Comments: love Koval. We just hope they never see the National Guard rolling up to their place.
SGP:561 - 85 points.

Perhaps is it time to bring these two American sessions to a close, with something rather unusual...

Boulder Spirits 5 yo ‘Peated Malt’ (68.35%, OB for Navigate World Whisky, cask #1548, 222 bottles, 2023)

Seen the strength? No need to tell you that I warned my insurer, my lawyer, my doctor, and even my dear wife and children before tasting this baby. Here we are at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The recipe, I quote, is ‘malted barley, a Scottish pot still, #3 char American White Oak barrels, aged in an arid, high elevation climate, and cut with the celebrated Eldorado Springs water.’ Well, to be honest, we’re not entirely sure about the impact of the Eldorado Springs water, but in whisky communication, there are certain mandatory exercises, right? Especially at 68.35%, there probably wasn’t much cut with water, was there? Alright, here we go, it’s the last one... Colour: gold. Nose: not much peat, but lovely candied citrus fruits, bergamot, citron, kumquat... That said, there are also whiffs of damp wood ash and charcoal making an appearance, albeit discreetly. But at this proof, not much else comes through. With water: quite discreet, it pulls back a bit. Smoky chocolate, wood-fired pizza – no toppings – etc. Mouth (neat): it burns, but it’s good. A bit of a dragster vibe, whatever that might mean. Smoked pickled lemon. Indeed, you can smoke pickled lemon. With water: it’s good, not very defined, but quite pleasant. Finish: the wood shows up, sending a slightly drying tannicity. Comments: not the easiest to tame, this is more for pipette pros (and Eldorado Springs water, we imagine). We’ll try a non-peated Boulder Spirits soon.
SGP:463 - 81 points.

24 American whiskies in two days, wouldn’t you say that’s more than enough? Ciao, stay tuned.

Check the index of all American whiskies we've tasted