Copperworks Distilling has eschewed the normal distillery commercial standard by having a limited product offering but achieving uniformity between batches. Rather, the distillery has leaned purposefully into crafting each release as a limited, distinct expression that allows them to explore the subtle nuances that differences of grains, yeasts and cask aging can provide, while still holding onto some house styles. The Copperworks Peated is their 34th release, and is made from eight casks of whiskey that were aged for a little over four years, with Washington barley smoked using Washington peat, a first for the distillery. Copperworks has since signaled it will distill peated whiskies on an annual basis.
Distillery: Copperworks Distilling
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 52%
Price: $76.49
Barrel: Release No. 34 | Bottle 1705 of 1934
Location: Seattle, WA
Nose: Buckwheat honey, bread, chocolate, yeast, lemongrass, malt syrup, cereal, floral, brown sugar
Palate: Chocolate, raisin, caramel, peat, tannin
Finish: Chocolate, spice
Comments: Take a moment to see the release specs for this offering to learn more about this whiskey. We also explored Release No. 13.
Adam – I love how unique a whiskey the Copperworks Peated is. It’s unapologetic and is clearly informed by the distillers’ background in beer, along with keeping to a sort of ‘house style’ that has been found in previous releases. It’s a yeasty, grain-forward palate with a crisp, almost IPA-like spice and slight bitterness on the finish. However, the Washington native peat adds complexity to the original, much like we’ve seen happen in the Liberty Pole Peated Bourbon, where the peat gives an additional layer of complexity to the base spirit. I like the subtle sweetness on the nose that somehow translates to raisin and chocolate before the oak influence buts in with a little spice and oak in the finish. This is the early days of this spirit, and I’m very curious to see where Copperworks goes with this new peated entry into the American whiskey canon.
Kate – On the nose, this is refreshingly sweet, like a melon. The palate is like being sucker punched after how delicate the nose is. Like apple cider almost turning to vinegar, as there’s this sour element. There’s a baby vegetal funk to the peat.
Bill – Heady nose, huge chocolate, big and bold. I would buy a bottle of this. The Copperworks Peated doesn’t hide, it comes out and punches you in the mouth and says “you’re tasting me…but I’m also your friend.” The medium chocolate is the thing that carries the experience all the way through.
There’s a fun umami taste that comes to your mouth in the finish, like the end of beef jerky.
Henry – Brown sugar, buckwheat honey, yeasty cereal grains, and malt syrup on the nose. The palate introduces the native WA peat with a sweet, earthy funk unlike any of the other regional peats I’ve tried. Sweetness and spice pervades into the finish, which is layered and lingering. There is a harsh heat from palate to finish. Water does not help, and adds tannic harshness. This whiskey has lots of potential, but needs more age to mellow and integrate into its full glory.
Ben – There’s a fun umami taste that comes to your mouth in the finish, like the end of beef jerky. It really is a whole lot of nose happening. There’s so much nose, I feel like after what it did to my nose. The yeasty smell, the peat, the very specific American peat smell, and then the chocolate, these things all translate into the drink. It’s a much bigger smell than it is a flavor.
