Jersey Spirits was founded in 2013 by John, Sue and Betty Granata and began production in 2015. A true family affair, John and Sue’s daughter Noël has grown up with the distillery and now serves as operations manager and lead distiller. The distillery is a grain-to-glass operation and is in now rush to grow just for growth’s sake. They are invested in their community, the tasting room serving as a frequent local gathering spot, and are not afraid to serve their spirits either on their own or mixed into a cocktail. For a micro-distillery, Jersey Spirits offers a wide offering of gins, vodkas, rums, moonshines and bourbons. The Wildwood series is named after a resort city in New Jersey and is the banner all their single malts appear under. The Wildwoods Applewood Smoked is made from barley sourced from Rabbit Hill Farms in South Jersey and then smoked over an applewood fire. Other single malts are the Cherrywood Smoked and Celtic Riviera.
The 375ml bottle used for this review was provided free of charge, which did not influence our reactions. Thanks John!
Distillery: Jersey Spirits
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 42.5%
Price: $57.99
Maturation: 5-gallon oak barrels
Barrel: Batch# E10I; bottle #87
Location: Fairfield, New Jersey
Nose: Cereal, barley, apple, smoke, candy sugar
Palate: Apple, barley, spice
Finish: Apple, smoke, wood, fruit
Comments: Let it sit in your glass for a good long while, perhaps up to half an hour, to really let everything align properly. Props to a website, distillery and labels that convey an incredible amount of detail. Educational and transparent!
Adam – The Wildwoods Applewood likes to flirt with borders, skirting precipices while trying not to fall off them. Smell too quickly or deeply, approach the palate looking for something you’re not going to get, and things can feel off even if the whiskey isn’t. So many descriptors in the group setting seemed to start “it’s almost like…”, a thing defined just as much by what it is not than what it is. The nose is apple on the outset, even if that fruit colors a little outside the lines sometimes, wreathed lightly with smoke. A deeper nosing reveals a definite grain and a surprising sweetness reminiscent of cotton candy. Really fun if inconsistent, as sometimes I put my nose to glass and get a slight tang that reminds me of the spirit’s youth a little. When you dance the blade, sometimes you get cut. That being said, it is quite lovely on the palate with a parade of fruit, wood and grain that transitions into more of a barley finish, again with a light touch of smoke and a subtle echo of that candy sweetness from the nose. While not incredibly complex, it is nevertheless pleasant. The whiskey nerd in me wants to see what maturing in a bigger barrel for longer would reap but I can’t ignore the fact that this young one still has a great mouthfeel and enough flavor to enjoy on its own or in a cocktail.
Kate – There’s something familiar about the Wildwoods Applewood but I’m not sure what exactly. Like the barn after it’s rained heavily and it’s humid. Drying wood. There’s a sweet creaminess at the front of the palate that I like but it disappears quickly. There’s a slight sourness in the finish that’s reminiscent of when you leave applesauce out too long. But once everything settles down there are really some pleasant things going on. I’d be interested to see what it would be like in another few years.
Henry – Big bold nose of barley, candy sugar, new make, and applewood-smoked barbeque. It’s fresh and exciting, with its youth clearly on display. Palate is balanced between sweetness and tannic astringency, with a hint of bite. Finish is lingering, with smoke and fruitwood carried on a mouthwatering acidity.
Ben – The Wildwoods Applewood’s got an apple cider vinegar thing going on right up front. There’s also a smokiness that isn’t a huge smoke. It smells like smoke coming off a wet piece of firewood. It’s fighting to be smoke. Coriander seed on a second nosing of the glass. It reminds me of some of the smells that come out of Liberty Pole. Apple like the fruit not like the wood. Not a candy green apple. I have a lot of negative experiences of vinegar in my childhood but this is not that. This is weird but good. It’s kind of a big apple on the palate but not like drinking apple juice. It’s the meat of the apple. The finish is dried apple, absolutely, on the sides of my tongue. Damn, this one is weird. It takes a long time for the finish to quit and it just hangs on. It’s crazy. Everlasting gobstopper kind of apple.
Everlasting gobstopper kind of apple.
Bill – I used to live next to a farmer growing up. He had an attic over the milk house that was full of cotton or pussy willow. This reminds me of wet pussy willow. On the palate there is some off-fermentation here but there is a uniformity underneath at the base. This is one to watch and revisit in a couple of years to see if they can improve.
Mike – The nose is dusty. Dusty grain on the beginning of the palate, which is a flavor I often associate with younger whiskies. But there are also distinct baking spices. Maybe cinnamon? The Wildwoods Applewood reminds me of a cask strength rye from Ponfeigh Distillery somehow. Not super complicated but I find this quite pleasant.
Evelyn – We’ve been to distilleries where they don’t know how to cut but the Wildwoods Applewood isn’t it. The off notes are in their base spirit.
Sam – It has the “your grain will spoil soon” smell to it. It tastes like they’re not keeping their equipment clean enough, like there’s secondary fermentation in the line. This isn’t a problem with how they’re cutting or aging it, it’s a fundamental problem with their wort. They need to tighten up on their quality. If they get their quality control under control, they’ll be making some of America’s finest whiskies.
Kim – The Wildwoods Applewood is not balanced. Its got a ways to go and could be a great whiskey if given some time. I like the hints of apple that come through but it’s not enough.
