Creamy vanilla | Floral | White peach | Orange jasmine | Caramelized sugar | Slight pine sap

Crème brûlée | Toasted malt | Honey graham cracker | Allspice | Cedar | Honeycomb | Grape sherbet

Green grape | Light chocolate | Honey bun | White peppercorn spice | Sweet mixed berries | Crème brûlée | Faint bubble gum | Weathered oak | Lingering

Following up on the heels of their latest Farmsmith American Single Malt, Copperworks is back with their latest single barrel release. Located on the waterfront in downtown Seattle, Washington, Copperworks was founded by co-owners/distillers Jason Parker and Micah Nutt. The two were experienced craft beer makers who, the company states, “built Copperworks to explore the possibilities of malted barley by distilling high-quality craft beer (without hops) into fine spirits.”  The company states that Single Cask No. 160-2 “embodies Copperworks' Farmsmith ethos, celebrating Washington's barley fields through single variety, single farm, single growing year barley.”

For Single Cask No. 160-2, the company uses 100% Lyon malt, which was sourced from Horlacher Farm in Latah, Washington. This two-row barley varietal was developed by Washington State University's Agricultural Research Center and was created “to thrive in Eastern Washington's unique growing conditions.” The whiskey spent its entire aging period in a refilled American oak cask that previously held Copperworks Peated American Single Malt Whiskey.

The combination of flavors found in Single Cask No. 160-2 is an American single malt lover’s dream. The sip opens with an aroma that presents delicate scents of sweet, floral, and a hint of pine sap that play off each other really well. These transitions to a midpoint that sees a new wave of sweet notes resting on top of a cedar note. The addition of grape sherbet is noticeable and appreciated, and morphs into a green grape note to start the finish. This is joined by sweeter flavors, weathered oak, and a white peppercorn spice note. As the explosion of flavors lingers, you’re left contemplating this well-composed and intriguing single malt.

It’s a shame that this latest release is only a single barrel, since more American single malt lovers should have an opportunity to try this. Coming in at only 5 years old, this is a whiskey that punches well above what many may be expecting. Yes, the proof helps accentuate the flavors, but it also never comes off as overpowering, instead presenting an incredibly easy-to-enjoy sip. If Copperworks Distilling can consistently reproduce Single Cask No. 160-2, the American single malt market may have a new king at the top.

The American single malt in review is bottle number 53 of 197.