Editor’s Note: These whiskies were provided to us as free samples to review by the party behind them. The Whiskey Wash, while appreciative of this, did keep full independent editorial control over this article.
The first time I ever went to Washington, D.C., I was eight years old. What I remember most were freeze-dried ice cream at the Air & Space Museum and getting pooped on by a bird. It’s fine—I never had an interest in politics anyway.
But whiskey…now that’s another story.
One Eight Distilling is Washington D.C.’s second distillery; it opened in January 2015. It’s named for Article One Section Eight of the Constitution, which established a district to function as the nation’s capital. One Eight’s founders, immigration attorney Sandy Wood and Alex Laufer, who previously worked in the biotechnology and neuroscience fields, left their careers to start the distillery.
One Eight’s lofty goal is to produce the finest spirits from grain to glass, all within Washington, D.C. They’re not there yet, but most of the grains used in the distilling process come from Maryland’s Eastern Shore; malted rye is sourced from the Midwest and North Carolina. Currently, One Eight produces several spirits, including Rock Creek Whiskey, Ivy City Gin, and District Vodka. And, hey: It must be good if a Pokemon shows up.
They also bottle one-off batches of spirits—mainly whiskey, with a gin or two thrown in there, too—otherwise known as their “One Eight Distilling Untitled” series. One Eight describes their Untitled series as “a series designed for play and experimentation.” All these whiskies have been sourced and then various things have been done to finish them, some of which work, and some of which don’t.
Tasting Notes: One Eight Distilling Untitled Whiskey No. 1
This is an eight-year old high-rye bourbon blended and finished for three months in a 30 year-old sherry cask.
Color: Remember the Bain de Soleil ads from the ‘80s? It’s that same fiery bronze.
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Nose: Sweet, a penny candy store, chocolate covered dried cherries.
Palate: Starts smooth, but quickly moves to hot, like red-hots.
Finish: The taste and smell don’t match up; I was expecting sweet and smooth, based on the nose and I got more of a spicy and sharp kick.
Final Thoughts:
It doesn’t taste as high-alcohol as the 105 proof would have you believe, so that’s cool. But the scent promises what the palate doesn’t deliver. This makes me sad.
Score: 80/100
Tasting Notes: One Eight Distilling Untitled Whiskey No. 2
This is a 92 proof Tennessee sour mash straight whiskey blended and finished in an Oloroso sherry cask.
Color: Orange shellac.
Nose: It’s very light, but what there is comes out as candied orange, maple sugar candy, and kerosene.
Palate: Lemon/citrus. Like Meyer lemon. Not as hot as No. 1, although that kerosene does push on through.
Finish: A little bit lighter. Lighter fluid.
Final Thoughts:
As this mellows, it gets a little more Scotch-like. And I’m not a big fan of Scotch. This one’s not my favorite, but it’s interesting—like an art exhibit I’m dragged to out of politeness.
Score: 77/100
Tasting Notes: One Eight Distilling Untitled Whiskey No. 3
96 proof, this and No. 4 are collaborations with Vigilante Coffee Roasters: No. 3 uses the barrel that held roasted coffee beans.
Color: Perfume, like a Chanel No. 5.
Nose: Vegetal. Rubbery, green pepper, the beginnings of a compost pile, oil paint.
Palate: As Ron Burgundy would say, “Scotchy, scotch, scotch!” Aside from that? Sawdust, honey, black pepper.
Finish: There’s heat at the beginning—spice in front, and it finishes vanilla and nutty. At least according to my co-taster. To me, it tasted like middle school wood shop—one of my least favorite experiences ever ever ever.
Final Thoughts:
Co-taster was a fan. I was not.
Score: 73/100
Tasting Notes: One Eight Distilling Untitled Whiskey No. 4
Only 84 proof, No. 4 uses a bourbon barrel that held Vigilante Coffee’s unroasted, green Sumatran beans.
Color: The color of a lighter-bodied lager.
Nose: Light on the nose, floral, pine needles, lemon zest.
Palate: This one is different. And interesting. It’s light in color and nose, and yet still well-balanced. Sweetness finishes in a dusting of white pepper.
Finish: I would give this to someone who doesn’t normally drink whiskey neat. I’d only drink it neat: It would be overpowered in a cocktail and ice would dilute it too much.
Final Thoughts:
Very pleasant, gentle, and unusual. I wouldn’t go to great lengths to hunt it down, but if at the tasting room, I’d totally buy a bottle.
Score: 86/100
Tasting Notes: One Eight Distilling Untitled Whiskey No. 5
This is sourced Tennessee sour mash whiskey aged four months in a Sandeman tawny port cask. By now, these have ranged from “meh” to “hey, that’s pretty nice.” My palate’s getting a little tired and my co-taster and I are tired of finding new colors for brown liquor. But we soldier on! The only way out is through!
Color: An appealing ruby reddish.
Nose: Sun-warmed soil, a little metallic. Think hot machinery.
Palate: Smooth and sweet. It’s really nice. Cherries, vanilla, dusted cocoa powder.
Finish: Long finish, pretty darn exquisite. I want to savor this. Some of the small tastes we poured we didn’t finish, but this one we did and I would have kept on with it if I could. The things I do for this site!
Final Thoughts:
I didn’t look at One Eight’s website until after tasting these, and I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t want to be influenced by other tasting notes. And also, because based on the description I probably would have gravitated toward this one anyway, so it was good to do it “blind.” I usually enjoy port-aged whiskies, so this was no surprise. It’s 94 proof and not harsh at all. The balance of the port cask and whiskey is perfectly balanced. I want a big girl bottle of this, and I want it now.
Score: 91/100
Tasting Notes: One Eight Distilling Untitled Whiskey No. 6
Topping out at 100 proof, this is a nine year-old high-rye bourbon blended and finished in Cognac, Muscat, and Oloroso sherry casks.
Color: A brand-new baseball glove.
Nose: Strongly alcoholic, with toffee and caramel. I thought it smelled like getting water up your nose; my co-taster thought it smelled like a wool sweater. He was so convinced of this that in 90-degree heat he pulled one from his closet to have me sniff it. I still didn’t agree.
Palate: Sweet with a spicy finish. This has a heavy, kind of holiday feel to it. A little overindulgent, actually. I’m betting it’s because of all the various casks used in the making of this one.
Finish: This may be my fatigued palate speaking, but it tastes like the end of a stream of obligatory holiday parties.
Final Thoughts:
It tastes like a whiskey shot when you have to do one or risk being the wet blanket at the office Christmas party.
Score: 82/100
Tasting Notes: One Eight Distilling Untitled Whiskey No. 7
And on the 7th taste she rested. Nope! They saved the highest alcohol for last: Yay? This is cask strength, (115.4%) and features a blend of whiskies finished in Port and Cognac casks.
Color: The first few drops of yellow egg dye in water.
Nose: Sunflowers, oak, putty, high alcohol on the nose.
Palate: Mild, consistent on the palate, it starts mellow but finishes spicy. Smells higher-alcohol than it tastes.
Finish: It has a nice, pleasing mouth feel, and the spice continues.
Final Thoughts:
This is well-balanced, especially for its strength—or at least it seems that way after six tastes. I almost want to do this tasting in reverse order, just to give the later tastes the benefit of a fresher palate. Hmm, Maybe some other time.
Score: 83/100
In Conclusion:
Not sure if my editors think I’m playful, greedy, or a sucker, but these seven whiskeys in One Eight’s Untitled series are a lot. I got to taste all of them. In one sitting. While I adore this gig and said editors, and although these are tiny tasters that make the bottles you get on a plane look like casks, I kind of wondered if it was the whiskey equivalent of a father finding his kids smoking and forcing them to chain smoke a whole pack.
(I kid! I kid! This was fun.)
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