American

Whiskey Review: Seattle Distilling Idle Hour Whiskey

We review Seattle Distilling Idle Hour Whiskey, a young American single malt whiskey aged in cabernet sauvignon barrels that have been house-charred.

OVERALL RATING

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Tasting Notes

About:

Appearance:
Nose:
A heavy honey note predominates, alongside banana and rummy brown sugar. These dessert-like flavors are cut with a faint, but distinctly sharp chemical note. Altogether, it’s not unlike a freshly-ignited pan of bananas foster. In the emptied-out glass, I also get some winey notes.
Palate:
A little less cloying, with more dark fruit—black cherry and currant—evident, and some smoke. Honey and brown sugar are also noticeable. The finish is short and flat; fades to bitter oak and wine. Conclusion: Overall, this whiskey is an awkward mishmash of flavors, the rum-like character of the nose not quite gelling with the faint wine notes imparted by the barrel. The contrast between heady sweetness and sharp acetone gives it a distinctly youthful quality. It’s hard not to see the addition of honey and the cabernet-barrel aging as attempts to make up for the whiskey’s sprightly age, and none of it quite comes together. Final score: 77/100
Finish:
Comments:

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Katelyn Best

Katelyn Best, a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, is a regular contributor to The Whiskey Wash. She has a particular passion for exploring the unique and unconventional aspects of the whisky world.

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