Whiskey Review: Wasmund’s Single Malt

The palate is on the musty side, with more of those wet garden/wet earth flavors from the nose, plus a bit of pungent naphthalene and cinnamon. It’s quite new-make-y, with lots of raw and cooked grain, although the porridge is punctuated with tantalizing suggestions of sweet cherry and apple. A charred sweetness and a distinct, almost cooling mentholated quality distinguishes a long finish. The char note in particular really sticks with you – the aftertaste is almost like that of a cigar. Overall, it doesn’t taste as hot as you might expect from 48% ABV. Final Thoughts: I can’t say the flavor or aroma of Wasmund’s Single Malt entices me greatly. Although there are a handful of interesting fruit/menthol notes, the unappealing combination of musty grain and ashy char falls flat. It’s hard to know which flavor components are attributable to Copper Fox’s malting/kilning process, and which are a result of the wood chip aging. I’d be interested in trying this again if it was aged traditionally. Score: 75 [SHOP FOR A BOTTLE OF WASMUND’S SINGLE MALT]