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Whiskey Review: Kinsey Chardonnay Cask Whiskey

We review Kinsey Chardonnay Cask Whiskey. It's a four-year-old whiskey distilled from mostly corn, and finished in California chardonnay casks.

OVERALL RATING

7
$50.00
  • Carin Moonin is a Portland-based whiskey enthusiast and writer.
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Kinsey Chardonnay Cask (image via Carin Moonin)

Tasting Notes

About:

About $50; 80 proof; aged one year in chardonnay barrels; mash bill of of 99% corn and 1% malted barley.
Appearance:
Much lighter in the glass than I was expecting. I guess it is lighter than the straight wheat whiskey when I put them side by side, but in the glass it’s like a light gold. Maybe a low carat gold, but still shiny.
Nose:
Like its sibling, this nose is also subtle. But there’s definitely a nasal echo of the chardonnay cask in which it once dwelled. It’s chardonnay and oak and also cream and butter. This whiskey is very dairy-forward—and that’s something I don’t think I’ve ever noted in a whiskey. But it’s in play here.
Palate:
I kind of like this, but it is a little weird. It is strongly wine-ey, but not like an acidic wine, it’s like a creamy chardonnay and a whiskey met at a wedding and nine months later this concoction showed up. It’s smooth AF. I like this precisely because it’s not your typical whiskey and that’s totally fine. I want to rate this between 3.5 and 4 stars, it’s really like a 3.75, in my opinion. But in the absence of splitting whisky hairs I’ll go with a 3.5–but if you like wine, especially weird wines, it’s more like a 4-star.
Finish:
Comments:
Open this bottle and pour yourself some of the whiskey knowing it’s not something you grab off the shelf and toss into a cocktail. And doing that with this whiskey would be kind of a waste, anyway. rn

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.

Carin Moonin

Carin Moonin swapped a 5th-floor walkup in Hoboken, NJ, for a house in SE Portland a decade ago and hasn't looked back. She appreciates Portland's vibrant whiskey scene, finding it complements both the weather and her mood. Carin enjoys exploring the diverse world of brown liquor and its many facets. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Salon.com, DailyDot.com, Willamette Week, Portland Monthly, and others. When she's not indulging in whiskey or writing about it, you can find Carin running, reading, or on the hunt for free samples in grocery stores.

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