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Whiskey Review: Ridgeline Barrel Aged Vermont Whiskey

We review Ridgeline Barrel Aged Vermont Whiskey, a whiskey out of the Green Mountain State that's been aged in a combination of in ex-bourbon, new American oak, and port wine barrels.

OVERALL RATING

7
$40.00
  • Carin Moonin is a Portland-based whiskey enthusiast and writer.
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Tasting Notes

About:

45 percent barley, 30 percent corn, and 25 percent rye mash bill; 98 proof; about $40.
Appearance:
Reddish brown with a shine—like newly polished teak that has yet to see any wear and year. A new, un-creased leather belt.
Nose:
Now this is unusual. I happened to taste this after tasting Four Roses yellow label, which has an unobtrusive nose. This one is very different: It’s strong, potent. Toasted walnuts. Also cheese: Like cheese aging in an old shed that you’re happy to discover. (I do think a lot of whiskey goes well with cheese, so maybe I’m just wired to smell cheese when I sample whiskey.)
Palate:
Whoa, the palate is nothing like the nose. It’s more complex than its smell would suggest. Cinnamon and woodsy like a high desert forest. There is slight smoke on the finish—but I wouldn’t call this smoky—and a sweet echo from the port barrels in which it’s aged. Rosemary and licorice. It keeps changing the more I sip. It’s on the higher end, proof-wise, but it’s not firewater. Probably not something I would choose for an everyday sipper, but very interesting.
Finish:
Comments:
There’s enough complexity to keep you thinking. It’s not something I’d reach for again and again, but I didn’t dislike it. I’d sip this over ice and not make a drink out of it-—quite frankly, this whiskey’s a little too weird and perhaps difficult to find a drink that works with its hard-to-pin-down qualities. It’s not a Daily Driver bottle. It’s the whiskey equivalent of the coworker who you can’t really read, but then go for drinks with and they’re surprisingly fun…but then you come into work the next day and don’t talk much.

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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