Editor’s Note: These whiskeys were provided to us as review samples by Old Line Spirits. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link towards the bottom of this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.
Merriam-Webster defines Old-line as, “having a reputation or authority based on length or proven quality of service.” It’s a hopeful and ambitious name for a newer distillery to take on. Old Line Spirits out of Baltimore, Maryland, picked up the trade from Golden Distilling. They are keeping traditions alive and moving forward with the knowledge they gained. I’m looking at two of their American Single Malts, one finished in Madeira casks and the other finished in Port casks.
Old Line Spirits has done a great job of getting themselves set up. You can check out an in depth backstory on their website, but here are some key bullet points: They started distilling in 2016 using Middle West Spirits in Columbus, Ohio. In 2017, they opened the doors on their own distillery in Baltimore, Maryland. It appears they are still using Middle West Spirits while also distilling at their own location.
Both of Old Line Spirits American Single Malts start the same way. Their mash of premium 2-row malt and deep roast malt is distilled at Middle West Spirits. It is then moved to Old Line Spirits for aging and bottling. Both of these releases start off in new white oak before being finished in their respective fortified wine casks.
Madeira is a type of fortified wine from the island of Madeira. Wine Folly has a good breakdown of this style of wine. This wine category, like all wine categories, has a pretty wide range of flavors and styles within it. You don’t often get information on what style of Madeira is used in finishing whiskeys. While I have enjoyed several other whiskeys finished in Madeira, the Tyrconnel being one of my favorites, I didn’t find Old Line Spirits’ bottling gained much from this great style of wine.
Port is a fortified wine from Portugal and is an even bigger category than Madeira. Luckily Old Line does specify that they are using Tawny Port for their finish. You can expect ports to lend characteristics of fruit, baking spices, caramel, and sometimes nuttiness. This release does a really nice job of building off the base flavors of the whiskey with the fruit notes of the port. This to me is what a finish should accomplish.
I appreciate Old Line’s transparency with their labeling. They clearly state the malt used for distilling as well as the barrel types and how long they age in each barrel. With a little understanding of what the barrel types used in finishing are you can get some insight into what you should expect from the bottle of whiskey. But, those expectations can also leave you disappointed when you don’t find the flavors you love carrying over to the final product.
Tasting Notes: Old Line American Single Malt Whiskey Double Oak Series Madeira Cask
Vital Stats: 100% malted barley using 2-row malt and deep roast malt. Aged 3.3 years in new white oak and finished in Madeira cask for 10 months. Enters the barrel at 59.9% ABV and enters the bottle at 50% ABV. $64.99 for a 750ml bottle, available at the distillery and select retailers.
Appearance: Copperish red in color. Tears are very slow to form and fall
Nose: The first impressions are that of paint thinner. I decided to let this sit for about 20 minutes before coming back to it. Then, I get subtle aromas of caramel, raisins, and pastry on the nose that remind me of a nice bread pudding. As I continue to nose it, ethanol just dominates everything.
Palate: Very astringent when first poured. After letting it sit for those same 20 minutes mentioned above, I still find it on the astringent side. There are some underlying notes of baking spices (mainly cinnamon) and pastries. It is fairly thick on the tongue and dry and tannic on the finish. The addition of water made the experience a bit nicer for me: no astringency up front with sweeter notes of brown sugar and a hint of maple. I still did not find the finish to my liking. It was very aggressive and left me with a burn at the back of my throat.
Trending Stories
Rating: 1.5/5
Tasting Notes: Old Line American Single Malt Whiskey Double Oak Series Port Cask
Vital Stats: 100% malted barley using 2-row malt and deep roast malt. Aged 3.5 years in new white oak, and finished in Tawny Port cask for 6 months. Enters the barrel at 60% ABV and enters the bottle at 50% ABV. $64.99 for a 750ml bottle, available at the distillery and select retailers.
Appearance: A deep rich amber color, legs form instantly with a thick rim of large beads showing up after.
Nose: I get Luxardo cherry, chocolate, and an earthy kind of wood scent that makes me think of a tree that has fallen many years ago. There is a nice butter and brown sugar note beneath the other more pronounced scents.
Palate: Some lovely notes of dried red fruits run throughout this. It reminds me of drinking a less herbaceous Manhattan. It has a little bit of a bite, and the lovely caramel, oak, and spice one expects of a whiskey all accompanied by the sweeter notes the Port brings. There is still a little astringency at the back end but the finish is quite pleasant and reminds me of eating the Luxardo cherry when I finish my Manhattan. Water brings out more of the sweetness of the whiskey with a bit of brown sugar complementing the rest of the flavors.
Rating: 4/5
Final Thoughts: Not every finished whiskey is a success. I found the Port finish to be quite lovely and have found myself sipping on it quite a few times since my initial tasting. However, the Madeira finish was not to my liking. Something about it just didn’t come together for me. Old Line Spirits Double Oak Series will be a fun project and something worth checking out if you go by their distillery, but, as is sometimes the case with one-off productions, you take the risk of the occasional miss.
Latest News