Editor’s Note: We received a review sample of this whiskey from the brand. However, in accordance with our editorial policies, this has not influenced the outcome of our review in any way.
Iowa’s Cedar Ridge is an American whiskey distillery with some history behind it, at least by craft distilling history standards. Founded in 2005 by Jeff and Laurie Quint in Iowa, Cedar Ridge has built a reputation for itself, which we experienced firsthand a few years back, as crafting premium Midwest whiskey influenced by its heritage of winemaking and roots in agriculture.
Though very much known for its Iowa corn bourbons, in 2020, Cedar Ridge released an American single malt known as The QuintEssential. This malt draws influences from barrels that once held brandy, rum, wine, port, or sherry before a final blending in the distillery’s solera vat. A handful of offerings have come under this namesake expression since then, with the latest being last year’s The QuintEsential Portside.
What’s in the bottle
Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Portside, which is being reviewed here, was created from 100% 2-Row Pale malted barley distilled entirely at Cedar Ridge. As an homage to the distillery’s cask portfolio, it first aged in Cedar Ridge ex-bourbon barrels and then was finished in First Fill Ruby Port, First Fill Amontillado Sherry, and Virgin French Casks.
“For this release in particular, I wanted to do something with a lot of Port influence,” said Cedar Ridge Master Blender Murphy Quint at the time of this whiskey’s release. “I like to produce big, bold, meaty single malts, so I decided to utilize First-Fill Ruby Port casks in order to capture maximum port flavor. To round it out, I married it with single malt finished in a First-Fill Amontillado Sherry Butt and one Virgin French Oak cask.
“The end result is definitely port-dominated, but it has a nice twist to it due to the Sherry and French Oak influence.”
The Cedar Ridge QuintEssential Portside is bottled at 117.2-proof and is available in Iowa, Chicago, and online. Its SRP is $99.99.
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