Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a free sample to review by the party behind it. The Whiskey Wash, while appreciative of this, did keep full independent editorial control over this article.
The solera aging system is quite simple. While mainly used in cognac, ports and sherries, the process involves filling a series of casks at different intervals over a long period of time. As the whiskey from the oldest cast is bottled, the cask is re-filled with the equivalent amount from the next oldest cask. This is repeated until the youngest cask is filled with new whiskey. No cask is ever emptied, and the youngest whiskey ages and cascades through the solera while it continues to age and grow in complexity in time.
Hillrock Estate Distillery, making use of the solera technique in its bourbon, is one of a few field to glass whiskey producers in the world. They also claim the throne of being one of the first American distilleries since before Prohibition to floor malt their estate grown grain. Located in upstate New York in the Hudson Valley. Hillrock is led by former Maker’s Mark head distiller Dave Pickerell, who is the mastermind behind the idea of using solera aging for whiskey.
Here are my tasting notes for the Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon, which I found to be light to medium amber in my glass.
Nose: caramel, spice, rye, slight oak.
Palette: nice mouth feel. almost a velvet softness, cinnamon, caramel, rye, slight heat- from the rye, smoothness.
Finish: oak, caramel, rye, vanilla, a bit on the short side.
I give this solera aged bourbon an overall score of 87.
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