Whisky Connosr
Menu
Buy Whisky Online

Wasmund's Single Malt

Average score from 3 reviews and 5 ratings 84

Wasmund's Single Malt

Product details

Shop for this

What next?

  • Add to cabinet
  • Add to wish list
@markjedi1
Wasmund's Single Malt

Wasmund's is a single malt whisky that is distilled in the Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, Virginia. They do not use peat to dry their malt, but apple and cherry wood. The distillery fired up the stills in January 2005, under the ownership of Rick Wasmund, who gave his name to the whisky (I wonder why it was not simply called Wasmund’s Distillery, but who am I?). He founded the distillery after having learned the craft at Bowmore on Islay.

The nose is very special. Raw barley, apple sauce and honey on the one hand; umami, pine sap and wood shavings on the other. The whole is rather sweet as if some raisins and a pinch of cinnamon were put in the mashbill as well. I think it works. I find this special, but very pleasant indeed.

It is quite hard to put the palate into words, to be honest. It has something fruity and sweet, but also something dirty like a wet paper. Leather! Again wood shavings. That wood becomes very, very loud, in fact. It is almost like I am licking the bark of a tree! And still – it works! Quite spicy. Besides the cinnamon, I also get some paprika and woodsmoke. Towards the end it even becomes somewhat smoky. I like this!

The finish is long, warm, spicy and drying. Very grainy. Whole planks at the end. Some bitterness at the death.

I am very happy with this. A lovely taste explosion that is hard to compare. A discovery.

@SquidgyAsh

I was supposed to head to a friends whisky tasting last night, but sadly had to run out to the family business to help out during the public holiday rush. Because of this I decided that when I got home I had to crack open something special.

An American Single Malt Whisky.

Score!

Now I'm a huge fan of Stranhan's Single Malt, from Colorado, but this whisky is from Virginia's Copper Fox distillery.

I had no idea what I was walking into as I've never tried the distillery, it's aged from between 14 and 18 months from everything I can find online. Distilled in pot stills, and very small batches, one barrel at a time from everything I've read and heard.

It poured an extremely deep dark golden color that made me grin and ask myself how they get so much color into such a young whisky.

It's got a very odd nose and when I poured it the very first aroma I got was candy canes, lots of peppermint and cinnamon, then the nose evolved in the glass over the course of an hour or so with smoke covered toffee apples coming out, and then slowly some chocolate oranges appearing. There is an aroma of peat that surrounds the rest of the nose, but it's not overpoweringly so.

A very nice and complex little nose that takes a while to open up and show it's sexy little potential.

The nose makes me really eager to take a taste so I'm going to do just that!

Spicy! Spicy and fruity actually!

Pepper, cinnamon, mint, apples, chocolate oranges and faint peat roll around the palate making me smile. God I'm loving what the Americans are doing with single malts!

A very long and dry finish with lingering cinnamon apples ends the whisky and makes me smile.

Lovely, just lovely. This is a whisky that I'd love to run out and buy.

Sadly though I've never seen this bottle for sell in Australia, however looking at prices in Scotland and England I'm willing to bet that it'd run around $100 AUS a bottle.

That would be totally worth it! If you're looking for a whisky that is not quite like anything you've ever had before this is the whisky for you. If you get a chance to try it, do so!

"God I'm loving what the Americans are doing with single malts!"...have you had the chance to try McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt? It is an Islay style profile with some wonderful notes (including BBQ sauce coating the peat profile) that would hold up quite well in a tasting of Islay whiskies. I believe McCarthy's uses quarter casks (or something similar) and ages their batches for about three years.

If you come across a bottle ever, I am almost certain (based on your appreciation/enjoyment of the Wasmund's ability to present a unique profile) that you would find it to be a worthwhile purchase. As a price reference point, it seems to run in the US$40-$45 range in the US.

@Pudge72 No I haven't got a chance to try McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt yet sadly. Makes me wonder what all I was missing when I was living in the states and drinking 99% of my whisky with coke.

The problem over here is that American whiskies, anything other then Jack Daniel's and bourbons is that they're REALLY not popular from everything I've heard. I was informed that when I grabbed my bottle of Stranahan's (Another sexy single malt that's not like a single malt) that they were not going to bother bringing in anymore american whiskies other then ryes, bourbons and daniels.

However if I find it, odds are I'd pay an easy $120 or so just to try it!

@AboutChoice

Just because the name says Single Malt, and the “e” is omitted in whisky, that doesn’t mean that this whisky is in any way similar to single malt Scotch. In fact, this whisky is not much like anything else, not even bourbon. And that’s the way Rick Wasmund designed it. I was challenged to try to detect just what I was tasting, not to mention conjuring up something it tastes like. This may be a new species of whisky !

I discovered this bottle on a lark while traveling, at a store that had so many bottles that I had not seen before. This one was curious and just seemed to uniquely and quietly stand alone among the ranks of scotches and bourbons.

According to the distiller, Wasmund’s Single Malt Whisky is pot-stilled in small batches, one barrel at a time, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, at Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, Virginia. The whisky is distilled from malted Virginia barley, that is dried and flavored with the smoke of fruitwoods, such as apple wood, cherry and oak, instead of peat. The relatively rapid maturation is largely due to the proprietary addition of toasted apple wood chips, which are also commonly used for barbecues. Distilling at Copper Fox began in 2006, and only 3 people do all of the work.

My bottle is from Batch No XXX (30 I suppose), and it is really hard to believe that this whisky is only 18 months old.

The top of the bottle has an attractive, but deceiving wax-coating, and though I was disappointed to not find a cork, the hard plastic screw cap is of high quality, and works (and seals) very well :)

Glass Nose: A potent and forthcoming, strange and daunting, yet intriguing aroma … what on earth is this … and just how do I explain what it is like!? Maybe raison-scented industrial cleaning fluid, wet cardboard, and a ton of fresh-cut wood. This is not like anything else I’ve ever encountered, and in fact, not much like anything even edible. The nose is really not bad, but neither is it greatly appealing. After a bit of water, we might find a few additional notes … perhaps some burnt caramel and cinnamon.

Bottle Nose: The next day the bottle made available lovely and luscious scents of fudge, chocolate, vanilla and butterscotch, over the still very woody background. Some hints of herbs and flowers can be noticed if you are quiet.

Palate: A very small sip offers a pleasant, flavorful, surprising soft, and velvety semi-sweetness … all accompanying an eye-lifting and very novel flavor … perhaps a flowery or herbal essence. The palate continues on with potent freshly squeezed wood juice, with a dusting of cinnamon, paprika, anisette and pepper.

Finish: This is a medium-long, and quite satisfying finish … with a sustained and regulated dose of warmth, with nothing harsh or unpleasant. The very end leaves you with a slightly bitter and dry aftertaste. At times, a bit of youngness may bleed through, but if you control the method and size of your sips, you probably will not even notice.

Adding water seemed to soften the whisky a bit more, and to bring out some extra flavorful pleasantness.

Conclusions: My foremost reaction is that this is a very different and distinctive “single malt”. There is not a lot of complexity, and not a lot going on; you pretty much get one show per sip … but it is a good one. The whisky is neither young, thin, timid nor cheap-tasting, but pleasing, unpretentious, confident, and soft. It is likely that you would never guess that it is only 18 months old. Finally, there is the feeling of reserved dignity, honesty and integrity … similar to how I would characterize Bulleit and Jefferson’s bourbons.

Now, we have to compare Wasmund’s with Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey … another innovative stranger to our familiar flavors. With each of them possessing their own uniqueness, they are both members of my novelty category. Stranahan’s has a different weird sort of nose and flavor, and it is livelier and more engaging than the more reserved Wasmund’s. But I would hesitate to claim any superiority either way. If fact, I might like to pour a Wasmund’s while reading a good book or while ice fishing, but rather take along some Stranahan’s to a barbecue or to a soccer game.

I suppose that if I was first introduced to something like Wasmund’s, rather than Scotch or bourbon, then Scotch or bourbon might seem relatively different and strange. Wasmund’s is a new taste on the market that is ready to be experienced and compared … and ultimately embraced or rejected. There are other innovative whisky distillers, and these all could conceivably grow into a new major category in whisky. Also, these types of whiskies might be fun to include in (and liven up) a tasting session … especially one in which you must try to identify your sample :)

Copper Fox also produces rye whisky, high-proof spirits for creating your own custom whisky, barrels and barrel kits. The fact that this is a new and innovative distiller, that is trying to grow among the tall giants, seems to justify a little extra attention and interest. This distillery story is quite interesting and there is much more to say about it; but I am afraid that I may run Connosr out of review space if I don’t quickly refer you to the distiller’s website: www.copperfox.biz

And here is a good review of the rye expression, by @Victor: connosr.com/reviews/copper-fox/…

So sit down sometime, and spend some time with Wasmund’s whisky, and get to know each other … perhaps invite a friend … and you may even make a new friend :)

Score: 82/100 … liking it more and more

Just saw 'SquidgyAsh's' review about this bottle, and I was curious as to how you found this bottle had developed over time, since you had posted this thoughtful review.

Popular Wasmund's whiskies