OALA

Situated in Seattles Capitol Hill Neighborhood, Oola Distillery was founded by Kirby Kallas-Lewis as "a labor of love, intellectual curiosity and commitment to the neighborhood."Oola Waitsburg Bourbon is crafted from a mash of approximately 65 percent corn, 25 percent rye, 13 percent malted barley and 12 percent white winter wheat. "All our grains are sourced from two organic farms in Eastern Washington," says Kirby. In addition, the use of wheat in the bourbons mashbill "allows me to hold back on the corn and add more rye. This results in a more complex, balanced and less overly sweet bourbon."Once the ingredients arrive at the distillery, they are milled and mashed before being distilled through Kirbys copper-pot still.Following distillation, the bourbon is matured in small, American white oak casks that are subjected to large temperature swings of up to 50-70 each day. "The idea is to extract a lot of the influence from the barrel early on in the aging process." After this initial beautyrest, the bourbon is transferred to 53-gallon, American white oak casks that boast an alligator char. The alligator char allows the whiskey to penetrate the wood, which hails from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, up to a inch. There, the bourbon rests for an additional four years. "These casks are then combined to marry together subtle flavors that compliment each other usually two barrels are married together, but sometimes 3 or 4 work best to get to the optimum flavor profile before bottling."Once the barrels have been blended, the bourbon is bottled without the use of chill filtration. "We want the full richness of the nose and flavor profile to stay as intact as possible," says Kirby.Oola Discourse C American Whiskey takes Oola Waitsburg Bourbon, which earned 93 points and a Gold Medal at the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and finishes it for an additional nine months in 60-gallon French oak barrels from a 100-point Washington Cabernet Sauvignon producer. As a result, Oola Discourse C American Whiskey has a bright aroma of breakfast toast, honey-roasted nuts and caramelized fruits. The lush nose gives way to creamy notes of baking spices and crme brle, and leads to a vibrant finish filled with toffee, dark chocolate and fresh fruits, particularly oranges and plums.The conversation between French and American oak barrels is what we are exploring here, says Oola founder Kirby Kallas-Lewis. Oola Discourse C American Whiskey was Highly Recommended by the Beverage Testing Institute, and is extremely limited in quantity pick up a bottle today!