Whisky: Brickway 5 Year Bottled in Bond Omaha Single Malt

Country/Region: United States/Nebraska

ABV: 53.5%

Cask: New American Oak

Age: 5 Years (Bottled Jan. 2022)

Nose: Oak, lacquered wood, dried florals with hints of lavender, cinnamon and molasses, olive oil, and pickling spices: herbal dill, celery seed, salt.

Palate: Medium-bodied and oily, brown sugar, candied almonds, honey, herbal tea, caraway seeds, herbal hops, and hay toward the finish with a kiss of salt. With water, the honey and tea stood out more with chocolate and malt on the finish with none of the herbal funk.

Finish: Medium length with grass, yeasty dough, and honey.

Score: 5

Mental Image: Minor League Baseball Concession Stand

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was initially tight with a very close oaky texture; with time, the woody tannins softened so that the initial heady lacquered wood, dried florals, and cinnamon were joined by herbal pickling spice. Celery seeds, salt, caraway, and dill came to mind with a nutty olive oil and mild lavender— dill pickle chips, anyone? The palate was medium-bodied but quite viscous and oily with an initial blast of nutty roasted almond and Brazil nuts. The sweetness of candied nuts eventually came to dominate before an herbal, slightly funky melange of tea, hay, hops, and caraway appeared and lingered at the end. Medium-length on the finish with grass, yeasty dough, and subtle clover honey.

A bit of a chameleon, this single malt from Omaha’s Brickway Distillery had a vibrant— albeit strange— herbal spice that developed on the nose after some of the heady oak dissipated. Hints of lavender occasionally brought to mind soap— but those were less common with the emergence of pickling spices. The palate was not nearly as close textured and tight as I expected— if anything, it was relatively mild after the first sip. Though the dram was woody, there was a lovely nuttiness to the spirit with a slight doughy-grassy funk on the finish.