Whisky: McCarthy's 3 Year for Westmoreland

Country/Region: United States/Oregon

ABV: 56.2%

Cask: Third Fill Oregon Oak Barrel

Age: 3 Years (Bottled 20 Oct. 2021)

Nose: Apples, oak, subtle campfire, bacon, pears, swimming pools, cigarettes, chocolate with a slight creaminess, toasted marshmallow, graham crackers, and leather.

Palate: Medium-bodied, sweet stewed apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, subtle campfire, powdered sugar, leather and citrus rind, red dirt, tobacco, and mint lingered at the end. Water cut the sweetness and brought out more herbal mint, tobacco, and hay.

Finish: Medium-length dry baking spice and graham crackers.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Dinner Pies & Non-Smoking Booths

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was dripping with nostalgia— applewood smoked bacon, cigarette smoke, hot chocolate, and toasted marshmallows or meringue all reminded me of the diners I loved so much growing up. While the aroma of bromine pool chemicals and cleaning agents (as well as a hint of that tobacco) recalled competitive swimming and weekend meets on the road. The profile was medium-bodied and sweet up front with stewed apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg before a toasted lemon meringue, powdered sugar, and graham cracker crust appeared. The impression of diner pies continued as leather booths, earth, and tobacco carried through at the end. A few drops of water tamped down the sweetness and brought out more mint, tobacco, and hay. Medium-length, the finish featured dry baking spices and graham crackers.

Heady with nostalgia, this dram left me recalling late nights in the “non-smoking” section of a diner— the old kind where even that section was still shrouded in a tobacco haze. Or maybe it was weekends on the road at a competitive swim meet, the sweet smell of swimming pool chemicals and disinfectant. Or perhaps the straw and leather brought field trips to cowboy museums and taxidermied bison to mind.

I enjoyed the aroma more than the flavor profile, but I found a few drops of water brought out more of the elements I wanted while tamping down some of the saccharine quality. The initial taste and aroma were always smokier, with more potent campfire elements than subsequent sips. While I noted the campfire and smoke above, those notes faded early.

Image Credit: Westmoreland Liquor