Review - Wiggly Bridge New England Single Malt Whisky

On our many visits to the Wiggly Bridge Distillery over the last few years, Distiller David Woods, Sr. has frequently pointed out some dusty barrels in the basement under the tasting room floor that contained the distillery's first ever New England Single Malt Whisky.  As you can imagine, we have waited in anticipation of its release for quite a while now, and we had a pretty good idea what was coming when the distillery started teasing a new release a few weeks earlier.

This new release comes at an auspicious time for the distillery, which was recently named the 16th fastest growing distillery in the United States - growing faster, in fact, than Angel's Envy.  In order to keep up with production demands, the distillery recently upgraded from its two homemade copper pot stills to new column still, allowing distillers David Sr. and David Jr. to produce more whiskey in less time.

Like all of Wiggly Bridge's products, the New England Single Malt Whisky is distilled and aged right there at the distillery on US Route 1 in York, Maine using an heirloom Scottish distiller's yeast.  Unlike its other products, the barley is also entirely obtained from sources within the state making it a 100% Maine product. The barley for Wiggly Bridge New England Single Malt is grown in Aroostook County and malted at Blue Ox Malt House in Lewiston, Maine.

Wiggly Bridge New England Single Malt Tasting Notes

Mash Bill: 100% Maine grown and malted barley.  No age statement. 92 Proof.

Color: Golden honey

Nose: Applesauce, vanilla, grain

Palate: Honey, stewed fruit, grain

Finish: Grassy notes with a moderate ethanol burn

Final Thoughts on Wiggly Bridge New England Single Malt

I'm mainly a bourbon and rye man, so I doubt this will ever supplant Wiggly Bridge's Ultra-High Rye Bourbon on my personal list of favorite Maine whiskies. On the other hand, I sincerely enjoyed sipping this New England Single Malt; it has a nice smooth light flavor that goes down easy and makes a nice contrast with sweeter food you might be eating (or in my case, a sweeter cocktail I had just tasted.)  If you get a chance, I'd encourage you to give this single malt a shot, and I also know it will only get better with time!

Cheers!

-Trevor