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Whisky Review: Pendleton Whisky

Pendleton Whisky evokes cowboys, rodeos, and rural Oregon heritage. But can its flavor go boot-to-boot with its rough-and-tumble image?

OVERALL RATING

  • Margarett Waterbury is a whiskey enthusiast and industry expert.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Appearance:
Bright copper and very translucent with thin, widely spaced legs.
Nose:
Extremely sweet and dominated by caramel and burnt marshmallow. There’s a sharp, bottom-shelf vodka element to the aroma, like toasted wood floating in solvent. More interesting notes poke through, like a faint hint of rye bread crust, but the aroma is overpowered by artificial notes suggesting a mixture of pennies and Werther’s Originals.
Palate:
Also very sweet and driven by notes of caramel, confectionery, and low calorie sweetener. The caramel is pretty artificial tasting, much more reminiscent of a Yankee Candle than burnt sugar. The mid palate offers a bit of rye spice but without much richness or dimension, and quickly peters out into a short, slightly warming finish. Conclusion: Sweet, flat, and thin-bodied, Pendleton Whisky tastes a lot like vodka mixed with grocery store caramel sauce. A few tantalizing rye notes hint at something interesting, but overall this spirit reminds me of nothing more than diet cream soda. You might like Pendleton if you find most whiskies too rough or too dry, but I didn’t find much to enjoy about it. Final Score: 74/100
Finish:
Comments:

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Margarett Waterbury

Margarett Waterbury is the author of "Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland's Whiskies" and a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the beverage industry. Her work has graced the pages of numerous publications, including Whisky Advocate, Food and Wine, Spirited Magazine, Artisan Spirit, Edible Seattle, Sip Northwest, Civil Eats, Travel Oregon, and many others. She also boasts editorial experience as the former managing editor of Edible Portland and as a co-founder and former managing editor of The Whiskey Wash. In recognition of her talent, Margarett received the Alan Lodge Young Drinks Writer of the Year award in 2017 and was awarded fellowships for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in 2017 and 2019.

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