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Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Portside

$99.99
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10

Whiskey Review: Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Portside

We review Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Portside, an American single malt out of Iowa that's finished in First Fill Ruby Port, First Fill Amontillado Sherry, and Virgin French Casks.
  • Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, founder of The Whiskey Wash, is an award-winning whiskey journalist, expert, and judge
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Tasting Notes:

About:
American single malt created from 100% 2-Row Pale malted barley distilled entirely at Cedar Ridge. It is aged in Cedar Ridge ex-bourbon barrels and finished in First Fill Ruby Port, First Fill Amontillado Sherry and Virgin French Casks. It is bottled at 117.2 proof and priced at $99.99.
Appearance:
The multi-cask influence is highly evident in the lucious golden amber color in glass, hosting as well nicely strucuted legs and moderate viscoscity.
Nose:
The aromatics of this American single malt are vibrant and fruit-forward, showcasing gorgeous notes of deep cherry, a hint of cigar smoke, warmed almonds, marzipan, raspberry cobbler, and some mild oak.
Palate:
Wow. That rocks the house. The palate on this is multi-dimensional, strangely kicking off with peanut butter, bringing along with it silky chocolate, deep vanilla, dark cherry pie filling, warm apple, a hit of oak, and, on the backsplash, a kiss of pepper.
Finish:
This finishes warm and beautiful, like a gentle kiss on a summer night, fading off like something you’re afraid you might never experience again.
Comments:
Cedar Ridge has consistently produced impressive whiskeys, and this one continues the tradition but is a step up even more. The multi-cask finish steals the show—get a bottle or three, trust me.

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.

Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Portside review
We review Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Portside, an American single malt out of Iowa that’s finished in First Fill Ruby Port, First Fill Amontillado Sherry, and Virgin French Casks. (image via Cedar Ridge)

Editor’s Note: We received a review sample of this whiskey from the brand. However, in accordance with our editorial policies, this has not influenced the outcome of our review in any way.

Iowa’s Cedar Ridge is an American whiskey distillery with some history behind it, at least by craft distilling history standards. Founded in 2005 by Jeff and Laurie Quint in Iowa, Cedar Ridge has built a reputation for itself, which we experienced firsthand a few years back, as crafting premium Midwest whiskey influenced by its heritage of winemaking and roots in agriculture.

Though very much known for its Iowa corn bourbons, in 2020, Cedar Ridge released an American single malt known as The QuintEssential. This malt draws influences from barrels that once held brandy, rum, wine, port, or sherry before a final blending in the distillery’s solera vat. A handful of offerings have come under this namesake expression since then, with the latest being last year’s The QuintEsential Portside.

What’s in the bottle

Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Portside, which is being reviewed here, was created from 100% 2-Row Pale malted barley distilled entirely at Cedar Ridge. As an homage to the distillery’s cask portfolio, it first aged in Cedar Ridge ex-bourbon barrels and then was finished in First Fill Ruby Port, First Fill Amontillado Sherry, and Virgin French Casks.

“For this release in particular, I wanted to do something with a lot of Port influence,” said Cedar Ridge Master Blender Murphy Quint at the time of this whiskey’s release. “I like to produce big, bold, meaty single malts, so I decided to utilize First-Fill Ruby Port casks in order to capture maximum port flavor. To round it out, I married it with single malt finished in a First-Fill Amontillado Sherry Butt and one Virgin French Oak cask.

“The end result is definitely port-dominated, but it has a nice twist to it due to the Sherry and French Oak influence.”

The Cedar Ridge QuintEssential Portside is bottled at 117.2-proof and is available in Iowa, Chicago, and online. Its SRP is $99.99.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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