Review: Tree House Distillery Old Growth Small Batch Bourbon (Batch Two)

In 2021, Tree House Brewing Company – one of the most popular craft breweries in the new New England area – announced plans to open a grain to glass distillery and begin producing rum, vodka, liqueur, gin, seasonal Eau de Vie, and whiskey.

Fast forward a year: Tree House Distillery is up and running in Charlton, MA and has even released its first whiskey, Old Growth Small Batch Bourbon Batch One. I missed out on Batch One, but a friend managed to get his hands on Batch Two – a wheated bourbon distilled from an undisclosed mash bill – and was kind enough to lend me the bottle to sample. Thanks Matt! I think?

Tree House isn’t blending spirits produced elsewhere, nor is it sourcing neutral spirits – everything the company bottles is being produced in-house. Old Growth Bourbon Batch Two was distilled using only New England grown and malted grains, aged under 4 years in American oak casks, and bottled on 9/1/22 at 50% ABV. This release was limited to 1,400 half bottles and has since sold out.

To put “aged under 4 years” on the label seems a bit deceptive. Tree House Distillery hasn’t been operational for long, so this whiskey can’t be anywhere near 4 years old. It appears Tree House Distillery became operational at some point in 2021, which means that Old Growth Bourbon Batch Two would at best still be under 2 years old, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was less than a year old.

Young craft whiskey can be very hit or miss. Oftentimes, new distilleries will rush immature product to market because they need to generate revenue to survive. Will that be the case with Old Growth Bourbon Batch Two?

Tree House Distillery Old Growth Small Batch Bourbon (Batch 2) Specifications:

• Spirit: American Whiskey.
• Classification: Bourbon.
• Region: Massachusetts.
• Age: NAS (No Age Statement).
• ABV: 50% (100 Proof).
• Mash Bill: Undisclosed.
• Price Paid: N/A (Sample from a friend).
• MSRP: $29.99 for 375 mL.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Astringent. Wood chips soaked in rubbing alcohol. Cinnamon and a nondescript sweetness.
• Palate: Moderate mouthfeel – not watery, but not oily. Taking a sip, it’s immediately apparent that this is even more astringent on the palate than on the nose. It tastes like rubbing alcohol soaked in wood chips. There’s a hint of cinnamon, vanilla, and a nondescript, fruity sweetness but it’s drowned out by the astringency.
• Finish: Short. The cinnamon, vanilla, and fruity sweetness come through a little more, but this is still dominated by the astringent character of rubbing alcohol soaked in wood chips.

As a fan of Tree House’s beers, I was looking forward to trying Old Growth Bourbon. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by a young craft whiskey, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t be drinkable, either. Young whiskey can taste good if it’s produced well. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at what Peerless Whiskey is doing. Unfortunately, Old Growth Bourbon Batch Two isn’t just young, it’s immature. This is a whiskey that was pulled from the barrel before it was ready. As is, it tastes like new make spirit soaked in wood chips, and bad new make at that.

Tree House has a strong reputation in the craft beer community, and I’m shocked that they thought releasing Old Growth Bourbon Batch Two in such a state would be acceptable. I can’t recommend drinking this neat or on the rocks, nor using it as a mixer – it would only make your cocktail worse.

Rating: F (0–59%).

• Bourbon
• Tree House Distillery
• Tree House Old Growth Bourbon