Review: Service to America Salute War Dogs Bourbon
Service to America Salute (SAS) is a brand owned and distilled by Heritage Distilling in Gig Harbor, Washington. War Dogs is the newest release under the Service to America Salute branding, and it honors the courage and sacrifice of America’s Military Working Dogs. Purchases of War Dogs and any expressions under the SAS branding fund non-profit organizations that support human and K9 warriors, veterans, and their families.
Heritage Distilling produces bourbon with numerous factors that differentiate themselves from the pack. Rather than utilizing American cooperages, their barrels originate from Toneleria J.L. Rodriguez in Andalusia, Spain. Oddly, while the cooperage is located in Spain, the barrels are still constructed out of heavy charred American oak staves. Heritage’s mashbill consists of 65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley that fermented for 3 days. Most likely an unfamiliar name to most American whiskey enthusiasts, Heritage run a custom hybrid still manufactured by Barrison Industry in Trento, Italy. Barrison built a 550-gallon pot that leads to a reboiler under an 8-plate reflect column. The still is all analog and is controlled by taste, touch, and smell. The distillate comes off the still at 135 proof and enters the barrel at 121 proof. War Dogs is aged for a minimum of 5 years and bottled at 98.6 proof.
Service to America Salute War Dogs is a noble cause, but how’s the actual bourbon? Let’s put our nose to the ground and find out.
Dogs are known for their keen sense of smell and War Dogs offers an enticing bouquet. The aroma of dried cherry and peach jam immediately rises from the glass. A stone fruit notes take a turn as pine and black pepper follow. After some time to air, an aroma of caramel mingles with the pine and black pepper.
As the nose finishes with drier notes, the palate opens with a dry and slightly bitter coffee experience. This is followed by English toffee and brut apple cider. Continuing with the dry character, the midpalate transitions to a less sweet buckwheat honey.
The dry parade marches on with the finish as caramel immediately meets black pepper and pine. As the finish slowly burns for a moderate length of time, barrel char carries to the very end.
The overall experience with War Dogs can be characterized as quite dry. If a bourbon enthusiast is looking for an offering with the typically sweet caramel and brown sugar profile, War Dogs isn’t it. For those who enjoy a bourbon profile without a lot of sweetness, Heritage’s newest expression is worth checking out.
98.6 proof.
B+ / $95 / saluteseries.com
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