WC Test Drive: Eastside Distillery Cherry Bomb Whiskey
The temptation with Eastside Distilling’s Cherry Bomb Whiskey is to go the same route as that of its sister flavored whiskey – Marionberry – namely, to pronounce it to be relatively decent as far as flavored whiskies go. That is exactly what we are going to do. Sorta. In reality, Cherry Bomb Whiskey is just another flavored whiskey and it’s not nearly as exotic as marionberry, so it does not get extra panache points like the Marionberry Whiskey did. However, this is not to say that it is sub-standard in any way – just different. The good thing about being different is that you can also be good – and Cherry Bomb Whiskey is that.
Once again, like its sibling Marionberry Whiskey, Cherry Bomb is not your boring apple, cinnamon or honey-flavored whiskey, and that immediately gets it extra points for creativity – assuming it doesn’t launch an all-out olfactory assault on your senses [which it doesn’t]. So it has that similarity to Marionberry Whiskey going for it and the only difference here is that it has a slightly less powerful, sweeter – in a sort of maraschino cherry kinda way – aroma to it right off the bat. Not so much cough syrupy and aggressive like the Marionberry Whiskey. This gives you the extra added benefit of having your nostrils staying intact upon opening the bottle. Whew. James Bond is still 007.
When it comes to taste and usefulness, the 60% alcohol content [30 proof] Cherry Bomb is almost the twin of Marionberry again – WC would not suggest a Straight-Up Cherry Bomb Tasting Festival with your friends – it’s just not that kind of whiskey. It doesn’t take as long to acquire its taste like the Marionberry did, but it’ll be a good 30 minutes before you will like the cut of its jib. This means that – just like Marionberry Whiskey – the best use of Cherry Bomb is as a mixing agent and not a solo act. Once again, a summertime lemonade-and-Cherry Bomb Whiskey drink would probably be a winner. Being cherry flavored, it has a few more options than the Marionberry Whiskey, such as pairing with cola mixers or as a amped-up substitute for any drink where you might typically use grenadine [though not a Tequila Sunrise if you want to know which way is up the next morning].
WC gives Eastside Distillery Cherry Bomb Whiskey a 74 out of 100 score – due to its extra versatility as a potential mixing agent over Marionberry Whiskey.
Eastside Distillery Cherry Bomb Whiskey is available for $40 per bottle.
