Cedar Ridge Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary Review | Sherry Forward, Fruity & Complex

Cedar Ridge Distillery
The QuintEssential Special Release
Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary
American Single Malt Whiskey
114.4 Proof (Cask Strength)
SRP: $99.99
Review

Please enjoy our Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Special Release Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary American Single Malt Whiskey Review!

Background

The Pete & Sherri Married series is part of Cedar Ridge Distillery’s QuintEssential Special Release series, a collection of limited American Single Malt expressions created by Master Blender Murphy Quint. The original Pete & Sherri Married release debuted in 2019, followed by the Pete & Sherri Married 1st Anniversary release in 2023.

This latest release, Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary Edition, is the third installment in the Pete & Sherri Married series. According to Cedar Ridge, this expression was designed to build on the earlier Pete & Sherri releases while introducing additional complexity through the use of Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso, and Amontillado sherry casks.

The whiskey is a blend of 6 to 9-year-old American Single Malts bottled at natural cask strength with no chill filtration and no color added. It combines 2-row pale malted barley aged in Cedar Ridge ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry hogsheads with peated malt aged in Cedar Ridge ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Amontillado sherry butts.

Details – Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Special Release Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary Review

• Distillery: Cedar Ridge Distillery
• Whiskey: The QuintEssential Special Release – Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary Edition
• Type: American Single Malt Whiskey
• Master Blender: Murphy Quint
• Age: Blend of 6 to 9-year-old single malts
• Proof: 114.4 Proof (58.4% ABV)
• MSRP: $99.99
• Filtration: No Chill Filtration
• Coloring: No Color Added
• Primary Components:
  • 2-Row Pale Malted Barley aged in Cedar Ridge ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Pedro Ximénez & Oloroso Sherry Hogsheads
  • Peated Malt aged in Cedar Ridge ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Amontillado Sherry Butts
• Release Date: May 1, 2026
• Availability: Iowa and online through Cedar Ridge Distillery

Tasting Notes – Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Special Release Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested: 15 minutes in a Glencairn glass

👉🏻 Nose: Fruit forward, noticeable sherry notes, dark plums, sweet pears, wine soaked wood, sweet caramel, moderately syrupy sweetness; milk chocolate later on; tangerines; slight peat; alcohol vapor appropriate for the proof
👉🏻 Taste: Moderately sweet and syrupy, dried apricots, sherry; peat later on
👉🏻 Finish: Peat, white pepper spice, fairly dry, lingering dried apricots, sherry and sweet syrup; long; deep warmth

Evolving Fruit, Syrupy Sherry & Lingering Peat

The nose of Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary American Single Malt has an overall syrupy sugar sweetness and is quite fruit forward at first, with dominant sherry notes, dark plums and caramel. With time, pears and wine soaked barrel staves become more evident, and later still, a hint of milk chocolate appears, along with tangerines. After a few sips, the dried apricots from the palate begin appearing in the nose as well. The alcohol is noticeable, but appropriate for the 114.4 proof.

A moderate syrupy sugar sweetness continues on the palate, with dried apricots, sherry notes, and later on a bit of peat. The peat smoke remains fairly mild, but continues throughout the finish, lingering to the end, where there is mild char as well. While the peat is most noticeable late on the palate and in the finish, when I go back to the nose, there are hints of it there as well. The finish is long and also has a moderate degree of white pepper spice, with the dried apricots, sherry notes and sugary syrup lingering on as well.

Layered Nose, Dominant Sherry & Restrained Peat – Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Special Release Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary Review

Overall, The QuintEssential Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary Edition is a full flavored, sherry forward, complex pour. The nose has the most complexity, with layers of flavors that evolve over the course of the pour, while the palate and finish are more consistent. While this is an enjoyable pour, for me, the dominant notes from the three different sherry finishing barrels are a bit much. However, it must be noted that I am not a fan of heavily finished whiskeys, preferring the notes of the finishing barrels to be more subtle. Nonetheless, if you are a fan of whiskeys with dominant sherry finishes, this could easily be your proverbial cup of tea, and should be one that you will want to try.

Have you had Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Special Release Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Special Release Pete & Sherri Married 2nd Anniversary Review! Next read about more whiskeys from this distillery in our article “A Taste of Five of Cedar Ridge Distillery’s Iowa Bourbons and American Single Malts” or check out this related review: Southern Star American Single Malt Whiskey Review.

Note: This sample was graciously provided by the Brand for my review. I appreciate it!

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