Whiskey Review: Webb’s Grainworks Butterball Brown Butter Whiskey

Every so often, I come across a bottle of whiskey that is going to either be extremely good or extremely bad. And never more so when it’s a bottle of flavored whiskey — a category of spirit that has been gaining popularity recently, for better and for worse. So after seeing this butter flavored whiskey at Webb’s Grainworks, I knew I had to bring it home and see which side of the coin it falls on.

History

Webb’s Grainworks, nestled in Aliso Viejo, California, is a testament to the fusion of tradition and innovation in the world of spirits and cuisine. Founded by Jeremy Webb, the establishment draws inspiration from his West Virginian roots and a profound appreciation for the Appalachian whiskey tradition. After immersing himself in Kentucky’s bourbon culture, Webb returned to California with a vision: to create a space where handcrafted spirits, artisanal beers, and globally inspired comfort food coexist harmoniously.

At its core, Webb’s Grainworks is a fully operational distillery and brewery, not merely a re-bottler. The facility boasts a custom-built 250-gallon copper Vendome hybrid pot still, producing a diverse range of spirits including vodka, gin, whiskey, bourbon, and rum. The brewing side offers over a dozen beer styles, ensuring that every palate is catered to. All products are distilled, brewed, and bottled on-site, emphasizing the establishment’s commitment to authenticity and craftsmanship.

The mission of Webb’s Grainworks is to craft exceptional spirits and beers while fostering a sense of community. The venue serves as a gathering place where patrons can enjoy meticulously crafted beverages alongside a menu that reflects global culinary influences. From house-made breads and smoked meats to hand-folded dumplings, the food offerings are designed to complement the extensive drink selection, creating a holistic dining experience.

Visually, the establishment is as distinctive as its offerings. The 21,000-square-foot space features a unique design element: a train caboose integrated into the building’s structure, nodding to the Prohibition era’s history of spirit transportation. Inside, a blend of vintage pub furniture and modern neon signage creates an ambiance that is both nostalgic and contemporary.

Product

• Learn More: What's the Difference Between Whiskey, Bourbon, Scotch, and Rye?

There’s very little information about this spirit on the distillery’s website, so most of this we’re going to have to piece this together.

As a whiskey, this needs to be a spirit that was distilled from cooked and fermented grains. According to the website this is a “high corn mashbill” spirit — meaning that while corn is a large proportion of that mashbill, there are some other elements in there as well that might add some complexity. But they don’t disclose exactly which grains.

At this point, the newly made “white” whiskey spends an undisclosed period of time in an oak barrel. While some types of whiskey have a required minimum time spent in that barrel, this is simply labeled as a “whiskey” — so in theory, it could have been barreled and then bottled on the very same day.

The biggest red flag here is the use of the term “flavored” when it comes to the butter.

A buttery whiskey is not a new thing. Chemically speaking, most of the flavor in a whiskey comes from the fatty acids that are produced as one part of the fermentation process as the yeast consumes the sugar in the mixture. Those fatty elements are dissolved in the alcohol and give it the taste we all love and enjoy. You can supplement that with additional fat-based components — “fat washing” a whiskey is a common process for this where some kind of rendered fat is infused into the whiskey, and butter is not an uncommon fat to use.

But it doesn’t look like any of that fancy stuff happened here. It looks to me, due to the use of the word “flavored” and no additional clarification, that this was artificially flavored with butter flavor. (Which brings to mind visions of liberally pumping that ‘butter’ liquid over my popcorn at the movie theater.)

Once appropriately flavored, the whiskey is bottled for sale.

Packaging

When we reviewed the white rum from Webb’s, they used a pretty common bottle design used by smaller modern distilleries. This brown butter whiskey has a different (but still popular) design: the straight walled, cylindrical bottle that’s more reminiscent of an old medicine bottle. Bookending those straight walls is a thick glass base and a rounded shoulder, the top of which erupts into a medium length straight neck. The bottle is capped off with a wood and synthetic stopper.

The label is printed on what seems like plastic. Normally, I’d gripe about this, but I think I see the method in the madness. This isn’t some hoity-toity bottle of bespoke whiskey — this seems to be marketed as more of a party drink; something that’s kept in the fridge or the freezer and brought out for shots. In that context, something a little more waterproof makes sense to me.

Reinforcing that vibe is the design of the label, which reads to me to be in the style of a kitschy 1950’s movie poster, complete with pin-up girl.

Neat

On first glance, things are looking good. We’ve got a whiskey of the right color (a nice slightly rusty amber) and coming off the glass, the absolute leader of the pack for aromas is brown butter. Supporting that are a smattering of other aromas including caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, a little chocolate, and baking spices, which all combine to make this smell reminiscent of a Butterfingers Bar. (Or maybe something closer to a Reese’s peanut butter cup? Either way, something sweet and with a slightly artificial twinge to it.)

That artificial twinge makes its way into the flavor profile, and is the very first thing I noticed. In terms of flavors, up front this is buttery and smooth with just that twinge of artificial flavoring smattered in, giving the profile a bit of unintended bitterness like you’d see with Fireball or Shepherd’s. As the experience progresses, more flavors start to develop, including brown sugar, vanilla, and peanuts. It tastes very sweet to me.

I have to say, this isn’t great taken neat. That twinge of artificial flavor nonsense is throwing things off for me.

On Ice

A little bit of ice here makes all the difference in the world. The flavors in this scenario have a much better chance to meld together, and that little bit of chill does a great job toning down whatever artificial flavor component I was tasting initially. It’s still there, just better.

The biggest change here is that the elements when combined together are reading more like dark molasses supporting that initial buttery jolt.

Cocktail (Old Fashioned)

When I visited Webb’s Grainworks, my brother-in-law ordered an old fashioned made with this whiskey, and after one sip I knew a bottle was coming home with me.

Thanks to all the sweetness inherent in the whiskey, all you really need to do is add some bitters and serve chilled. The slice of lemon is the icing on the cake there. The bitters give just enough herbal elements and bring enough balance to the flavor profile to really make this an enjoyable cocktail. I’d best describe this as sweet and smooth, and something that is almost guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser.

While this has some complexity, it doesn’t have much depth. The flavors are still all pretty much on the surface, with nothing below to experience or investigate.

Fizz (Mule)

As a mule, this is actually surprisingly good. It isn’t blowing my socks off or impressing me in the same way the old fashioned did, but it makes for a fine sipping cocktail for those who want to give it a try.

The best way I can describe this is “smooth” — the flavors in the whiskey don’t necessarily stand out with the ginger beer and the lime juice, but that buttery texture is present throughout like a warm cozy blanket over the whole experience.

Overall Rating

For a flavored whiskey, this actually does a pretty good job. Most flavored whiskies are gimmicks, intended as party tricks or conversation starters. In this case, while a “butter flavored whiskey” is definitely enough to get the attention of some people, the cocktails that it can make can be legitimately delicious in their own right.

In our testing, while there was that hint of artificialness to the flavors, it still did pretty well. There’s some interesting flavors in here and the ability to actually make a legitimate cocktail places it above the rest of the pack.

If you do buy a bottle of this, I’d honestly recommend pouring out a few ounces, topping it back up with angostura bitters, and keeping it in your fridge as a ready-made old fashioned in a bottle. That’s undoubtedly the best way I’ve found to enjoy it, and it is legitimately a good cocktail.

I think I’d prefer an actual butter washed whiskey versus one that is simply butter flavored, but this works pretty well anyway.

All reviews are evaluated within the context of their specific spirit classification as specified above. Click here to check out similar spirits we have reviewed.

Overall Rating: 4/5
A buttery smooth whiskey that works great in an old fashioned.