Mid-May on Nantucket may be devoted to the celebration of wine, but there are those who still think there’s nothing better than sipping a glass of whiskey while watching the sun set over Nantucket Bay. The Wauwinet and TOPPER’S will make this moment extra special this season with the introduction of their very own 10-year-old Woody 25 single malt whiskey, named after the inn’s beloved antique Chevy Woody. 
In 2002 The Wauwinet teamed up with Nantucket’s legendary Cisco Brewery to create their proprietary single malt, reserving a barrel of locally-made Scotch-style whiskey. Now, having aged gracefully over the past decade, and in honor of The Wauwinet’s 25th Anniversary, they have tapped the barrel!
The whiskey, with its robust 44.4% alcohol content, is the color of a deeply strawberried golden straw. Its nose evokes an equally rich aroma of sweet almond, apples, and cranberries that is balanced with warming vanilla and earthy oaken tones. The taste, initially spicy and herbal, quickly mellows to flavors of honeyed treacle and caramel, with a long, dry finish of toasty oak and herbal anise – perfect to savor along with freshly shucked oysters or a decadent Lazy Lobster Bake from TOPPER’S.
How is it best served? Neat, of course! But for those who like a little something extra, a menu of carefully crafted Woody 25 cocktails has been created for TOPPER’S to celebrate the silver anniversary of the property.
This inn by the sea (the only Relais & Châteaux property on Nantucket) is also celebrating with some special perks for its guests throughout the season, with 25 as the magic number. Guests can enjoy a $25 lunch and several specially selected $25 wines, along with a springtime $25 spa and dinner credit upon check-in (valid until June 14) and, when getting into bed on their first night, guests will find a little gift waiting, with fun facts about The Wauwinet’s history appearing at turndown each night.
While originally opened in 1875 as the Wauwinet House, one of the island’s first hotels, The Wauwinet as we know it today officially arrived on the scene in 1988. Named for Chief Wauwinet of the Wampanoag tribe that inhabited the island, The Wauwinet has a storied past that spans more than 140 years. Some fun snippets from the inn’s lengthy timeline include: The fare to cross from Hyannis to Nantucket on the steamship cost 50 cents in 1875, the year of its opening; in 1882 the inn was purchased by new owners for $1,700; and by the 1930s, taking a summer vacation on Nantucket Island was firmly established as an American tradition. The Karp family purchased the Wauwinet House in 1986, and, after an extensive renovation, the inn opened in 1988 as The Wauwinet.
Over the course of the past quarter century The Wauwinet has truly become a quintessential American summer destination in and of itself.
