I
usually try to avoid plagiarizing anyone but this
description of Rogue Single Malt Whiskey is too good not to
pass on and it comes directly from the Rogue website: "Oregon
Single Malt Whiskey is plowed, disced, harrowed, seeded, fed,
watered, threshed, winnowed, malted, milled, mashed, fermented,
distilled, smithed, barrel-aged and bottled by hand. When
you grow it, you know it."
Since
1987, Rogue Spirits has been producing award
winning beers throughout Oregon and has expanded into California
and Washington.
They
added spirits to their rather extensive offering of craft
brews and now also offer vodka, gin, whiskey, rye and rum.
This particular Whiskey is made from barley, and as you probably
already know, scotch is made from barley, and even though
there's more to it than just that, I'm wondering if this American
barley whiskey is going to taste anything like scotch? Besides,
12% of the malt used in this whiskey is hand smoked using
alder and maple chips, and on top of that, this whiskey is
ocean aged in American oak barrels for at least 2 years.
Well,
let's open the bottle and give it a go. The bottle is tall
and clear with the word Rogue boldly displayed at the top
in white letters and sports a yellow star through the "O".
The whiskey can be plainly seen and appears to look like a
light scotch or whiskey. The nose is floral, salty, smoky
and almost smells like scotch, almost. On the palate, it comes
a bit closer to a scotch. It is smoky and salty with a hint
of brown sugar and cinnamon and peach and just a touch of
honey. The finish is similar to the palate but really emphasizes
the salt and smoke and oak and yet is very smooth and lasts
a medium amount of time.
This
is definitely not scotch because of all the other non-scotch
like flavors that float around in it, but it is a really flavorful
barley based whiskey. I especially like the saltiness combined
with the oak and that sweet smokiness; it really works for
me. It seems to live somewhere between whiskey and scotch
and that actually just might be a really good niche to inhabit.
I'll bet they can attract whiskey fans from both of those
opposite worlds and make them pretty darn happy living in
the middle. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that it has
a rather unique stopper attached to the neck of the bottle
that seals it very tightly between pours. But don't let that
stop you from pouring a glass and enjoying it.
Rogue
Oregon Single Malt Whiskey can be found from around
$35.00 to $48.00 and is 80 proof or 40% ABV.
Other
Relted Links:
Rogue
Dead Guy Whiskey
Coffee
and Beer Hug it Out: Rogue Cold Brew IPA
By George Brozowski
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://www.rogue.com/