One of the BEST Craft Distillers - Islay of American Whiskey
Summary
TLDRIn this engaging review, Ryan explores Rock Filter Distillery's unique approach to whiskey-making, drawing parallels to the distinct flavors of Islay Scotch. He delves into the distillery's innovative use of Cherrywood-smoked grains, creating a fusion of smoky and sweet flavors reminiscent of Midwest campfires. Ryan's personal anecdotes and vivid descriptions of tasting the Fence Jumper and Black Hammer whiskies provide a sensory journey that highlights the distillery's identity and the craftsmanship behind their products.
Takeaways
- 🥃 The video discusses Rock Filter Distillery, a craft distillery known for its innovative approach to whiskey production.
- 🏴 Ryan compares Rock Filter to the Isle of Islay in Scotland, known for its distinctive, heavily peated scotches, suggesting Rock Filter has a similar unique identity in American whiskies.
- 🌲 The distillery is based in Minnesota and uses Cherrywood to smoke many of their grains, imparting a campfire note with a bright, fruity sweetness.
- 👨🎓 The founder of Rock Filter Distillery is a veteran, and the brand's website features humor and a narrative of transitioning from combat to distillation.
- 🌽 The 'Fence Jumper' is a bourbon with a mash bill of 51% Axin green corn and 49% Cherrywood smoked winter rye, named after animals sampling the corn.
- 🔨 The 'Black Hammer' is a cask-strength, 100% corn whiskey with a third of the grains smoked with Cherrywood, offering a robust and unique flavor profile.
- 👃 In the tasting notes, the 'Fence Jumper' offers a semi-smoky rye whiskey nose with butterscotch and a hint of campfire, while the 'Black Hammer' has a deep, maroon color and a nose reminiscent of old Jack Daniels with a farmland and apple fritters scent.
- 👄 The taste of the 'Fence Jumper' is grain-forward with smokiness and sweetness, evoking memories of Midwest farm culture and bonfires.
- 💰 The 'Black Hammer' is priced around $70-75 and is described as unique, adventurous, and very drinkable, with flavors of campfire smoke and harvest particulates.
- 🏆 Rock Filter Distillery stands out for its unique identity and flavor profile, setting it apart from other craft distilleries and making it a notable choice for whiskey enthusiasts.
- 📦 The video encourages viewers to try Rock Filter products for a unique whiskey experience, suggesting that it would pair well with Southern barbecue flavors.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video by Ryan?
-The main focus of the video is to explore and review the products of Rock Filter Distillery, a craft distillery known for its innovative approach to whiskey making.
What does Ryan appreciate about craft distilleries?
-Ryan appreciates that craft distilleries should innovate, push boundaries, and do so successfully without creating an unpleasant drinking experience.
How does Ryan describe the whiskeys from Rock Filter Distillery?
-Ryan describes the whiskeys from Rock Filter Distillery as having a unique profile with a campfire note, bright fruity sweetness from being smoked with Cherrywood, and having a strong identity similar to the Isle of Islay in Scotch whisky.
What is special about the 'Fence Jumper' bourbon from Rock Filter Distillery?
-The 'Fence Jumper' bourbon is special because it contains 51% aoxin green corn and 49% Cherrywood smoked winter rye grains, giving it a unique flavor profile with a campfire note and a bright, fruity sweetness.
What is the significance of the name 'Fence Jumper' for one of the whiskeys?
-The name 'Fence Jumper' comes from an incident where the distillery's oxin green corn was sampled by animals that jumped the fence, thus 'tasting' and approving the corn.
What is the mash bill composition of the 'Black Hammer' whiskey?
-The 'Black Hammer' whiskey has a mash bill of 100% corn, with a third of the grains smoked with Cherrywood, and it is bottled at cask strength.
What is the proof of the 'Fence Jumper' bourbon?
-The 'Fence Jumper' bourbon is 94 proof.
How does Ryan relate the taste of the whiskeys to his personal experiences?
-Ryan relates the taste of the whiskeys to his childhood memories of being on a farm, experiencing Midwest farm culture, bonfires, and the smell of harvest dust in the air.
What does Ryan suggest about the uniqueness of Rock Filter Distillery's products?
-Ryan suggests that Rock Filter Distillery's products are unique and have a strong sense of identity that can be easily recognized among other whiskeys.
What advice does Ryan give to those who want to try something different from the usual whiskey options?
-Ryan advises those looking for something different to try Rock Filter Distillery's products, as they offer a unique and enjoyable tasting experience that stands out from typical whiskey options.
How does Ryan describe the community engagement on his channel?
-Ryan encourages community engagement through his Patreon supporters and invites viewers to join their Discord community, emphasizing the value of the shared experience and discussion around the whiskeys.
Outlines
🥃 Introduction to Rock Filter Distillery's Unique Whiskeys
Ryan introduces the audience to Rock Filter Distillery, a craft distillery in Minnesota known for its innovative approach to whiskey making. The distillery, founded by a veteran, is praised for pushing boundaries with its unique smoking techniques, particularly using Cherrywood to impart a distinct campfire note to its whiskies. Ryan likens the distillery to the Isle of Islay in Scotland, known for its peaty Scotches, suggesting that Rock Filter is the 'Isle of American Whiskies'. The distillery's products, Fence Jumper and Black Hammer, are highlighted, with the former being a 51% corn, 49% Cherrywood smoked Rye mash and the latter a cask-strength, 100% corn whiskey with a portion smoked. The distillery's humor and approach to life after service is also appreciated by Ryan.
🔥 Nostalgic Tasting of Fence Jumper Bourbon
Ryan shares his tasting notes for the Fence Jumper bourbon, a 51% corn and 49% Cherrywood smoked Rye whiskey. He describes the aroma as reminiscent of a smoky rye whiskey with a bright, crisp campfire note and a hint of butterscotch. The taste is grain-forward with a smokiness that differs from the peat smoke found in Scotch, evoking memories of Midwestern bonfires. Ryan appreciates the sweetness and nuttiness, comparing it to trail mix, and notes a slight lack of the butterscotch flavor present in the nose. The whiskey's lower proof makes it a good introduction to the distillery's unique profile.
🌾 Deep Dive into Black Hammer Corn Whiskey
The Black Hammer, a 100% corn whiskey with a third of the grains smoked with Cherrywood, is described as having a deep, maroonish color reminiscent of cognac. The nose offers a blend of farm and dust, apple fritters, and a hint of bacon fat, suggesting a robust sweetness akin to molasses and caramel. Ryan finds the taste to be a perfect blend of campfire smoke and harvest particulates, with a sweetness that is subtle yet robust. He considers the Black Hammer a heavy hitter and a fantastic representation of the distillery's unique identity, making it a standout product on his shelf.
🏆 Rock Filter Distillery's Distinctive Identity and Recommendation
Ryan concludes by emphasizing the unique identity of Rock Filter Distillery, which sets it apart from other craft distilleries. He believes that the distillery's distinct flavor profile would appeal to those familiar with Midwestern and Southern barbecue cultures. Ryan recommends the distillery's products to those seeking something different from the usual whiskey options, suggesting that the Fence Jumper is a great introduction to their unique style. He encourages viewers to try Rock Filter's whiskies and share their thoughts, expressing gratitude to his Patreon supporters and hinting at upcoming reviews of other whiskey varieties.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Craft Distilleries
💡Innovation
💡Boundaries
💡Rock Filter Distillery
💡Cherrywood Smoked
💡Mash Bill
💡Proof
💡Fence Jumper Bourbon
💡Black Hammer
💡Sarcasm
💡Flavor Profile
Highlights
Introduction to a favorite craft distillery known for innovation and successful boundary-pushing.
Comparison of the distillery to the Isle of Islay in Scotland, known for its heavily peated, smoky scotches.
Rock Filter Distillery's unique approach to American whiskies by smoking grains, resulting in a distinct campfire note.
Description of the distillery's background, located in Minnesota, and its founder's transition from the military to distillation.
The distillery's use of humor and sarcasm on their website, reflecting the founder's personality.
Introduction of two products: Fence Jumper, a bourbon with a unique mash bill of 51% corn and 49% Cherrywood smoked Rye, and Black Hammer, a cask-strength corn whiskey.
The story behind the name 'Fence Jumper', relating to animals sampling the Oxin green corn.
Tasting notes of the Fence Jumper, described as grain-forward with a smoky, sweet, and nutty profile.
Comparison of the smokiness in the Fence Jumper to American Midwest bonfires, evoking memories of farm life.
Tasting notes of the Black Hammer, characterized by a deep maroon color and a nose reminiscent of old Jack Daniels.
The Black Hammer's unique profile, described as a blend of campfire smoke, harvest particulates, and a robust sweetness.
Praise for the distillery's ability to create a unique and identifiable product among a sea of craft distilleries.
Discussion on the challenges faced by craft distilleries in standing out against established legacy distilleries.
Recommendation of Rock Filter products for those seeking unique and drinkable whiskey options.
Personal connection to the whiskey, evoking memories of the Midwest and its farm culture.
Invitation for viewers to share their thoughts on Rock Filter products in the comments section.
Acknowledgment of Patreon supporters and a preview of upcoming whiskey reviews.
Transcripts
[Music]
hey everybody welcome back to the
channel my name is Ryan today we're
going to be diving into what is becoming
one of my favorite craft distilleries
and it's because they're doing what I
think craft distilleries are supposed to
do they're supposed to innovate they're
supposed to push boundaries but also you
want them to do it successfully and not
be something that's weird offbeat and
and maybe unpleasant to drink this is a
Distillery it's I guess the way that I
would describe it I would liken it to
you think of the way that Isa does
scotch you know You' got your different
whiskey regions in Scotland but Isa the
island of Isa is really known most for
things like having heavily peed smoked
you know Pete smoked uh scotches so they
get really campf firy as opposed to like
a sweet and fruity you know Highland
scotch or you know those honey and
biscuit space sides scotches it sort of
takes on an identity of its own and Isa
is sort of recognized for that well what
rock filter Distillery is doing with
their whiskey is similar in that regard
where I think that're they're almost
like the ISA of American whiskies
because they are smoking a lot of their
their grains and you tend to get a lot
of these like wonderful campfire noes
but they're doing it with things like
Cherrywood so it's got this bright
fruity sweetness uh to that campfire
note so I'm going to dive into some more
of their products today and and I'll let
you know what I think about them sound
good so I've covered um the Red Rider
Rye from them before on the channel and
I loved it I thought it was delicious
I've actually got a bottle of it on the
way to my house right now so quick
refresher rockfilter Distillery is in
Minnesota The Distillery is just a a
real small operation not a very big team
the guy that started it is a a vet you
know he served and so a lot of their
stuff on their website has this great
sort of tongue and cheek humor to it
like hey went from a combat zone to the
American corporate world both of those
sucked now we're doing distillation
that's pretty cool stuff like that which
I I appreciate a healthy dose of sarcasm
but he's living the simple life now
farming making whiskey selling whiskey I
like it the two things we have here are
the fence jumper and the black hammer
the fence jumper is 51% corn not just
any corn it's aoxin green corn which is
unique to the area and then 49% of the
mash is uh Cherrywood smoked Rye grains
specifically winter Rye so very simple
mash build there 5149 but different
takes on that traditional Mash Bill and
that one is 94 proof it's named the
fence jumper because apparently their
oxin green corn was growing and uh they
lost some of their yield because some of
their animals decided to hop the fence
and Sample the grains and uh gave it
their seal of approval so there WR up
says originally tasted and approved by
the Bold herd a rogue contingent of our
livestock violated a fence line to
sample the emerald ears of our rare axin
green corn lesson good fences make more
bourbon like I said I like their sarcasm
the black hammer the second one we'll be
tasting today is at Cask strength so
it's a little bit higher in the proof
department but this one the mash bill is
100% corn it is a corn whiskey but a
third of the Corn was smoked uh with
cherry with Cherrywood again it's sort
of their thing there right and that's
12.2 proof so that one's a lot hotter so
now you know a little bit about who they
are and what they're doing what makes
their whiskey unique let's get in on it
shall we we'll start with the lower
proof here with the fence jumper bourbon
now the Red Rider ride that I covered on
the channel earlier that one is uh
Applewood smoked but this one is
Cherrywood smoked I happen to have some
Cherrywood on hand because I use wood
chips to smoke some of my old Fashions
there's some cherry wood right here for
that exact purpose so I wonder if we can
sense any consistency here between the
wood chips themselves cells and the nose
on these whiskies it's like sweet
mosquite barbecue sauce or something
like that on that's the way the
Cherrywood smells I love it I got to say
the nose of this smells like a a semi
Smoky rye whiskey even though it's
technically a bourbon 51% of that aoin
green corn in here but it's uh bright
and crisp with a little bit of that
campfire note in there as well you get
like those worther Originals
butterscotch candies on the nose too
just a light and bright caramel sort of
a a note to it and sort of like that
Barbecue Pit Smoke on the nose as well I
love it and there's that Harvest
dustiness that I got on the Red Rider
ride I'm getting on this too which I
love that note I love autumns in the
midwest when harvest season comes around
you get that you know you go through the
farm the farm areas in the countryside
and you get a lot of that Dusty quality
in the air reminds me a lot of that
which I certainly appreciate I want to
say I almost like a little bit of a
nutmeg note on this nose too that's
great let's try
it it is so grain forward to me that
smokiness throughout all of it but it's
a smokiness that is it's way different
than that peach smoke you're used to
with your Isa scotches which I got
plenty of them up on my shelf this is
like American Midwest bonfires man one
of my best friends growing up his family
lived on a farm and I knew him through
church we went to the same church
together and a lot of Sundays I would
just go home with his family instead of
going home with my family they'd come
get me later on that Sunday evening but
would spend like my whole Sunday after
church I'd be back at uh at their Farm
they had a dog corn fields silos barns
the works and I'd be doing chores we'd
wrap up everything with a nice bonfire
outside he just grab what you could find
toss it on keep that fire burning this
takes me back to my childhood being on
the farm doing just farmand chores for a
couple of bucks with my friend and his
family grabbing bags of feed taking them
to the animals all that stuff being in
those barns those Dusty barns man this
is like Midwest Farm culture and bourbon
collided in just a fantastic way but at
the same time this one is lower proof
like I said so it is it's less of a
shock to your palette so if you wanted
to sort of try it out and ease your way
into it I think the fence jumper would
be the the way to go cuz it's a little
more timid with it it's not just going
to shock your palette and overwhelm it
with things that you're not used to
tasting in an American whiskey but it's
sweet and nutty to I think of like trail
mix you know dried
fruits mixed nuts and for it being
49% uh Rye in the mash it's not overly
spicy you know there's a little bit of a
spice note to it but it's certainly far
from being the most prominent tasting
note in that sip sweet and Smoky you
like barbecue ribs come to mind that
could be because I had smoked barbecue
ribs yesterday maybe that I'm like this
is making me want to uh visit the
leftovers that are in the fridge if I
can knock one thing about
this the one thing I would knock is I
would say I want a little bit more of
that butterscotch note that we got on
the nose to be a little bit more present
on the pallet cuz you get a lot of that
crisp and clean qualities from the Rye
itself and then that smokiness is
definitely coming through from the
Cherrywood smoked uh grains but the corn
itself I just want a little bit more of
some of that those base notes of just a
little bit of those Rich caramels and
butterscotches to be a little bit more
present on the palette but otherwise
this is this is delightful and I'm
thoroughly enjoying sipping on it let's
move on to the next one this is the
black hammer this is the heavy hitter of
the of the day here and you can tell
just on the color alone it reminds me of
cognac where it sort of got this maroon
deep maroonish color in there too along
with the brown so again this is 100%
corn whiskey a third of the grains were
smoked with Cherrywood and then nose
almost gives me like a like an old Jack
Daniels Vibe the farmand you know Dusty
Barn note that we got that I've gotten
on all the all the other products I've
had from them very present here I mean
it's it's a Hallmark staple you know
component of what makes their whiskey
their whiskey so that's that is 100%
here and I love that note but I'm also
thinking of like apple fritters on the
nose sweet and Brey love me a good apple
fritter there's heat on the nose but
there's not spice you know which is a
little different from the the last sip
we had but there's a dark Rob buness to
it where I feel like it does have on the
nose alone it's got some base end to it
I think of like a one of things that
comes to mind is actually like bacon fat
Apple campfire little bit of bacon fat
lots of grain on the nose that's pretty
fun actually let's try it
cheers man is that different I love it
so I grew up just North of Indianapolis
which if if you are familiar with
Indiana at all North of Indianapolis
you're like there's nothing there that's
the point it is all fields and farmland
that's just in between Fort Wayne and
Indianapolis that's all it is it's just
Farmland basically pocketed with small
towns with old school Midwest uh Town
centers just the Town Square you know
with a courthouse in the middle they all
look cookie cutter the same this just
makes me feel like I'm home again Farm
country Midwest yeah short Drive South
I'd be in downtown Indianapolis grew up
going to Pacers games watching the Colts
play going to Monument Circle walking
along the canal but then Northeast and
west of me all farm country you would
not guess on the palet alone that this
is just a corn whiskey that campfire
smoke the Harvest particulates in the
air those are the notes that are most
prevalent on this and the sweetness is
subtle right but it's not just like a
like a white sugar cane sweetness or
candy or confectionary sweetness it's
more like a a rounder more robust Bassy
sweetness you get on molasses and
caramel
a Chee sweetness this by the way MSRP is
75 bucks I think 70 to 75 is what I was
seeing it listed for and it's it's
pretty freaking good guys it's pretty
freaking good so here's the thing it's
like really hard to I guess describe
this because Rock filter is doing
something that I've not seen any craft
Distillery do their profile is so unique
you put it in a lineup with literally
anything on my shelf I will immediately
pick it out and be like that's a rock
filter product right there that's what I
love about a craft Distillery that that
has a very solid and rooted sense of
identity there are so many craft
distilleries out there that are
basically just trying to reinvent the
wheel they're like we'll do what the
Legacy distillers are doing we're just
going to here's our here's our bourbon
here's our weeded bourbon here's our Ry
and it's like listen man you have so
much stiff competition when it comes to
just doing what Legacy distillers are
doing like who's going to pay $ 20 extra
dollar for a small craft Distillery
bottle of 4E old bourbon whiskey when
you can get you can get Wild Turkey 101
for 25 bucks you know your local gr
grocery store it's so hard to stand out
against that how do you compete against
that and a lot of distilleries really
struggle to compete they have their sort
of local market they have to open up a
restaurant and sell a lot of neutral
grain spirits and vodka and Gins in
order to pay the bills now I don't know
a dang thing about rock filter's
financial situation but I firmly believe
that if more people drank this it would
be something that someone would want to
have at least on their shelf because it
is unique it is singular it is tasty
this is something that I you know
there's a lot of things that are really
unique but you wouldn't really reach for
them often you're like well that's
really offbeat it's weird it's
interesting if somebody comes over be
like hey you got to try this stuff this
is not that this is singular and it's
Unique and it's adventurous but it's
also very drinkable maybe it's just me
in my palette maybe it's just where I
grew up and sort of the uh memories that
it evokes but for me this is something
that I absolutely on a weekday would
would just reach for and pour an ounce
of it you know every now and then be
like yeah I'm in the mood for an ounce
of that 100% I think my two favorite uh
products I've had from them so far are
the red ridery and the black hammer that
fence jumper though is I think a a
wonderful introduction to their profile
that's unique to them that'd be a great
way to sort of just introduce your
palette to it and then go from there
something about their profile that makes
me think people who are from or visit or
like Kansas City and Texas culture
I think you would vibe with this too a
lot of their flavor profile just screams
pit smoked barbecue barbecue beans
brisket burn ends all of
it this right here I think this would go
so well with a good Southern barbecue a
sort of Tex Arcana area I think would
really Vibe with this not just the
midwesterners but there you have it
that's Rock filter if you have by any
chance had any of their stuff let me
know in the comment section what you
think about it if you have not had any
of their stuff and you're looking for
something else to add to your shelf and
you're tired of the same old same old
same old you're tired of just going to
the grocery store and seeing the exact
same options every week after week after
week and you're like I've had that
bottle eight nine 10 a dozen times on my
shelf I want something maybe a little
bit different but it's also really good
go online nobody on the secondary is
upcharging for rock filter bottles so if
you see them add them to your cart check
out get it delivered to you and give it
a fair Shake hopefully you learned some
something new about the Distillery today
and maybe you uh developed a better
appreciation for who these people are
and what they're doing and really I hope
that you try some of their stuff out if
you end up trying any of their stuff out
please do me a favor Circle back to this
video let me know in the comments
section what you got and what you
thought thanks so much for tuning in as
always genuinely appreciate each and
every one of you especially uh Dam th
who is local to rock filter who's been
sending me a lot of their stuff really
appreciate that as well and a big shout
out to my patreon supporters in general
who helped to fund all the Bots I get to
pick up and review here on the channel
we got a lot of cool stuff coming this
week I've got a bottle of stag coming
I've got uh you the latest batch of
Bookers coming I've got a Jack Daniels
12E coming I got a bottle of rock
filter's Red Rider Ry coming I got a lot
of stuff coming it's all thanks to you
guys for funding it I appreciate you all
hey get involved in our Discord
introduce yourself link is in the
description totally free to join we got
a great community of great people get in
there introduce yourself we'd love to
meet you cheers my friends may you live
richly and get better with age and I
look forward to catching you in the next
one bye-bye
[Music]
[Music]
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