Tasting Notes: Roughstock: Montana Whiskey

Roughstock: Montana Whiskey (American Single Malt Whiskey: No Age Statement: 45% ABV)

Visual: Just slightly hazy toffee gold.

Viscosity: A very eclectic mix of thin and thick streaks of equally varied speed.

Nose: Pear, toffee and vanilla.  Toffee pavlova in fact.  Light mint menthol air over that. Slight gooseberry. Rye bread (oddly since it is not a rye whiskey). Water makes for more heather field styling.

Body: Pear drops. Sweet apple in crumble, Toffee. Quite solid flavour. Heather. Water makes sweeter with a syrup and custard touch.

Finish: Pears. Light vanilla. Milk chocolate. Wholemeal crackers. Light oak and alcohol.

Conclusion:  A very unique whiskey here, and one sold to us as being layered with flavours that change each time. A half bourbon half whisky treat.  Well, with a description like that I seem to be pretty much out of a job as that describes it perfectly.

I’d best still give it a go though.

Very much a mix of Speyside fruity flavours with bourbon toffee and vanilla. Somehow still has a rye bread aroma, despite having nothing like that in the ingredients.  It reminds me of the Dutch Millstone Whisky in its intriguing mix of styling. I will say however that this is distinctly the better whiskey. The oak influence gives a very much bourbon style and heavy duty kick but never overpowers the light pear drops that roam.

The main weak point is the finish. The flavours go quite indistinct compared to the main body, and only here does the alcohol become slightly intrusive in the air.

It’s a promising mix of styles though, it allows its raw edges to show, but not overpower the flavour.  It makes sure it keeps enough push to get the lighter flavours out there. It very much takes after bourbon in that I much preferred it without water, the subtleties could be lost very quickly with water.

A fun mix of heritages, very easy sipping in style and tasty in body.

Background: Apparently the first legal whiskey for Montana for a hundred years, and created with pure Montana grown malted barley. Thus actually not a bourbon, but a true American whiskey. One of a small, but growing number. I would like to tell you more but the link on their webpage on exactly what style it is, is sodding broken.  Drunk at the Rummer hotel, which has a fantastic selection of spirits. The person serving us at the bar advised us that it was basically half scotch half bourbon in style and seemed different every time you tried it. With comments like we could hardly not give it a try.  I am far too easy to sell whiskey to.