While you may be very familiar with Rogue Ales, I suspect many of you may not be familiar with Rogue Spirits. With that in mind, Rogue was kind enough to send over some of their Whiskey for me to sample and share with you.
Before you even ask, yes I do drink Whiskey and while I’m sure I pass more beer through my belly, I am really familiar with Whiskey and Bourbon as well. I will admit I’ve never had the opportunity to sample Rogue Spirits yet, so I’m excited to do so.
When you say “Rogue Spirits Whiskey” you first have to realize that you’re not just talking about one. Rogue offers four different Whiskey variants: Dead Guy Whiskey, Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, Oregon Rye Malt Whiskey & Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey and here are the individual descriptions courtesy of Rogue:
Dead Guy Whiskey is made from the same malts as Rogue’s notorious Dead Guy Ale, malted two row barley, munich and crystal malts, to create a unique whiskey wash that offers an intriguing range of flavors. Aged more than two years, the finished whiskey has dark cocoa, coffee and caramel notes that are reminiscent of Dead Guy Ale. This whiskey is not only great to sip, but also holds up in a spirit-forward cocktail. In 2018, Dead Guy was named ‘Best Oregon Whiskey’ at the International Whisky Competition.
Rogue Oregon Single Malt is a whiskey that provides a clear sense of Rogue’s home along the Yaquina Bay with soft malt notes, subtle hints of smoke and briny sea air. Crafted from malted Two Row Barley that is 10% smoked with apple and alder, the wash is brewed at the Rogue brewery just yards from the distillery. After distillation, it is aged for a minimum of five years in char 3 new American Oak barrels. Exemplifying the American single malt category, Rogue Spirits Oregon Single Malt recently won a gold medal at the 2018 World Spirits Competition.
Rogue Oregon Rye Malt undergoes a malting process that softens the spice notes typical of rye whiskeys and makes for a more approachable whiskey that builds in flavor. The barley in the mash bill (52% rye, 48% barley) further rounds out the taste and mouthfeel creating an easy sipping experience. Complex nuttiness is softened by light caramel and a hint of citrus leading to cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper. This rye has received multiple awards, including the Double Gold medal in the 2018 World Spirits Competition.
Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey is the culmination of all things ‘Do It Yourself’ from Rogue. This limited-edition whiskey is distilled at Rogue's distillery, then aged in barrels built by hand at Rogue's cooperage, Rolling Thunder Barrel Works. These barrels had already aged an Imperial Stout brewed by Rogue's brewery. The final product is a 3-year aged American Single Malt -- aged one year in new Oregon Oak barrels and two years in stout saturated Oregon Oak barrels. Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey combines the spice and citrus tones of Oregon Oak, the flavor of the original whiskey and the deep, dark tones from the Stout. It is big, bold and a true one-of-a-kind whiskey that bridges the gap between Single Malt and Bourbon. Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey won Double Gold and Best Craft Distiller Whiskey at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
I’m much more of a sipper when it comes to Whiskey, but I will be sampling with and without ice. Because I’m so familiar with the beer named Dead Guy, I though this one was a good place to start. I also thought it would be fun to compare the Dead Guy Whiskey with the Dead Guy beer…and you’d be amazed at the similarities. With base malts in common, you’d be surprised how many flavors they have in common. Caramel and toffee as well as earthy and coffee flavors are common to both. The Dead Guy Whiskey is aged for 2-years and that aging really amps up the complexity and depth of this Whiskey. I found dark chocolate and a stronger push of caramel along with a really complex dark fruit presence I really liked. Dead Guy Whiskey really stood up nicely with ice and I suspect this would work well in a cocktail. Truth be told I was enjoying the flavors on their own too much to make it into a cocktail. Overall Dead Guy Whiskey is a classic sipper that shows a very promising family resemblance to the beer and it’s definitely the first one I’d recommend you sip for yourself.
The Rogue Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey is also unique in that it uses barrels built in Rogue’s cooperage and these barrels previously held a Rogue imperial stout. This Whiskey had much more beer-influence onboard and the chocolate and roasted flavors really shine through. The depth and complexity of this Whiskey are amazing, thanks in part to spending one-year in oak barrels and two additional years in the stout barrels. This Whiskey had a really sippable combination of citrus, chocolate/cocoa as well as a leather and spice twist at the end that really balanced it all out. Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey finishes a bit sweet and felt and tasted a lot like a classic Bourbon (this is a good thing). Overall this Whiskey has some of the more drinkable and flavorful qualities I’ve encountered in a Whiskey and really felt a lot like a strong barrel-aged imperial stout to me.
Up next I broke into the Rogue Oregon Single Malt and while I’ll admit I’m not a fan of using the word “smooth” as a descriptor, I will say this Whiskey had a softer mouthfeel that made it really sippable. This Whiskey uses 10% smoked barley and that smokiness is fairly prominent in the flavors. It is also aged for 5-years in “char 3” new American oak barrels which again adds to the soft character and smoked presence. There is a bit of vanilla that peeks thru the smoke making this Whiskey a really well balanced, complex and satisfying sip.
Finally we decided to try the Rogue Oregon Rye Malt. This Rye Whiskey has a different feel to it than the others, and while the rye presence is there, it’s not as prominent as some of the other Ryes I’ve tasted. The flavors of vanilla, toffee, caramel and even some subtle spices are all there and this Whiskey had a really interesting depth and complexity I really liked. As it warmed, the layers of flavors became even more interesting, and I didn’t even bother adding ice to the mix. Overall this Rye Whiskey was really good and I think really unique compared to a typical Rye.
If you’re not familiar with Rogue Spirits, then I’d heartily recommend “meeting” them via their lineup of Whiskey varieties. Their four Whiskies each have some unique and flavorful combinations going on and each one makes for a perfect sipper or even as a mixer for cocktails (if you must). These spirits are available now so get out there and try them for yourself…and when you do, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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