NoCo Distillery - American Whiskey Cask 104

"Kate's Barrel"

Luxe/BourbonBoot single barrel

MSRP: $179.99

Mash: two varietals of six row barley, rye, spelt

Proof: 128

Age: 6yrs

Nose: you're immediately met with a rush of funky fruit akin to raspberry, peach, and a golden plum, a roasted chicory note dominates the middle of the nose, giving layers of earthy, sweet complexity, the longer you sit with the glass the more reveals itself, offering graham cracker, vanilla, and a hint of leather and sweet mint

Palate: in a fascinating fashion, the nose and palate mirror each other. The front of the palate is a sweet mint with thick vanilla syrup and graham cracker, followed immediately by a leather and tobacco earthiness, the mid palate is dominated by that roasted chicory note with golden raisin, while the back of the palate reveals subtle notes of all that fruit with a wild honey drizzle

Finish: medium long finish with a really wonderful leathery sweet fruit aspect

Rating: I won't rate my own pick (Out of Hoard, Buy, Try, Pass)

Thoughts: This has been one of the most exciting whiskies I've had in a very long time. There is truly nothing else like it on the market. It makes sense when you find out it has an insane mashbill, and the mash was fermented for a wildly long 3.5 months. However, doing crazy things doesn't mean the whiskey is actually going to be good. This is one of those rare occasions where the mad alchemist actually makes gold when everyone else made mud. I'm completely enamored with this whiskey. It's not cheap, but it's so worth it.

What's the deal?: NoCo's American whiskey, bourbon, and ryes are the result of the mad Swede Sebastien distilling whiskey that he believes is the best possible whiskey he can make. Why is this an important distinction? He is only sourcing the highest quality grains he can find, the highest quality barrels, and does not stick to convention for anything. He discovered how to properly fight the elevation when distilling by utilizing the proper amount of plates, they experimented endlessly with mashbills for their whiskey and bourbon, and pressed against the idea that fermentation only needs to be a few days. Although this whiskey having a 3.5 month long fermentation is a wild outlier, they still push for at least three weeks for their fermentations. A typical fermentation is 2-3 days before running it through the still. This endless battle to find the best whiskey possible has created some absolutely beautiful pours that taste unlike anything else on the market. I'm in love with this wild bottling, and for good reason. Do not expect the expected.

As if that were not enough, this is the first single barrel we have done with a fully custom art label. The art is from a Fort Collins Colorado artist, which is also where the distillery is located. The artist is the incredibly talented Kate Galloway, and her art can be found here!