An Extraordinary American Single Malt Not like Any Different
Capital Liquors Challenge 5 Yr Previous “Okay&L Unique” Closely Peated American Single Malt Whiskey (750ml) ($49.99)
“…this blows most [American single malts] out of the water from a high quality standpoint. It’s fabulously properly made.” — Andrew Whiteley, Okay&L Spirits Purchaser
In relation to micro-production and rarity, immediately’s provide takes the cake. This Okay&L unique cask of Capitol Liquors Challenge’s 5-Yr-Previous Single Malt is arguably the smallest-production spirit we’ve ever taken in at a mere 234 bottles. However that’s hardly probably the most intriguing characteristic at work right here. Why is it produced in such small portions, you may ask? The reply lies within the “mad scientist” behind the Capital Liquors Challenge itself. Gregory Miller is a full-time professor of distillation at UC-Davis who set about constructing his personal licensed and bonded distillery … in his yard shed. That’s proper, this can be a true one-man operation that redefines the idea of “boutique” distillation. As a result of he has no grandiose multi-year plans for enlargement or compensation of buyers, he’s free to experiment to his coronary heart’s content material, leading to singularly extraordinary whiskeys like this one. Spirits purchaser Andrew Whiteley declares, “This cask has a lot going for it … The complexity is thru the roof.” Most shocking of all, it is available in at an astounding sub-$50 worth that, as Andrew contends, has it “underpriced by an element of two or extra when in comparison with the easiest American single malts in the marketplace.” Clearly, that is probably your one and solely alternative to attain a whiskey like no different, so don’t hesitate to tug the set off.
Okay&L Notes: Gregory Miller, a chemical engineer and professor of distillation at UC Davis, operates the smallest authorized distillery we’ve ever seen. The absolutely licensed and bonded distillery and “rickhouse” sit just some steps from the entrance door of his house on the western fringe of Davis, CA. The tiny pot nonetheless is hand-built and of his personal design — a mission that got here into being after his lab bought a really costly instructing nonetheless that wasn’t as much as his rigorous requirements. Reasonably than simply moonshine as a hobbyist, Mr. Miller took the additional step of licensing his mission and changing into the primary authorized distillery in Yolo County lengthy earlier than the fashionable craft increase received booming. However he by no means got down to run a totally operational distillery in a enterprise sense. He doesn’t have manufacturing objectives, he’s not in a rush, he doesn’t have buyers that have to be paid again, and he undoubtedly doesn’t distill every single day. In reality, there are solely six barrels within the “rickhouse” (truly, 5 now that we purchased this one). He has made rye, bourbon, single malt, and quite a lot of different attention-grabbing experimental batches of liquor. It takes roughly 40 particular person mashes and distillation runs to fill a full sized 53-gallon barrel. Water comes from the properly on his property, and the distillery and barrel room frequently tops 100+ levels in the summertime months and drops close to freezing within the winter. This unbelievable 5-year-old single malt is constituted of 100% Scottish Bairds closely peated malt bought in 25kg sacks and mashed separately.
Andrew Whiteley | Okay&L Spirits Purchaser | Evaluate Date: September 14, 2022
This cask has a lot going for it. The distillery is so cool and so outrageously small. It’s principally the last word mancave—some guys have a shed stuffed with instruments, whereas Greg has a shed full of a licensed distillery. However the whiskey itself is particular. To start out, it’s constituted of 100% closely peated, Scottish malted barley from Bairds, so the grain itself is all the things you possibly can ask for in a single malt. It’s 5 years previous, considerably older than most releases of American single malt obtainable in the marketplace. It’s bottled at a large, true cask power of 66.7% ABV (and clearly not chill-filtered or coloured in anyway). And as a result of we’re working straight with the distillery, it’s arguably underpriced by an element of two or extra when in comparison with the easiest American single malts in the marketplace. Worth apart, I believe this blows most ASMs out of the water from a high quality standpoint. It’s fabulously properly made. Additionally, did I point out it tastes like bacon? Significantly—briny, smoky bacon. It’s scrumptious.
The brand new American oak from Demptos cooperage with a #3 char and toasted heads performs fantastically with the peat smoke and the malt. Even skilled tasters may simply be fooled for Islay malt in a blind tasting. It’ll come as no shock once you style this that one among Greg’s favourite distilleries is Laphroaig. The clear ferments (spectacular contemplating 40 separate mashes went into the batch) have offered a candy grain tea spine that will likely be acquainted to anybody who has ever brewed their very own beer. And but the complexity is thru the roof. The nostril affords peaches and nectarines, recent minimize grass, habanero pepper fruit (not spice, simply the candy fruity bits), saltwater taffy, applewood smoked bacon, and a brisker peat profile than you may anticipate. It presents extra just like the minimize peat itself earlier than it’s dried for burning: vegetal and earthy.
If you transfer to the palate, you’ll discover a candy array of fruit and vanilla intermingled with a fancy mélange of baking spices. The bacon and peat notes are sturdy on the again finish. Brownies, darkish chocolate, and roasted espresso all come to thoughts. It’s one thing of a chameleon—after I begin throughout with a second pour, I discover no peat. Then instantly it’s again with a subsequent nosing. A roll name again by fruit, spice, wooden, smoke, grass, meat, candy pastry, and extra comes with the exploration of an empty and now dry glass. The proof is eminently drinkable, and with water added a softer, fruitier aspect comes out, however so too is the oily, meaty nature intensified. It simply appears to drop the extra vegetal traits when diluted somewhat bit. It’s a rattling high quality dram of maybe the rarest single malt on earth. One cask was produced. There’s not one other cask of peated malt within the warehouse. It’s a real one-off in each sense, however properly definitely worth the worth of admission. The yield was a valuable few 234 bottles.
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