Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/359372
96 / the tasting panel / august 2014 96 / the tasting panel / august 2014 NORTH AMERICAN WHISKEY TATOOSH WHISKEY AND BOURBON Tatoosh Distillery and Spirits in Seattle is an overnight success five generations in the making. Founder Troy Turner comes by his passion and aptitude for distilling honestly, as his great-great- grandfather was a Louisiana moonshiner prior to Prohibition. When the Feds eventually shut down the operation in 1932, Turner's kin packed up and moved to Seattle. Tatoosh is now known throughout the Pacific Northwest for its range of handcrafted spirits, the centerpiece of which is Tatoosh Whiskey. Made with 100 percent malted barley and spring water from the Cascade Mountains, the whiskey is double-distilled in a copper pot still and aged in French Limousin oak barrels. Turner describes his whiskey as highly approach- able, with a generous nose and a balanced palate with creamy tiramisu and toffee notes. "The whiskey has a freshness about it that is unique in a single malt such as this." The distillery also makes Tatoosh Bourbon, a whiskey based on the Turner's family recipe using hand-selected corn and aged in charred oak barrels for a minimum of three years. The result is a velvety textured bourbon with a long, flavorful finish. "In my parents' and grandparents' time, the spirits industry didn't evolve in terms of marketing or how they connected with consumers," says Turner. "As craft distillers, we're adaptable, innovative and develop personal connections with our consumers. It's a part of what differentiates us from the big brands." TATOOSH DISTILLERY & SPIRITS ROCK TOWN DISTILLERY Most successful craft distillers look to create a range of spirits that captures the flavor and character of where they live and work. Such is the case with Phil Brandon, founder and head distiller at Rock Town Distillery in Little Rock. "Our spirits are dedicated to Arkansas. We're a true 'grain-to-glass' distillery, and we believe that whiskey has a terroir, or a sense of place," contends Brandon. "We source our corn, wheat and rye from farms within 125 miles of the distillery. Some distilleries purchase flaked grain from large brewery sup- pliers, but we buy whole grain from local farms, mill it ourselves, cook, ferment, distill and age the whiskey right here at the distillery. While it's more trouble to source locally—and decidedly more expensive—it's definitely worth it." The proof is inside the bottle. Small batch Rock Town Arkansas Bourbon is a flavorful and energetic whiskey made from locally grown corn, wheat and barley malt. Even the small, 15-gallon oak barrels used to age the bourbon for 10 to 15 months is coopered in Arkansas. Unique to the distillery is Rock Town Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey, which is distilled from red winter wheat that is cold-smoked in hickory smokers prior to milling. This infuses the grain with the flavor of hickory smoke that carries all the way through to the finished, 90-proof whiskey. Brandon's all-star portfolio also includes a rye whiskey and a single barrel reserve bourbon. ROCK TOWN DISTILLERY