Whisky: Rúa American Single Malt, Release #56 Great Wagon Road Distillery

Country/Region: United States/North Carolina

ABV: 43%

Cask: American White Oak #3 Char

Age: 16 months (1 Year)

Nose: Fragrant with oaky resin, vanilla, and honey.  Brimming with woody sugars and resin, musty notes of tomato leaf stood out among raw maple syrup, aniseed, and a hint of old cabbage.

Palate: Medium-bodied and quite oily with notes of pastries, ginger, and wood. Maple pastries and gingersnap cookies appeared with tomato leaf among an initial wave of malty sugars. Hanging in the background was a mellow bitterness with oaky tannins and herbs. Hints of tobacco appeared with earthy ginger and aniseed at the end.

Finish: Lingering slightly bitter oak and licorice.

Score: 3

Mental Image: Tilling the Vegetable Garden

Notes: After nosing this dram I was expecting an incredibly closed-off and tannic flavor profile with a bit of funk lurking in the background. For sure, I thought this would be another aggressively oaky single malt. Yet, the actual flavor profile only had hints of bitter oak and vanilla as the malt shined through. The divergence of nose and palate made this a study in contrasts as I kept going back and looking for moments of similarity. The unifying elements were musty tomato leaf (thankfully more reserved on the palate) and elements of spice, especially the aniseed and vanilla, reminded me of bitters. The mouthfeel was generally enjoyable and quite oily with a surprisingly long finish.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting single malt and not one I had ever heard of before. I did not think it hit the same level of complexity and richness as some of the leading American single malts, but perhaps it will get there with age. The flavor profile was unique, and it certainly did not feel like a clone or imitation of another distillery.

Image Credit: Cary Magazine