Rogue Spirits Oregon Rye Malt Whiskey

Nothing like some malted rye to take the edge off.

The Rogue story begins with three friends opening a small craft brewery in 1988. They were searching for a proper place when founder Jack Joyce found himself stuck in an epic snow storm in Newport. There he ran into local legend "Mo" Niemi, famous for her clam chowder restaurant chain. One thing led to another and Rogue found its new home in the nice lady's commercial building, so long as he promised he'd keep an oldschool black & white photo of her sitting naked in a bath tub stuck right above the bar at all times. You can't make this stuff up. But ales and lagers weren't enough, no sir. They soon branched out and started distilling Whiskey and Gin as well. These guys aren't playing when they call their stuff "handcrafted". They grow their own grains, brew and distill as well as age and bottle everything on their own. They even make the barrels themselves!

Oregon Rye Malt Whiskey is no different. It does, however, have a quirky twist, as both the barley and rye (the same kind they use for their beer) used here are malted. What that means is that the spice is turned down a notch, making this a particularly drinkable dram. The breeze coming off the Pacific does it good just as well during its 3 years of aging in new American oak barrels. It's then bottled (sans chill-filtration) at 80 proof. And they even blow their own glass bottles! Just kidding.