Notes: Glenrose is a small distillery even by micro distillery standards – they only had a 4 plater 30 gallon hybrid pot still from Artisan Distilling. They just recently added a 100 gallon Bain-Marie multipurpose from StillDragon and a small home brew experimental rig. This is an aged version of their Moonshine and has been aged in a 10 gallon barrel for about 6 months.Using 4 different malted grains grown and malted in New York State and local springwater from their well they produced this 4 grain whiskey in a very small batch – 44 bottles total. All of which was spoken for –  making it on of the hardest whiskies to find, indeed impossible unless you know someone who got a bottle.Using a blend of malted grain, wheat, corn, barley and a good dose of malted rye to give it some spice , the distillery of the father and son team of Jim and Matt Sloboda ferment the resulting beer ( as it is called – it’s not the bottling kind) or wort which they then distill it in their Moonshiner Company 4 plate hybrid pot stills after running it through a copper stripping still. This is a 2 times distilled product which is how most Scotch and Bourbons are produced – you want to leave flavor in a whiskey not distill it to death like many vodkas do. Also the whiskey is bottled at barrel strength and not chill filtered, it is about as natural a state as you will find a whiskey in with no fining,filtering or additives to adjust color, taste, etc., etc.,

Appearance: Clear, light yellow gold.On swirling it leaves a thin oily coat on the glass with tears slowly forming at intervals along the edge line/meniscus.

First Impression: Chewy, toffee malt graininess with a nicely thick grain bouquet,grain,malt,mint,vanilla,touches of oak,tobacco, leather and spice

Taste: Nicely grainy slightly sweet entry, with hints of corn ,barley,sweet sour rye,and mint notes with a touch of bread thrown in, slightly warming and drying with a very pleasant finish. A deft balancing of the four grains and the proper amount of aging to give smoothness without sacrificing the charms of a young whiskey by aging and oxidizing too long in a barrel.

Drinks: Think of it along the lines of an Irish whiskey or a highland Scotch for mixing purposes

Bottle: Clear glass bell shape, . Heavier decanter type bottom lends an attractive appearance and adds a nice sense of heft to the bottle. Large brown parchment style label similar to a wanted poster in both color and format. bottle graphic to make a distinctive label that can be spotted at a distance. Label is easy to identify and read, also attractive and catches the eye. Stand out on a bar or store shelf. Closure is a natural cork topped by a disk of finished wood and a clear plastic neck capsule. Barrel and bottle numbers and signature on each bottle( This example being Barrel 1 Bottle 2).

Other: Glenrose also produces an  aged Applejack or Apple Brandy, 2 Pear Brandies,   Batch 1 and Batch 2, Snow Devil Gin , an unaged whiskey , and several editions/releases of their Old Saloon Four Grain Malt Whiskey ( we also reviewed Barrel/Batch , 11, and 14 ) along with a truly outstanding Absinthe made in the Pontarlier Style. Check their Facebook or website pages for updates.

Final Thoughts: While maybe not an OMG experience, this is a well done whiskey that is quite enjoyable and very smooth and pleasant. Very well balanced in both flavor and taste. Also the price is for a full sized 750 ML not a 375 half bottle so the price is quite reasonable for such a small batch/production whiskey

Website: http://www.glenrosespirits.com

Fairly simple and straightforward webpage- easy to navigate and full of humorous drawings too.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/glenrosespirits
More up to date with more photos, events, etc., ( Whose isn’t?)