This is a 1 year-old bourbon from Rock Town distillery in Arkansas. I was intrigued by the fact that That Boutique-y Whisky Co would bottle something this young, so I bought a sample.
Rock Town 1 yo
(51,7%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company 2018, Batch #2, 190 btl.)
Rock Town 1 yoNose: a lot of pencil shavings and charred barrels mixed with buttered popcorn. Then both darker notes (sweet pumpernickel) and brighter notes (red apples and citrus). Hints of pepper and maple syrup, or rather thyme syrup. Minty notes and red berries as top notes.
Mouth: very oaky, with bags of peppermint, cinnamon dusting and raw planks. Hints of tobacco leaves and dusty books. Burnt vanilla. Hardly any fruity notes or other types of roundness.
Finish: long, on burnt wood, tobacco and peppermint.
This is a young, rather raw and extremely wood-driven bourbon. Surprisingly good for a 1 year-old, sure, but that doesn’t make me a fan of this pressure-cooked style. A curiosity, available from Master of Malt.
Score: 76/100