Single Malt Whiskey -

by snebbu

Endless Whiskey: Pumpkin Spice Whiskey!

Yes! The moment I’ve been waiting for. Hop-flavored whiskey was good, but I’ve been waiting for this kind of seasonal for a long time. Last year, Sons of Liberty used 4,000 lbs of pumpkin in their fall whiskey seasonal. This year, they worked with a local Rhode Island farmer to use 32,000 lbs of pumpkins to create two batches of pumpkin spice whiskey. This year’s seasonal offering took one of ten World Whiskies Awards given by Whisky magazine; Sons of Liberty was the only craft distillery to win (with a PUMPKIN whiskey!).

Sons of Liberty paired with facebook volunteers to wash, cut, core, roast, and press all of the pumpkins. From there, the pumpkin juice is blended with a single malt whiskey. Finally, spices including cinnamon, clove, sweet orange peel, vanilla and allspice are added to the blend. Last year, owner Mike Reppucci used his mom’s oven to roast 4,000 lbs of pumpkins. I guess this year he realized his mom’s house may not be plausible, so he rented conventional ovens. Don’t fret though – he still kept it in the family by using his dad’s vintage wine press to press the pumpkins. I have to admit…I kind of wish I lived in Rhode Island just to take part in this crazy event. Here’s the tasting profile:

Endless Whiskey: Hop-Flavored Whiskey (Part II)

If you recall, during the ridiculous winter storms of February, I tried the 2013 SOL Hop Flavored Whiskey. Well, here comes the 2014 version. Founder and owner Mike Reppucci said that the award-winning 2014 version is more hoppy than last year’s and potentially even more mellow. The single malt whiskey from the north continues to provide the basic flavors of an IPA style beer in the form of whiskey. After the wash is fermented and completes the distillation process, the whiskey is dry hopped with Citra and Sirachi Ace hops (grassy and citrus hops).

While the flagship whiskeys produced by Sons of Liberty offer either a sweet or smokey taste that many of us liken to whiskey or scotch, the hop-flavored whiskey has more of an “in your face” but refreshing profile. The warming and sweet malt flavors come through at first, suddenly cut by a strong bitterness from the hops and complemented by our good friend ethanol. The citrus and grassy flavors of the hops complete the taste.