Rush Creek Distilling Trophy Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

 

This review was originally published on June 10, 2019, at Bourbon & Banter.

BOTTLE DETAILS

DISTILLER: Rush Creek Distilling

MASH BILL: 88% Corn  |  12% Rye  |  10% Malted Barley

AGE: 10 Years

YEAR: 2019

PROOF: 84.6 Proof (42.3% ABV)

MSRP: $65.00

 

NOSE:  Vanilla  | Corn |  Toasted Oak |  Caramel

 

TASTE:  Corn  | Vanilla  | Peanuts |  Tobacco Leaf

 

FINISH:  Long-lasting that starts off as white pepper and then morphs to clove.

 

SHARE WITH:  People who want to try something they’ve never had before.

 

WORTH THE PRICE:  Ummmmm… no.

 

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST:  Regrettably, a Bust.

 

OVERALL: In February, I had the opportunity to meet up with the folks at Rush Creek Distilling at Distill America in Madison. I was intrigued by what they offered and interested in learning more. We talked, and they were kind enough to provide me with a sample of their Trophy Whiskey for an unbiased, no-strings-attached review.

 

I enjoy tasting events because I always find something to tickle my fancy in my quest to #DrinkCurious. However, no matter how hard I try, at some point, everything on my palate is muted, and things I think taste good really don’t, and things I think taste bad really don’t. As such, I keep a note of the things that are interesting, good or bad, and follow up later with a clean palate.

 

Rush Creek Distilling is out of Harvard, Illinois. They’ve been around since 2017 and have about 300 barrels of their own distillate aging, which should be ready in two or so years. As such, to have something available now, they source their whiskey, but it is undisclosed as to who provides the sourcing.

 

All marketing aside, the only thing that matters in whiskey is how it tastes. I want to point out that this is marketed as whiskey and not Bourbon. There is no explanation as to why it isn’t Bourbon; there could be a variety of possibilities ranging from the barrel to original proofing or anywhere in between.

 

In my glass, Trophy Whiskey was a bright, clear golden color. This is not something I’d expect in a ten-year Bourbon, which should be darker. On my Glencairn glass, it left a thin rim that produced droplets that never quite became legs. They just stuck to the wall of the glass.

 

Aromas of vanilla and corn were dominant. When I sniffed through my various nosing zones, I got past the vanilla and corn and picked up some toasted oak. When I inhaled through my mouth, there was peanut butter and caramel.

 

The first sip gave a consistency of water. I couldn’t describe it as thin or thick. Corn was up front, followed by vanilla and peanuts. Subsequent sips allowed for tobacco leaf and dry oak. Then, there was white pepper that morphed into clove. The finish was very long-lasting.

 

Trophy Whiskey drinks much hotter than 84.6°. I added two drops from my eyedropper to see what would happen with water. Proofing it down allowed a hint of fruitiness on the nose and changed the watery mouthfeel to creamy. The heat wholly dissipated, the wood and pepper notes mellowed, and there was even a slight briny quality. The finish remained strong.

 

 

I've considered a few things on the Bottle, Bar, or Bust scale. The first was how interesting the palate was. Trophy Whiskey is not proof of my enjoyment. At 84.6°, it is too hot (and I drink and enjoy plenty of barrel-proof whiskey). Adding a few drops of water took care of it but brought the unpleasant brine. The second factor is the price: $65 for low-proof sourced distillate is not reasonable. This is way into the upper echelon of “craft” whiskey despite its decade-old nature. Because of these issues, Trophy Whiskey is a Bust.

 

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.