Root Out Root Beer Flavored Whisky Review & Tasting Notes

This review was originally published on October 22, 2019, at Bourbon & Banter.

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Temperance Distilling
• MASH BILL: Undisclosed Canadian Blended Whisky with Root Beer Flavoring
• AGE: Four years
• YEAR: 2019
• PROOF: 70 Proof (35% ABV)
• MSRP: $25.99
•  

NOSE: Thick Vanilla  | Root Beer Candy  | Menthol

 

TASTE: Root Beer  | Oak | Vanilla

 

FINISH: Menthol, almost like a cough drop.

 

SHARE WITH: Someone bugging you for a date, and you’re trying to find a new, unique way to send them elsewhere.

 

WORTH THE PRICE: Ralph Nader might have said Root Out is unsafe at any price.

 

BOTTLE, BAR, OR BUST: Rating this a Bust is unfair to the “Bust” rating.

 

OVERALL: As a whiskey reviewer, I sometimes feel bad writing the review. When reviewing a lousy product, I intend not to be unnecessarily mean or vicious. However, when something is so offensive that it makes my stomach turn, it ceases to be a simple review and becomes a public service announcement.

 

Root Out is made from a Canadian blended whisky aged four years in American oak. The goal was to create an “extensively aged whisky with root beer flavor.” I enjoy root beer. So, when I was approached to review Root Out, I thought it would be cool because I’ve never had a root beer-flavored whisky before. If it was root beer with a bit of a kick, that would be a good thing. And it made for a nifty #DrinkCurious moment.

 

Root Out suggests it can be consumed neat, on the rocks, as a shot, or as part of a cocktail. I’m a neat drinker who occasionally adds a couple of drops of water when I want to get curious (or when something tastes poorly neat, and I want to give it a fair chance).

 

I opted to try this, both neat and on the rocks.

 

Neat, the nose was thick, creamy vanilla and menthol, with the added quality of root beer barrel candy. The mouthfeel was creamy, and the palate offered root beer and some oak. I was surprised by the amount of “heat” on the finish, which I attribute to the menthol. This was like sucking on a root-beer-flavored Hall’s throat lozenge. It had a phony root beer flavor, the kind you’d find in the candy. I found this to be a very unappealing whisky, flavored or not.

 

On the rocks, the menthol completely disappeared from the nose. That gave me hope. But, when it hit my palate, all hope was lost. It was a mixture of vanilla and something I just couldn’t put my finger (or palate) on. It was definitely not root beer. Also, the oak was gone. The finish lost all that menthol “heat,” but it still had a fake root beer candy quality. It also started making me nauseous.

 

My goal is not to be cruel; while saying that, Root Out is terrible. I’ve never had a whisky make my stomach turn. By far, this is the worst thing I’ve put in my mouth in 2019.

 

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.