Hinterhaus Distilling Discovery Batch 3 American Single Malt Whiskey Review

 

American Single Malt is one of the most exciting whiskey categories around. While there is an agreement on what American Single Malt must be, the definition hasn’t yet been codified legally. As such, distillers still have room to experiment and create unique offerings.

 

Hinterhaus Distilling is located in Arnold, California. That’s about 4000 feet above sea level in the Sierra Mountains. Nate Randall and his wife, Bonnie, are the owners, and they specialize in gin, vodka, liqueurs, and a selection of whiskeys.

 

Hinterhaus is an unusual name. Its origin seems German, meaning rear building or house at the back. Nate and Bonnie chose the name in 2020 to honor everything the Sierra Mountains provide them. Hinterhaus works closely with its neighbors to obtain casks and ingredients for its spirits.

 

Today, we’ll explore Hinterhaus Discovery Batch 3 American Single Malt:

 

“Batch 3 is a collaborative spirit with Dust Bowl Brewing out of Turlock, California. Working with Brewmaster Don, we selected their Dust Bowl Public Enemy Baltic Porter, without the hops, as a base recipe to create this unique American Single Malt Whiskey. Aging in a combination of New Charred American Oak and Ex-Bourbon Casks, combined with the rich dark malts found in this porter recipe, creates deep chocolate, smoke and vanilla notes.” – Hinterhaus Distilling

 

I always appreciate transparency, and I applaud Hinterhause for being so open about this whiskey. The barleys come from Mouterij Dingemans from Belgium and Weyermann Speciality Malting from Germany. The mashbill is 61% Weyermann’s Pils, 26% Munich II, 4% Carafa II, 5% Dingeman’s Special B and 4% Black Malt. Two cooperages, Kelvin and Speyside, provided new, medial toast #3 charred American oak barrels, and when the whiskey matured, it was finished in ex-Bourbon barrels.

 

Discovery Batch 3 spent at least 18 months in oak. It is non-chill filtered, naturally colored, and bottled at 46% ABV (92°). A 750ml package has a suggested price of $65.00.

 

I’m grateful to Hinterhaus Distilling for this opportunity to #DrinkCurious. A sample was provided to me in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Appearance: I poured this whiskey into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. Inside, it presented as a brilliant gold liquid. A medium-thin rim released fat, syrupy tears.

 

Nose: With the glass under my nostrils, I smelled thick, raw honey, vanilla cake frosting, peaches, apricots, and and bananas. To be clear, it was densely sweet. Only the vanilla cake frosting was discernable when I pulled the air through my lips and into my mouth.

 

Palate: Discovery’s texture was thick and creamy. Coffee ice cream raced from the gate and formed the entire front. My mid-palate (pardon the pun) discovered English toffee and vanilla cake. The back included cinnamon spice, charred oak, and milk chocolate.

 

Finish: The taste of coffee ice cream carried through the entire sipping experience. Oak and toffee engaged in almost a tug-of-war with no clear victor. I could practically feel the texture of vanilla cake melting in my mouth. The chocolate was like it was in the audience trying to get a better view of the contest. The finish clocked in at only 0:59, making it a medium-short duration.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: While Discovery doesn’t possess many flavors, what existed was bold and unmistakable. Only a handful of other coffee-heavy American Single Malts come to mind. I thoroughly enjoyed Discovery, at least as much as I enjoyed those, which is extraordinary considering I’m not a coffee drinker.

 

Too many people will look at the age statement and price and might abandon Discovery on the shelf. Here’s the thing about American Single Malts: they mature quickly, and, at least in my experience, altitude only speeds up the process. I believe it is worthy of both my Bottle rating and the price. Cheers!

 

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.