“Some of the hot, new whiskey out there was born out of boredom. Or, by jumping on the bandwagon of a fleeting trend, something new that’s been designed to appear old-timey and authentic. Not ours.
Ours is a story of conviction. Our product is a result of years of hard work to master the craft. From a founder who lived in a monastery, served the homeless and desperate migrant workers, smuggled medical supplies into war zones and helped preserve ancient manuscripts in some of the world’s most dangerous places. Ours is a brand that embodies belief. Which, in our humble opinion, makes pretty good business sense.” – Brother Justus Whiskey Company
The
Minneapolis, Minnesota distillery, known as Brother Justus Whiskey Company, was
founded in 2014 by Phil
Steger. He looked toward the man at the
forefront of Minnesota distilling: Brother
Justus (his real name was William Trettel). He wasn’t the first moonshiner in the area, but
he felt it was immoral to produce low-quality moonshine that could sometimes be
toxic. If you were going to break the law by running an illicit still, you
don’t do that at the expense of your neighbor’s well-being.
As
Brother Justus learned the trade, he shared his knowledge with others in the
area. He helped, through the church, acquire the necessary materials to build
copper stills and taught locals how to make them and then how to make quality
whiskey. His required payment was called a whiskey tithe, which
consisted of a jar of the whiskey his students distilled. It is estimated that
nearly 1200 corn farmers were using Brother Justus’s techniques before the 21st
Amendment passed, eliminating Prohibition.
Phil
and his team are innovators. Brother Justus Whiskey Company developed the Aitkin
County Process® and Cold-Peated Whiskey®, which were made
to reduce aging times and improve the quality of the spirit. The patent-pending
process utilizes Torv Rök peat in the finishing stage rather than during
the barley malting. Torv Rök is a granular peat, and aside from imparting the
natural flavors, it is also supposed to filter out any impurities. It is said
to impart earthy flavors rather than strong, smoky ones. And, because it is in
the finishing process, it means that Brother Justus distills only unpeated
American Single Malts; offering a peated can be done on demand.
And
that brings us to the American
Single Malt that Brother Justus distills. It is
unpeated, aged up to one year, packaged at 43% ABV (86°), and a 750ml has a $69.99
suggested retail price. It aged in new, #3- and #4-charred oak barrels sourced
from The Barrel Mill in Avon, Minnesota.
Brother
Justus was kind enough to send me a sample of its flagship whiskey in exchange
for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and discover
what this is all about.
Appearance: I
sipped this American Single Malt Whiskey from my Glencairn glass. The liquid
was a lighter orange amber. It produced a massive rim that discharged large,
slow droplets and widely spaced, wavy tears.
Nose: The
aroma included floral notes, berries, overly ripe bananas, and butterscotch. Pulling
the air into my mouth revealed vanilla.
Palate: The
thin, silky texture introduced the front of my palate to flavors of vanilla,
green Jolly Ranchers, and honey. If that sounds sweet, believe me, it was. The
middle tasted of hazelnuts, pecans, and earthy mushrooms. I found oak, raisins,
and cinnamon powder on the back.
Finish: The
finish was a combination of sweet and bitter notes, including roasted coffee, cinnamon
spice, oak, green Jolly Ranchers, and honey. The duration ran 1:47, allowing it
to enter the longer half of medium.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: People
could easily look at a less-than-one-year age statement and conclude that there’s
no way a whiskey would be good. American Single Malts are unique; they don’t
require as much time in oak as Bourbon or American Rye. I’ve had some that were
six months old and lovely. Yet, they were also in the neighborhoods of $45.00
to $50.00.
I am very curious what this
whiskey would taste like if it were allowed to mature to twice its age, and at
that point, it must justify the added premium. And I’m also damned curious
about that Cold-Peated Whiskey. As it stands, the American Single Malt is one
you should try at a Bar before committing to purchasing a 750ml. 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.
Comments
Post a Comment
As we should drink in moderation, all comments are subject to it. Cheers!