Look, Kentucky and Tennessee whiskey gets a lot of attention. (Of course.) And there’s a lot of great buzz about Texas whiskey these days. (Rightly so. Looking at you, Dan Garrison.) But I’m tellin’ ya right now, Maynard: North Carolina has got its game going on when it comes to small batch whiskey. So sit up and pay attention for a minute. You can thank me later.
Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries brought Old World distilling techniques to North Carolina.
Whiskey distilling in North Carolina has always been a thing going as far back as the colonial era when many farmers had a still in the barn and distilled some of their own grain for extra cash. The Grain-to-Bottle OG’s. But then in the 18th and 19th centuries there was an influx of Scottish and Irish immigrants into the Appalachian region, and those Scots and Irishmen brought with them those bad ass Old World whiskey distilling skills. Then shit got real. North Carolina whiskey production exploded in the back half of the 1800’s and remained a booming export industry for the state until…
Prohibition.
Prohibition in the early 20th century shut down legal whiskey production across the United States and drove the industry underground. The Appalachian region became notorious for moonshining during the Prohibition Era, with secret whiskey stills hidden all over the mountains and moonshiners playing ‘cat and mouse’ with the Feds. Many, many stories there for another day.
The North Carolina whiskeys on this list will rock your whiskey world.
Today we’re going to talk about five awesome North Carolina whiskies that you’ve probably never heard of but definitely should. If you see these anywhere, get them. If you don’t see these anywhere then get in the goddamn car right now and drive to North Carolina and get them. If I sound all “fan boy” about these whiskies it’s because I am. That’s why I’m writing about them.
Defiant American Single Malt Whisky by Blue Ridge Distilling
I brought a bottle of Defiant Single Malt home with me from a recent trip to Winston-Salem on the recommendation of a friend, and kinda put it on the shelf and forgot about it. A few months later I had some friends over to brew some beer, and I cracked it open with them. All five of us agreed this is one of the silkiest, sexiest, smoothest American single malts we’ve ever had. American Single Malt Whiskey seems to be the “next big thing”, and Blue Ridge Distilling is clearly killing it with this one.
There’s only two things in Defiant Single Malt: house-milled malted barley and mountain spring water. Spit out of a handmade copper pot still then aged in American white oak barrels. Its just so goddamn pure I don’t know what else to say about it except “go drink some”. I get notes of honey and vanilla but, as always, your mileage may vary. 82 proof.
Malt Whiskey by Oak & Grist Distilling Company
My wife and I took a vacation in Asheville NC last year with her extended family to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 85th birthday. When I travel I like to scope out any interesting distilleries nearby that have a tasting room. My niece’s husband Louis is also a whiskey fan (and an overall fun, smart, chill guy to hang out and sip whiskey with). So Louis, my awesome niece Paige, and I headed down to the Oak & Grist mothership in Black Mountain knowing nothing about Oak & Grist or their whiskey. Loved the laid back outdoor vibe of their tasting room. Loved their whiskey, too. Enough to bring a bottle of Malt Whiskey home (not always a given with me).
An interesting aspect to this whiskey is that it’s 50% aged in new American oak and 50% in used bourbon barrels. That bare hint of bourbon sweetness really opens up this 100% barley whiskey. Just my two cents on that. I tend to roll my eyes when whiskey reviewers try to describe flavor characteristics of a whiskey cuz… well… like wine reviewers a lot of fancy-pants words sometimes get thrown around that just make no sense. And what a whiskey tastes like to me may taste completely different to you. Nevertheless, I’m going to throw out there that my take on this whiskey is it’s got a nose of orange and caramel, and it drinks really smooth at 101 proof. Try it yourself, you may have a completely different experience with it. But I’m pretty damn sure that no matter what experience you have with this one you’ll find that experience to be a good one.
Blonde Whiskey by Asheville Distilling Company
Blonde is one of those unorthodox and creative and freethinking bad ass rarities that will punch you in the face if you try to fit it into a pre-defined category. The grain bill is red wheat and white corn. A 200 year old corn strain has a love child with Mennonite wheat, and you get this beautifully unique whiskey. I honestly can’t think of any other whiskey to compare it to. And I mean that as an enormous compliment. Some things are just uniquely themselves. Thank you Asheville Distilling Company, the world is a better place with Blonde Whiskey in it. Aged 8 years, 80 proof, goddamn delicious.
Ry3 Cask Strength Rye, Rum Cask Finish by Phenomenal Spirits Ltd.
Before you give me any static: I know. I know Phenomenal Spirits is out of Virginia, not North Carolina. I know that. BUT! This particular whiskey was exclusively bottled for Davidson County ABC in Davidson County North Carolina, which is where I purchased it cuz… well… it was “exclusively bottled” for Davidson County ABC. Davidson County being a county in North Carolina; ABC being the North Carolina Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Board that has a state-run monopoly on liquor stores in the State of North Carolina. I realize it sounds all complicated and all, but some states have complicated liquor laws, alright?
This particular whiskey is a beautifully balanced blend of three different barrel strength rye whiskeys, then the blend finished off in vintage rum barrels. It rings in at 118 proof, but is so goddamn smooth that you’d never know that by tasting it. The spicy edge of the rye is buffed out by the small hint of sweetness from its time in those rum barrels. Its really a stellar whiskey. I’ve tried this one mixed in a mule cup with ginger beer, and I’ve tried it in a Rye Manhattan with Carpano Antica sweet vermouth. And both of those were great cocktails. But I’ve decided I’m putting this one in the “sipper” category which to my mind is a Compliment of the Highest Order™. This Ry3 whiskey doesn’t need anything else. It stands alone – tall and proud – neat in a rocks glass with the smallest splash of cold water.
John A.P. Conoley Limited Reserve Straight Rye Whiskey by Bogue Sound Distillery
I was down in Winston-Salem for a few days recently looking in on my dad for a bit and picked this up while I was there. It came highly recommended by my friend Rudy whose point of view on “all things whiskey” is beyond reproach. And once again Rudy has lived up to his reputation for breadth and depth of whiskey wisdom.
This Limited Reserve rye by Bogue Sound Distillery is not really for beginners, my friends. Mostly because if you’re not used to drinking barrel proof whiskey then you’re probably going to only get the alcohol burn and the newbie watery eyes, and you’re gonna miss the beauty and finesse of this rye whiskey. And there’s so much goodness going on in this one that it can be easily missed if you don’t know how to pay attention. (The Great Ones always make it look easy, don’t they?) I would describe this rye whiskey thus: if someone made a dark sea salt caramel, sprinkled some ground white pepper on it, then somehow magically turned that white peppered caramel into a glass of 112 proof whiskey you’d end up with exactly this. Buckle up, Maynard: this isn’t a curated Uber Black ride. It’s a Harley Fat Boy out on the highway without a helmet: to stay safe you need to know what you’re doing, and if you know what you’re doing… It. Is. Awesome.
A sip of John A.P. Conoley starts with a spicy sweet rye note on the front of the tongue. Then a smack of white pepper on the back of your tongue. Then the high proof alcohol rampages through your mouth like a California forest fire. Then its over, and you’ve got a clean palate to do it again. And these distinct waves of experience happen all together in under two seconds. So you smile and raise the glass and do it again. And again. And another small sip. Rinse and repeat until the whiskey glass is empty, and you find yourself reaching for the bottle for another splash.
