This is not a retraction. I have no intention of retracting the anti-umbrana timber criticisms I’ve spewed out over the past few years. And I still strongly believe that using this type of wood to finish whiskey barrels is often a mistake. But if I come across an example where it’s worked more or less well, I’m happy to acknowledge it. That seems to be the case with the new Hard Truth Farmers Reserve.
Hard Truth Distilling Co. is a craft distillery located in Indiana, a state that is also home to the much larger and decidedly non-craft distillery MGP. While the latter is a large-scale operation that produces various brands of whiskey, Hard Truth focuses on distilling rye and bourbon and other spirits in small batches in the town of Nashville, Indiana. Although these whiskeys are on the younger side, they are incredibly good overall, as evidenced by the distillery’s recently released batch of cask-finished rye. Farmer’s Reserve marks the second time that Hard Truth has partnered with Mellencamp His Whiskey Company, a company founded by Hud Mellencamp, the son of Levi His Collison and the great John Mellencamp. Masu. The label on the bottle features one of the elder Mellencamp’s paintings entitled “American Boy And Girl,” which is about as Mellencamp’s name as you can think of.
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Farmer’s Reserve is a blend of Hard Truth’s sweet mash bourbon and chocolate malt rye. Chocolate Malt Rye is a whiskey made from a mashbill containing deeply roasted malted barley to bring out the cocoa notes. Master Distiller Brian Smith says the blend was made with 45 barrels of bourbon and eight barrels of rye, purposefully blended to accentuate the flavor that the chocolate malt barley brings to the palate. The final step is adding some of the toasted Umbrana wood to the whiskey, resulting in a stave finish that is closer to what Maker’s Mark does to some of its expressions than a full barrel finish. The reason, Smith said, was to control the effects of Umbrana wood. “I’ve tasted too many whiskeys that used this wood as a finishing material and lost their balance,” he told me. “Our goal with this whiskey was to not only showcase our talent in the art of blending two of his in-house whiskies, but also to combine the unique flavor elements (Umbrana and Chocolate Malt Barley) with a rich flavor profile. It was also about creating a whiskey that was complex and consistent.”
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You could say he was successful. Umbrana typically dominates and overwhelms the other flavors in the whiskey, essentially turning the whiskey into a liquid potpourri. Other distilleries and brands that have attempted (and failed in my opinion) to use Umbrana as a cask finish include Barrel Craft Spirits, Penelope Bourbon, and Rabbit Hole. But somehow it works here. Yes, you still immediately recognize this as an Umbrana-finished whiskey with deep aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, incense and cocoa powder on the palate. However, Smith and his team showed some restraint by removing the wood from the barrel before things got out of hand, resulting in rich aromas of cherry, dark chocolate, caramel, and toffee. At 106 proof, there’s a little heat to the finish, but it’s also good for enjoying over big ice.
No, I haven’t changed my mind about using Umbrana wood as a cask finish. In most cases it still doesn’t work. That’s okay, I don’t think it will become as popular as whiskey aged in sherry or Quercus casks anytime soon. But it’s nice to find an example of an Umbrana-finished whiskey that doesn’t hit with the intensity of Febreze. Hard Truth is a craft distillery to watch, and this new whiskey is another example of why.
Score: 89
100 worth replacing your first born
95 – 99 Inside the Pantheon: Cabinet Trophy
90 – 94 Awesome: Pour a dram and your friends nod excitedly.
85 – 89 Very good: Tasty enough to buy, but not special enough to chase on the secondary market.
80 – 84 Good: Suitable for everyday drinking, solid and reliable.
Anything below 80 is fine: Honestly, we wouldn’t waste your time or ours on this.
Every week, Jonah Fricker tastes the world’s most talked about and interesting whiskies. Check out his latest reviews every Friday.
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