Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a free sample to review by the party behind it. The Whiskey Wash, while appreciative of this, did keep full independent editorial control over this article.
When it boils down to it (no pun intended), whiskey is nothing more than distilled beer. That puts brewer-distillers like Texas’s Ranger Creek in a good position to experiment. If something works in a beer, why not see what happens when you distill that beer?
That’s exactly what Ranger Creek did with their Rimfire Single Malt, which is essentially a distillation of their Mesquite Smoked Porter, minus the hops. A grain-to-glass operation based in San Antonio, Ranger Creek produces beer and spirits with a decidedly Texan character. Their mesquite-smoked expressions, made with malt smoked in a converted shipping container, are one example of that unique angle.
As with the rest of their “small caliber” series, Rimfire Single Malt is aged in extra-small barrels to speed the maturation process, and sold in baby-size (375 mL) bottles. Each expression in the series is named for the ammunition taken by a particular historical firearm. With this single malt, the reference is to the iconic Winchester 1866, a lever-action rifle you’ve probably seen John Wayne or Clint Eastwood shoot.
The distillery provides the following tasting notes:
“The nose of Rimfire brings about sweet tropical notes of ripe mango and dried banana with a hint of vanilla. The taste is smooth and delicate with a light malty sweetness. And the finish is soft, balanced, and dry with hints of light smoke and roasted chocolate”
My impressions stacked up as follows.
Tasting Notes: Ranger Creek Rimfire Single Malt
Appearance: Deep gold—not unlike the gunmetal of the Winchester 1866’s receiver
Nose: Unlike the distillery’s tasting notes, my first impression consisted largely of savory flavors. It’s smoky and dense, with black and white pepper, dried chile, and something like prosciutto. After a few minutes in the glass, I got some baking-type spice and a little of the tropical fruit cited by the distillery.
Trending Stories
Palate: Fairly light in body, with more of the savory, smoky notes I got on the nose. I also noticed some more fruit notes, like apricot, as well as a dash of chocolate.
Conclusion:
Overall, I quite like this single malt. It provides enough complexity to give you something to think about, while still coming across as light and approachable. I only wish I could’ve tasted it blind: I was definitely envisioning scenes from cattle drives and hearing Marty Robbins in my head as I took notes, and when I say this whiskey brings to mind a piping-hot plate of turkey mole, I’m not totally confident I wasn’t influenced by the cowboy-themed name and label.
In any case, this is a tasty, approachable, but interesting expression.
FINAL SCORE: 89/100
Latest News