Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review.
With a historical tapestry dating back to 1857, Utah’s own, Dented Brick distillery in Salt Lake City, is a new distillery aiming to leave their mark on the landscape.
Founder and CEO Marc Christensen said, “When I set out to find the ideal land on which to build our distillery, I was armed with one critical piece of advice from an old moonshiner I had met in my travels and education in Kentucky: “It starts with the water!” We needed a property that had access to the best water we could find.
The search would end with a gift from heaven (and Mother Nature) — a property with an artesian well. The water flows clean and pure from the Wasatch Mountains, forming the perfect foundation for our spirits. We later learned that the land belonged to renowned distiller and entrepreneur Hugh Moon — a historic connection that made it all seem like fate. Hugh produced whiskey in Salt Lake City for the early Mormon pioneers in the 1850’s.”
The distillery Christensen references was originally created by Moon of Liverpool through Illinois. What’s more, Moon allegedly received direct permission from Brigham Young to distill in Salt Lake City. Dented Brick now sits on some of the property originally owned by Moon from 1856.
Dented Brick sits on an artesian well which is fed by snowmelt from the Wasatch Mountains. The well water is high in minerals, which the distillery believes adds to the unique flavor of their whiskey. Kentucky distilleries often attribute their flavors, in part, to the deep limestone deposits helping to filter their water.
The original well builder, as a historical note, was killed in a gunfight which left impressions in the bricks of his house. Some of those, “dented bricks” were incorporated into the new distillery building, hence the name.
Dented Brick is a craft distillery using local non-GMO grains in their products. This project has been a long time coming for Christiansen. He is extremely proud of being a “craft” distillery. His operation has an extensive line of whiskey and non-whiskeys alike, which isn’t all too uncommon. Whiskey takes time to develop, and a clear spirit can virtually be sold right off the still.
Trending Stories
This review will focus on Dented Brick’s barrel finished straight rye whiskey. This whiskey is milled, mashed, fermented, and distilled with 100% rye grain before being matured for a minimum of two years in new oak barrels, before being rested in former-fill cabernet barrels as a secondary finish.
The distillery wanted to create a whiskey infused with the essence of fine red wine, creating a palate with complex notes of stone fruit, smoke, and spices. The tasting notes from the distillery identify an aroma of tanned leather and oak. A profile of plum, cinnamon, clove and hints of cherry; before a long complex finish of cinnamon and red wine. With that, we turn to the glass.
Tasting Notes: Dented Brick Limited Edition Barrel Finished Straight Rye Whiskey
Vital Stats: 100% rye grain, aged two years and rested in cabernet barrels. 45% abv.
Nose: Soft nose with hints of cinnamon, cherry, and brown sugar. The alcohol carries soft oak notes and new leather.
Taste: Slightly oily mouthfeel with a puckering back end. As it opens on the palate it is sweet, with cinnamon spice, tart cherries, and rye spice. The taste evolves from the fruit into more earth tones of oak lignin and smoke. Right before the sip opens you get a burst of cabernet wine, deep red grapes and unmistakable wine flavor. It is a greeter to the complexity of the whiskey underneath.
The finish is on the short side, focusing on the earth notes and red wine flavors. It has soft cabernet notes but touches of wood and rye. The flavors mix well and softly disappear from your palate.
Latest News