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Whiskey Review: Glacier Distilling Bad Rock Rye

We review Glacier Distilling Bad Rock Rye, a young rye whiskey crafted by a distillery out of Montana.

OVERALL RATING

7
$48.00
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Tasting Notes

About:

Bad Rock is a straight rye aged for three years according to Glacier Distilling Company’s website, but my bottle had a 20-months stamp on it. The whiskey is bottled at 56% ABV. The Montana Department of Revenue priced a 750mL bottle at about $48 in December. At this point, Bad Rock Rye is only available at a couple dozen stores across Montana and one store in Jackson, Wyoming.
Appearance:
Bad Rock Rye comes in a tall, narrow, minimalist bottle that’s generally free of adornment save for the scenic landscape on the label that’s difficult to see through a full bottle. Normally, a slim bottle might make a whiskey appear lighter, but not in this case. Bad Rock has a deep rusty, coppery red hue in the bottle that’s darker than average, and pouring it into a glass only slightly brightens it.
Nose:
Initially, Bad Rock Rye wafts into the nose with the scent of a rich, decadently sweet caramel with a touch of roasted pecans and tart crust. After a moment, the whiskey develops into a smokier bouquet. With an oaky rye serving as the smoky undercurrent, smells of ginger and clove become the most prominent flavors while light notes of apple soften the edges of the spices.
Palate:
Entry onto the palate again brings a sweet taste of caramel – though not as intensely sweet as with the nose – with a fruity, slightly tart character of red apples in the background. As the whiskey sits, the apple flavor briefly becomes the dominant flavor before it gives way to clove and pepper that continue to build to a moderate tingle on the tongue, curbed a bit by a molasses base underneath them. Swallowing sends a wave of spices across the tongue – potent in terms of flavor but light in terms of burn to the mouth. However, those spices stick around over a generally sweet undercurrent, with flares that are more intense and frequent than usual as the flavor gradually tapers off.
Finish:
Comments:
Bad Rock Rye is certainly an easy drinker and one that I would be happy to have in a post-apocalyptic hell scape. While it lacked the subtlety that I normally like in a whiskey, the spicy and sweet attributes complemented each other well with nice give-and-take between them. Although Bad Rock is on the sweeter side of rye, it still has interesting transitions and worth sampling if you find yourself in Montana.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Aaron Knapp

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