As national and local craft distilling markets become ever more crowded, Washington, D.C.-based One Eight Distilling is among the distillers carving out a market share through references to their hometown culture.
Not content with a distillery name that references the legal authorization for the federal District of Columbia’s existence (Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution), it’s Rock Creek series of whiskeys pays homage beloved local park.
With centuries of history before it became the third National Park in 1890, the sprawling 1,754-acre Rock Creek Park on D.C.’s northside offers a host of activities outdoor and educational activities to city residents and “one of the best-loved treasures of DC,” according to One Eight Distilling.
Historically important for the Rock Creek series – which includes the bourbon that I’ll be reviewing here – the Rock Creek area was also the site of various rye, corn and barley farms and several mills. The Rock Creek Rye and Bourbon are heralded as the first of their kind to be made “grain to glass” in D.C. proper since Prohibition.
While the distillery doesn’t give more than basic details, the Rock Creek Bourbon the product description reports that it’s made with four grains, primarily corn with a high rye content. It’s then distilled in small batches in a copper pot still and aged in new American oak barrels before being bottled at 95 proof.
Tasting Notes: One Eight Distilling Rock Creek Bourbon
Vital stats: Bourbon with high rye content, made in small batches in a copper pot still, aged in new American oak barrels and bottled at 47.5% ABV. Sells for roughly $45 in the D.C. metro area only.
Appearance: Golden amber, slightly darker than average.
Nose: Gives a burst of sweet citrus when entering the nasal passages, most notably with tangerine and bright vanilla and softer notes of oak and pepper. That gradually mellows into more of an apple scent, then pear, with touches of caramel, nutmeg and a hint of lavender.
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Palate: Falls onto the tongue with a sweet, slightly earthy vanilla core and an interesting note of sweet red apple. The sip gradually picks up more spicy flavors, like nutmeg, pepper, and cloves, as it sits on the tongue, developing into more of a caramel base flavor as it increasingly tingles on the tongue. Then the flavor eventually tapers off and leaves a bit of an odd blank spot. Swallowing brings on a small, manageable burst of spice toward the back of the mouth, which fades for a moment and builds back into a stronger tide of spicy, slightly smoky tingles throughout the mouth. That also ebbs away leaving an earthy, smoky caramel finish on the tongue.
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