As the trend of microbreweries, craft distilleries, and reclaiming old buildings become ever more popular with no limits in sight, The Depot Craft Brewery & Distillery in Reno, Nevada, has doubled down and done all three.
Opened on Dec. 31, 2014, after a year of renovation by the owners, this restaurant, brewery and distillery is housed in an old train depot – as the name implies – built in 1910 on the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad.
The use of the old building, with its beech floors and exposed brick, fits right into their stated mission statement of making “base ingredients into far more noble forms,” with a commitment of getting as many of those ingredients from the region as possible.
As far as whiskey is concerned, Nevada-grown corn appears to be the distillery’s primary ingredient. Its primary whiskeys are a corn whiskey and a bourbon, which, co-owner Chris Shanks points out in a 2015 interview, is higher in corn than the required 51%,
Most of this distillery’s whiskeys, it seems, are aged in small, 10-gallon oak barrels as opposed to the normal 53-gallon barrels. As Shanks points out in that interview and as we’ve written about previously, this route allows the aging process and flavor – or at least part of it – to happen more quickly and get the distillate out to market faster.
This review covers their Biggest Little Bourbon, rye and American Single Malt whiskeys. They all appear to be hard to come by outside of Nevada, but they appear to be in the range of $35 per bottle (in some cases 500mL).
Tasting Notes: The Depot’s Biggest Little Bourbon
Vital Stats: Bourbon whiskey made with a mash bill of Nevada-grown corn and wheat, double distilled and aged in small, 10-gallon new American oak barrels for an unspecified time. Bottled at 44% ABV and for roughly $35.
Appearance: A typical golden amber with slightly darker, reddish hue.
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Nose: The first whiff has an earthy, bitter sweetness to it, reminiscent of the baking chocolate and oatmeal with a hint of pepper. That broadens and sweetens a bit into more of an oaky, caramel scent with notes of cloves and pipe tobacco.
Palate: Enters the mouth the the flavor of a simple syrup, sweet and a bit bland at first but then tempered as a bit of a smoky character manifests. That evolves into a spicy combination of pepper and cloves that gets more intense as it remains in the mouth. Swallowing brings a moment of calm before a strong but bearable wave of spice makes its way across the mouth, leaving a thin, sweet residue and flares of spice for another minute.
FINAL SCORE: 3/5
Tasting Notes: The Depot’s Rye Whiskey
Vital Stats: Made with a mash bill of rye and Nevada-grown corn, and aged of an unspecified amount of time in small, 10-gallon, new American oak barrels. Bottled at 44% ABV.
Appearance: A bright golden amber, a bit lighter than average.
Nose: Starts off very sweet, smelling like a sweet, slightly sour apple with a strong undercurrent of wheat, sweet and tangy in a way that’s more like a pint of gose than a dram of rye. That sweetness mellows a bit into something more akin to a pear, with notes of lilac and cardamom.
Palate: Still sweet on the entry, but it hits the tongue more like a typical rye – starts out as a bit earthier of a vanilla but quickly starts to become more complex with notes of oak, cereal, and then spices. That spiciness builds as it sits on the tongue, but never to a point that’s overwhelming. Swallowing leaves a thicker, sweet residue that once again flares up with peppery, rye-like spice in the next couple minutes.
FINAL SCORE: 3/5
Tasting Notes: The Depot’s American Single Malt Whiskey
Vital Stats: Made with a mash bill consisting of three types of smoked barley malts, aged for an unspecified amount of time in small, 10-gallon used American oak barrels. Bottled at 44% ABV.
Appearance: Very light gold to the point that it looks closer to a white wine.
Nose: An initial sniff brings in a robust but not overly potent wave of peat smoke, bringing with that particularly bitter charred smell with a hint of sea water and wood. That aroma mellows out a bit and makes room for hints of an earthy vanilla and allspice, but peat is still front and center.
Palate: Upon entry it tastes generally like a sweet vanilla with a very faint whisper of peat, giving a very light touch of bitterness and smoke. The peat smoke character gains a bit of ground as it sits on the tongue with a bit of nutmeg and peppery adding some extra heat, but that doesn’t grow to more than a dull tingle on the tongue. Swallowing kicks off a quick gust of sweet peat with a light crescendo of spice, but it is still relatively mild. That finishes with a bit of heat, but mostly just a sweet, smoky residue on the tongue.
FINAL SCORE: 3/5
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The Depot’s whiskeys aren’t particularly unique or noteworthy except in how they seem to blur the lines the between different types of whiskey, particularly in that they temper the harsh characteristics of their respective category. The Biggest Little Bourbon isn’t particularly flavorful, but it walks an interesting line between sweet and harsh. The rye also takes a sweeter note while still demonstrating the spicier qualities of its harsher siblings. Then, the American Single Malt seems to aim for Islay Scotch at times before settling into a very mellow and sweet dram.
While they might have been stronger with age – and perhaps that may come – for now the three are fairly reasonably priced bottles that offer something a bit different.
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