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.
Over the last few weeks we’ve been working our way through a series of whiskeys from Rock Town Distillery, a burgeoning craft outfit in Little Rock, Arkansas. So far, we’ve sampled three bourbons, two ryes, and a pair of hickory-smoked whiskeys. This week, we dive into one of the distillery’s higher-end offerings, their Sixth Anniversary Bourbon.
Rock Town is a staunchly Arkansas-centric distillery, the pet project of third-generation Arkansan Phil Brandon, who abandoned the 9-to-5 grind to pursue distilling. With the distillery and tasting room both located in downtown Little Rock, they also source most of their ingredients from the Natural State.
This whiskey comes on the heels of last year’s Fifth Anniversary Bourbon, a well-received expression we reviewed in May. While that release was a four-year-old Bottled in Bond bourbon, the Sixth Anniversary Bourbon is a four-grain, sour mash-style whiskey, made with 62.5% corn, and 12.5% each wheat, rye, and malt.
The corn, wheat, and rye are all Arkansas-grown. It’s aged for two years in new oak barrels with a standard #4 char—also made in Arkansas—and bottled at 100 proof.
Tasting Notes: Rock Town Sixth Anniversary Bourbon
Color: Deep copper
Nose: Heavy on classic bourbon notes like honey, vanilla, and butterscotch. Clove, oak, and maple syrup come through after a few minutes in the glass, as does a faint but noticeable tang I can only compare to malt vinegar.
Palate: Some nice, toasty bread notes are the first thing I notice on the palate, together with honey and a light smokiness. I’m reminded of a buttermilk biscuit with honey. On the finish, warm spice and oak predominate. The mouthfeel is pleasantly tannic.
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Final Thoughts:
All in all, this is a nice bourbon; perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s definitely my favorite of all the Rock Town expressions I’ve sampled. The biscuit tones on the palate are quite tasty, and the texture is sturdy and pleasant. Although I haven’t had the chance to taste Rock Town’s Fifth Anniversary Bourbon, based on reviews, this seems to be a milder-mannered, more approachable cousin to that expression.
Score: 87/100
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