Far North Roknar Minnesota Rye Whiskey

Nose - Vanilla buttercream, fresh cut young oak sawdust, cardomom? Taste - Definitely taste the young spirit bite up front, young oaky bitter vanilla simple, charred cinnamon, mouth drying, cardamom, sharp medicinal bittersweet. Finish - Lingering young spirit alcohol burn/warmth, lightly oaky bitter, lightly unpleasant medicinal splenda spice. Score - 66/100 Final Thoughts - This felt like a very rushed rye. The color on it was very light and I'm not sure if my sample had the cognac finishing on it but if there was they probably just showed the spirit the cognac cask and called it done. Nose smelled strongly of newly made oak barrels and that overly sweet yet ethanol new make. Tasted very much the same as well. Finish was quite unpleasant with young spirit all over the place. There are some things to be said about properly aging in a full barrel and to let time do its magic. I feel this was quite rushed just for the sake of getting a product out there. If they continue to microbarrel I think I'll skip this, but maybe I'll give it another shot if they actually release a decently aged product in full sized barrels.

The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it. In conclusion - this rye was fine but would recommend the Bodelan bourbon by Far North instead of this offering.

I heard Michael Swanson, the distiller/farmer who makes this whiskey, on Whisky Cast a few weeks back. He's a fellow Lutheran from the sound of things, so I simply had to check out his juice. The verdict: not bad, but not great, either. This is the most vegetal rye I think I've tasted - carrot, dill, parsley, some nuttiness from the sherry, and a little bit of spice. There's just something not quite right, though - my money is on age of the spirit, with cask selection being runner up. They make a couple of other ryes that I'd like to try; I get a sense that the basics for good whiskey are present here, but just need a little more time and nurturing to really live up to their potential.

My local liquor store had this tagged with a 100/100 rating, so my expectations were high. Didn't measure up, but solid. Great Caramel Vanilla nose. They taste doesn't quite live up to the nose. Definitely has the bite of a younger Rye. Nice fruity finish from the cognac cask but not very smooth. Potential to be very good with more time in the barrel.

Hands down my go to Rye. Have not had the pleasure of sampling the other takes from this distiller yet, but I dig what they brew. Other comments in taste are accurate and I would add a smoky hint which makes me love it more. I am not understanding the odd ball comments - it’s not a traditional rye, get Bulleit if you want that crap.

This is easily the worst bottle I’ve bought in years. The finish and aftertaste burn like rail liquor and are strong and overwhelming; I had to go out and buy a bottle of sweet vermouth to mix and make manhattans with this rye just to cover up some of the rye’s bad aftertaste. Save your money and go buy something else.