Rúa American Single Malt

As a native North Carolinian, I'm proud of our excellent beer and sometimes excellent wine, but in my experience our whiskey falls far short of nearby states. In the past I've only had Defiant and TOPO whiskeys, both rapid-aged whiskey in stainless steel barrels. Defiant is average and overpriced for what it is, TOPO is terrible and severely overpriced. It pains me to say that because a lot of Top of the Hill staff played on and sponsored my soccer team. Their vodka and gin is alright! Anyways, a lot of NC distilleries are young which means their whiskey is either sourced or very young. In general they aren't reviewed well and seem overpriced, so I avoided trying any of these newer distilleries in recent years, until now. Rua has gotten so much love on here and on the Whiskey Vault, I had to buy it. First note, Rua American Single Malt Whiskey is currently released at 92 proof so the Expert Review is out of date using the older 80 proof version. My bottle was aged for 15 months, which is remarkable for the color, nose, and taste I get. The trick is they age this whiskey in 25-gallon barrels, half the size of traditional barrels used for bourbon. The climate is also a little more humid and warmer than Kentucky. Not quite Texas heat but you should get faster aging based on my 33 years living here. I get sweet bread pudding or a cinnamon muffin on the nose, but it lacks the banana flavor you'll find in Brown-Foreman products. That nose carries through the taste, it is beautiful, sweet, but not overwhelming. At the moment my two closest comparisons are Woodford Reserve Double Oaked and Balcones Baby Blue, which is surprising considering this is only malted barley. This shows how much charred oak and climate contributes to flavors we may associate with corn. I know I like referencing bread pudding for some bourbons, but this may be closer with dense breakfast pastries/cakes that are heavy with cinnamon and vanilla cream. The finish is medium and the sweetness disappears quickly, which I think is a positive. I get zero alcohol burn sipping on this. For a single malt this is much closer to bourbon than Scotch. Presently, this is the best NC whiskey I've had and I'd love to try other products by Great Wagon Road. It likely requires a distillery visit since I've never seen any other product sold around Chapel Hill. Release #50, aged 15 months in 25-gallon barrels

RÚA Release 10 Batch 18 Tried neat in a Glencarin rested for 5 minutes. Color: Reddish gold Nose: Cherry is the dominate player, a bit of wood, malty sweetness, touch of light sweet cinnamon, and a bit of a doughy note. Pallet: Sweet, malty, cherry carries though, oak spice, raisin, slightly drying, chocolate in the back, and burned sugar. Finish: A burst of maraschino cherry, dark chocolate, and a touch of cinnamon. Nose 2: A chocolate note really comes forward after drinking it giving the nose a chocolate cordial cherry smell. RÚA Release 12, Batch 22 Tried neat in a small brandy glass rested for 5 mins Color: Reddish gold Nose: Cherry and apple cider, herbal tea with lemon zest, earthy chocolate notes, a faint spice that tickles the back of the throat, and a touch of toasted sugar and oak. Pallet: sweet apple, lemon tea, chocolate, hardly any spice, touch of oak, watery. Finish: Lemon carries over, touch of toasted oak, a sweetness sticks to the side of the cheeks. Medium/Long finish.

Decided to take a break from the bourbon and try this American Single Malt that was recently named Gun & Garden magazine 2016 "Best Drink in the South". Tried neat in a glencairn the color is as the name would suggest, light red. On the nose the first thing that jumped out was tea. Just made, still warm sweet tea. That is followed by wood, green apple, smoke, and a nice old waxed leather note. It enters honey sweet. A big hit of malty grain with tea (there it is again) and cigar smoke. You can tell this is young, but it is complex and tasty. Nice clingy substantial mouthfeel. Finishes smooth with a light tingling that coats the palate, leaving toasted marshmallow and tea (again) to linger. A splash or a cube of ice adds a malty chocolate note. I really enjoyed this. Almost poetic that a southern whiskey would remind me of sweet iced tea. Sometimes outside the box is just what the Doctor ordered. 4 1/2 stars, but I'll round up. Release 10/Batch 18

In March I was in Killarney for a work conference and before dinner I ambled down the town hoping to take a look into the Celtic Whiskey Bar & Larder on my wander. Having found it, I would recommend a visit for any whiskeyphile - what a selection they have there! I hummed and hawed for several minutes before selecting a dram of Arran 14 as my aperitif. While nursing that at the bar I spied this bottle (Release 11, Batch 19-21) and I recalled @BDanner being a fan of it. So I asked the barman to prepare a measure for takeaway (another good reason to visit). Nose: Hay shed, sweet tea, light orange, honey Taste: Light bodied, malty, cherry, milk chocolate, orange No off notes, no burn. Very light and drinkable. Perfect for summer sipping. This is a remarkable whiskey! Remarkable insofar as it is this good while this young. Surely it can’t be 15 months old, can it⁉️Confirm or correct me someone, please.

I want to start by saying that this is an extremely bias 5/5 score. I love the marketing, the distillery, the bottle shape, the color of the whiskey. I love everything about it not involved with the actual liquid inside. But since this is a whiskey review page, and I really like the taste as well, I will review the liquid. The nose is on the younger side, with a strong malt sourness that is surrounded by gentle, sweeter, more complex notes. The nose presents as creamy vanilla with an overarching sweetness that lingers between caramel and granulated sugar. Hidden underneath is a pecan nuttiness. The taste adds a nice toastiness and spice that isn't on the nose but takes away some of the vanilla. The finish adds in the oak, lingering sweetness, and a cocoa powder dryness (that reminds me of a four roses product if that helps anyone).

This one is interesting. The bartender described it as a “mix between scotch and bourbon”. Having a single malt matured in an American fashion (new charred oak for 18 mos) results in something unique that you can’t quit put your finger on. On the nose, I get the praline and cocoa other users have noted, though on the palate it has a particularly malty character, common (at least for me) among small craft distilleries. The chocolate hits big time, and the aftertaste is loaded with molasses and vanilla. The bartender also mentioned that the distillery used hops during distillation, but I’m not sure how true that is. It is definitely interesting, but I probably won’t be ordering another glass if I’m being honest. A little too weird for me.