I am not a fan of American Single Malt Whiskey. They tend to be one dimensional and bland in flavor. However, I have now tasted American Single Malt Whiskey selected by Steve Beam at Limestone Branch Distillery. This whiskey is more than a one trick pony and is full of flavor. Stephen Fante recently gave me a bottle and we tasted the whiskey at his house and did a video for YouTube of that tasting and it impressed both me and Matt. We later sat down and did tasting notes of the whiskey and here are our notes.
Yellowstone Single Malt Whiskey (Single Barrel selection by It’s a J.E.M.)
Proof: 116
Age: No Age Statement (Barreled on July 3, 2019)
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel, malt, wild berries and oak wood.
- Matt: Buttery popcorn, caramel, allspice and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel, blackberries, cinnamon and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and raspberries and allspice join the party. Tasted with a pecan brings out chocolate and rich caramel toffee but at the cost of the fruit.
- Matt: Caramel, buttered corn, allspice and oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out notes of cardamom and peanuts to join the party. The pecan added peanut butter fudge to the mix.
Finish:
- Mike: Long with oak wood, cinnamon and lingering blackberries. The dried cranberry made the finish longer and spicier. The pecan made the finish longer with oak wood, allspice and chocolate.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and a buttery finish. The dried cranberry added a lingering caramel. The pecan made the finish long with oak and peanut butter.
We paired this whiskey with a Padron 1964 Anniversary Series cigar in our video and I would stick with that cigar. The vanilla and tobacco flavors of the smoke paired well with the caramel and spice of the whiskey.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller