Notes and Reviews for Whiskey Ring Podcast Episode 168: Rock Town Distillery with Founder Phil Brandon

Rock Town Distillery has been on my radar for years - we’re talking pre-COVID - but it wasn’t until recently that I had the chance to not only taste their products but also chat with their founder. The introduction is thanks to Adam Polonski and Nora Ganley-Roper of Lost Lantern Whiskey, whose single cask of Rock Town reignited my interest.

In this episode of the Whiskey Ring podcast, I am excited to take our listeners on a journey to Little Rock, Arkansas, as I welcome Phil Brandon, the founder and distiller of Rock Town Distillery. This marks our first exploration of Arkansas, as I continue to scratch off state by state until I try at least one distillery from each (surprisingly, I’ve still got about a dozen to go).

Despite being a bread basket state and one known for its agriculture, Arkansas isn’t talked about much in the grand scheme of distilling, let alone in the American craft spirits renaissance of the last two decades. Even nearly fifteen years after Rock Town opened its doors, fewer than ten distilleries exist in the entire state, and half of its counties remain dry.

The maturation climate, at least in Little Rock on the eponymous river, is strikingly similar to that of Kentucky and Tennessee, meaning Phil and his team don’t have to reinvent the wheel in how to age their spirit in the barrels. On the other hand, that leaves plenty of other tools with which to play.

Phil is also an ideas guy, someone who loves to tinker and create. He shared half a dozen current releases with me, let alone the numerous others that have come and gone through the years. Bourbons, ryes, single malt, clear spirits, all are fair game at Rock Town, and all have their place as both neat/on the rocks pours and cocktail components. From his earliest inspirations at Tuthilltown Spirits in New York to Dry Fly Distilling in Washington and with early guidance from Dave Pickerell, Phil has consistently created an ever-evolving profile for what whiskey and spirits can be in Arkansas, all while using Arkansas products whenever possible (including the bottles and barrels!).

Below, you’ll find my tasting notes for each of the whiskies shared with me.

Want to hear more of Rock Town' Distillery’s story? Listen to the Whiskey Ring Podcast at whiskeyringpodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts!

Thank you to Rock Town Distillery for providing these bottles free of charge. All opinions are my own.

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Rock Town Distillery La Harpe Low Rye Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Specs

Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Producer: Rock Town Distillery

Mashbill: 75% Corn, 12% Rye, 13% Malted Barley

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)

Age: 36 Months (3 Years)

Barrel Type: 25 Gallon

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Rock Town Distillery La Harpe Low Rye Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Price: $49.99

Official Website

Rock Town Distillery La Harpe Low Rye Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Tasting Notes

Eye: Orange amber. Thin rims, lots of thin legs and tiny droplets.

Nose: Orange peel freshly cut and expressed, concentrated black iced tea. Some young wood emerges quickly then fades. Fig Newton filling, sugary coatings on dark dried fruits. Pastry crust or shortbread, slightly overbaked and crumbly.

Palate: Sugary black tea, verging on sweet tea in the south. Wood sugars are abundant with flat root beer. Savory vanilla, caramelized hard. Cigar ash around the corners of my mouth. Mouthfeel is silky and light side of medium, cinnamon rice pudding. Oily, not too coating. Monkey bread.

Finish: Cinnamon creaminess rolls out nicely. Hot Toddy minus the honey (or maybe not - it hit me one time and not the other). Heavily sugared black tea. Not coating, medium length.

Overall: This evolves nicely, opening with southern sweet tea and cinnamon to rice pudding and a pleasant if indistinct fruit note that’s dark and concentrated. Enjoyable to drink at 46%. I really wonder what a few more proof points would do to this - I think it would elevate it further for a neat or on a rock pour.

Final Rating: 7.2

Rock Town Distillery Bottled in Bond Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Specs

Classification: Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Producer: Rock Town Distillery

Mashbill: 82% Corn, 9% Wheat, 9% Malted Barley

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: 4+ Years

Barrel Type: 53 Gallon

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Rock Town Distillery Bottled in Bond Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Price: $49.99

Official Website

Rock Town Distillery Bottled in Bond Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Tasting Notes

Eye: Dark amber. Medium rims, thin legs, teardrops fall slowly.

Nose: Fresh multicolored corn, steaming tamales, hint of vegetation. Quite sweet on the corn, some sugar drizzled and starting to burn. Smoky barrel char, sniffs stronger than 100º, fuller than a wheated bourbon would normally come across to me.

Palate: Corn and wheat form a soft-sweet combo immediately, the texture of thinned taffy. Light vanilla, toasting and charring barrel staves, dry caramels dusty with sugar or cornstarch. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, viscous beyond the proof. Wheat is the clear leader, adding the expected sweetness and caramel notes. Neither oily nor creamy.

Finish: Smoky notes in the back of the palate and my throat, the sweet caramels and that touch of corn vegetation entering late. Medium length, not heavy.

Overall: Quite well balanced, the wheat there enough for flavor without diluting the overall taste or the depth. Corn is fresh and sweet. Drinks at or below proof by about 5º.

Final Rating: 7.0

Rock Town Distillery Arkansas Straight Rye Whiskey: Specs

Classification: Arkansas Straight Rye Whiskey

Producer: Rock Town Distillery

Mashbill: 56% Rye, 34% Corn, 10% Malted Barley

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)

Age: 30 Months Old (2.5 Years)

Barrel Type: 25 Gallon

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Rock Town Distillery Arkansas Straight Rye Whiskey Price: $44.99

Official Website

Rock Town Distillery Arkansas Straight Rye Whiskey: Tasting Notes

Eye: Orange-hued iced tea. Very thin rims, tiny droplets all over the bell of the Glen.

Nose: Black licorice, sharp and mildly sweet. Wild strawberries, the rye fragrant, spice drop gummies. There is something youthful, but nothing raw or grainy or overly oaky. Can’t quite put my finger on it.

Palate: Lots of fresh floral black licorice, mild spice and light vanilla from the cask. Cinnamon rice pudding, flavor all over the tongue. Mouthfeel intensifies on the back half of my tongue, black and red spice drops mixing. Liquid pools mid-tongue, oily and not too coating, wintermint undertone and some young oak emerge.

Finish: The wood continues to emerge, a touch astringent, lacquering on the back half of my tongue. Anisette and ouzo and the aftertaste of licorice candies.

Overall: I want to see more age on this to deepen and diversify the flavors, but being a black licorice lover I’m also happy where this is. Wood is well-controlled, something to watch if more age is given. Rye profile goes hard in the paint for the herbs and away from the sweetness.

Final Rating: 6.6

Rock Town Distillery Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sauternes Wine Casks: Specs

Classification: Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Producer: Rock Town Distillery

Mashbill: 82% Corn, 9% Wheat, 9% Malted Barley

Proof: 108.2 (54.1% ABV)

Age: 2+ Years

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Rock Town Distillery Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sauternes Wine Casks Price: $69.99 (Distillery Only)

Rock Town Distillery Arkansas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sauternes Wine Casks: Tasting Notes

Eye: Garnet-mahogany. Thin sloughing rims and large droplets.

Nose: Super sweet and syrupy up front. Bourbon emerges as roasted corn and freshly shucked cobs, though the Sauternes is very, very strong. Proof goes up the nose with a mild astringency. Berry-infused honey with tart and deep sweetness.

Palate: Honeyed white wine, oaky astringency, pooling in the mid-palate, black tea with moderate vanillins. Mouthfeel is viscous, not quite syrupy, toasted honey in black tea doubling down, peppery spice biting the front of my tongue. Bourbon emerges more on the chew behind the Sauternes, soft and sweet.

Finish: Fruity honey and black tea, coarse texture on my tongue rather than a smooth lacquer, the honey overwhelming and giving a springtime vibe.

Overall: Sweet and honeyed throughout, the bourbon doing just enough with the proof to cut through the Sauternes with spice and proof power. Candle-worthy.

Final Rating: 7.6

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary

8 | Excellent | Exceptional

7 | Great | Well above average

6 | Very Good | Better than average

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary

4 | Has promise but needs work

1-3 | Let’s have a conversation