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The Pot Still Column: Episode 2 Weird Whiskey Wednesdays Edition Tire Fire Cask Strength American Single Malt Whiskey Proof: 111.8 Age: NAS Finish: Peated Source: ASW Distillery (Atlanta, Georgia) Price: $59.99 One of my favorite occurrences in this great hobby of ours is when I stumble across a whiskey that stops me in my tracks— not because it’s spectacularly beautiful, rare, or expensive, but because it’s weird as absolute shit. Whiskey Wednesdays is going to explore the weird side of whiskey, delving into some of the lesser-known pours of our time. High risk, high reward— a quest for the daring only. **Disclaimer: Weird Whiskey Wednesdays are not to be expected to occur every Wednesday---- only when I feel like it, and sometimes maybe not on Wednesdays** Today's spotlight shines on Tire Fire Cask Strength American Single Malt, a 2019 release from ASW distillery out of Atlanta, Georgia, an infrequently seen location in the whiskey market. ASW Distillery, which recently rebranded from American Spirit Whiskey, is in my eyes one of the most exciting and promising distilleries in the United States today. While many larger distilleries are cranking out tons of generic bourbon to meet market demand, ASW is making whiskey with what can be seen as nothing less than extreme care and passion. Interestingly enough, ASW's flagship whiskey, Fiddler, is a blend of MGP high-wheat bourbon and high-malt bourbon. The high-malt portion is double-distilled using ASW's Vendome copper pot stills, while the high-malt distillate is cranked out on MGP's column stills. What I can't figure out is whether the high-malt portion is ASW's own distillate, or if it is simply redistilled MGP. Regardless, the rest of ASW's product line is homemade, and each expression is chock-full of exciting and unusual flavors. ASW makes no secret of its hellish intentions with Tire Fire Cask Strength American Single Malt, boldly branding the whiskey as a “puckishly peated” single malt intended for “the select few who share their breakfast with bears," "hydrate with tankards of seawater," and "like their whiskey with all the peat that can be seared into a single dram.” Ironically, the whiskey is only peated to 45 ppm, while Islay scotches such as Bruichladdich's notorious Octomore releases have been peated as highly as 309.1 ppm. The mashbill consists of 100% peated and malted barley from Inverness, Scotland, and the distillate is rested in 53-gallon #3 and #4 charred new American oak for an undisclosed amount of time. This expression is non-chill filtered and bottled at barrel proof. Before I move on, I must commend how transparent ASW is about their production process every step of the way--- they are very clearly proud of their products. I recently shared this pour with a friend, and we both enjoyed it tremendously. Coming back to it now, the nose is off-putting enough to trigger a double-take, but not nearly off-putting to dissuade a second sniff. If ASW intended to imitate the smoky, coastal charm of Islay scotch, then I must admit that they succeeded, although their interpretation is as unique as it is bold. The nose is undoubtedly peaty (they did not lie), and while my experience with burning tires is admittedly limited, it does bring to mind melted rubber. This can more eloquently be described as a synthetic chemical smell, likely a product of the highly phenolic tail cuts that the distillery made during distillation. The malt is expressing itself in the oddest of ways, showing up as an almost fishy note. While using fish as a descriptor feels unfair, I can't shake the somewhat fish-oil-reminiscent note from my mind. **I returned to this after reading the website description for research, and the "fishy" note can be better described as an umami such as one might find on grilled pineapple in certain Asian cuisines.** As expected, this is quite the flavor bomb, each swallow shortly chased with a fantastic Kentucky hug (ironic again...Georgia hug?). I can best describe the overall profile as dusty— presenting as a dry, ashy version of all the notes it contains. There is peat, rich and musty malt, umami fruit notes, and a chemical rubber... and there is dust. Think of an old, musty basement for reference. But yummy! Closing Impression: Am I selling this well? Probably not, and that saddens me so, as ASW is truly an exciting newcomer on the whiskey scene, and I will most certainly be aggressively seeking out some of their harder-to-find offerings. Nonetheless, Tire Fire fulfills its purpose as today’s Weird Whiskey Wednesday attraction. I’d be a fool to say that this American single malt is for everyone, but it would certainly appeal to those who love smoky scotch and have a desire to explore the furthest reaches of the whiskey flavor spectrum. Tire Fire has great value as a break from the monotony of the commercial palate, and I suggest joining me for a sip, if you dare. 87/100

The Pot Still Column: Episode 1 Koval Single Barrel Rye “Total Wine & More” Cask #6226 Proof: 110 Age: NAS Finish: None Source: Koval Distillery (Chicago, Illinois) Price: $65.00 On deck is a Total Wine & More single barrel selection of Koval Rye. Koval Distillery is a small operation in Chicago, Illinois, focused on very small batch organic spirits. The usual Koval rye bottling is a 40% ABV distilled from 100% rye, and offered for $49.99 USD on their website. The pick that I will be reviewing today is bottled at a much more respectable 55% ABV and carries no age statement. The flagship Koval product line includes a variety of other whiskeys, many of which are comprised of unique or outright unheard-of mashbills. A select few that caught my eye are their Bourbon, Four-Grain, Oat, and Millet whiskeys, the last of which I have only seen once before out of San Diego Distillery in... well, San Diego. I love seeing 100% rye mashbills. Rye can be a difficult grain to work with from the distiller’s perspective, costing more money, yielding less distillate, and creating a foamy mess in the still. However, rye grain has the potential to be dramatically more expressive and diverse than corn, the most commonly employed grain in American whiskey. The variety of flavors that can be drawn from rye is astounding, and the whiskey world has barely seen the tip of the iceberg. Certain brands such as Balcones, Old Potrero, and ASW Distillery have begun to play around with the unique profiles that rye can provide, but the extent of it is yet unexplored. This is my first Koval whiskey, so I have no previous impressions by which to judge, but the promise of a 100% rye whiskey is alluring. I am not using my usual glencairn today, foregoing it for a somewhat uncommonly shaped, tulip glass with a stem (see picture above). I was recently told by a friend that tulip-shaped glasses are a bit of a marketing scam, as they actually concentrate the ethanol and other nastiness at the opening of the glass, making it more difficult to dig into the good stuff. I find this to be bullshit-- the stem adds flavor, I swear. As expected, there is a lot going on here upon first whiff. The nose is dangerously complex— think of wandering through a pine forest and chewing on a dry piece of dark chocolate while holding a bouquet of fennel stems and field flowers. There is a hint of juniper, giving it a gin-like aroma, and suggesting that it might be a perfect option for winter nights. Digging into the whiskey, I find that the flavor matches the nose identically, bringing forth memories of pine-needle tea, the aromatic vegetal ooze of a freshly broken rose stem, and creamy chai tea lattes. This is a winter rye at its finest. The proof is delectable at 110, normally a few points lower than I prefer, but an excellent choice for this barrel. The finish is short and sweet, leaving no trace of oak or astringency on the tongue---- only a balanced whisper of the entire flavor profile to keep you hanging on the next sip. I would add water to this, as I am sure it would release the flavors even more, but I find myself looking at the bottom of an empty glass. Closing Impression: I would confidently categorize this rye as exceptional. There are no recognizable faults, even after making a concentrated effort of about 20 minutes to find one. The profile is unique and refreshing, full of unusual but approachable flavors, not the least of which is an uncommonly delectable creaminess. If the rest of Koval’s offerings are anything like this, then I have a new distillery to explore. 96/100

The Pot Still Column's Scoring System With reviews beginning to accumulate, I have become aware of the need to publish an official standard by which I assess bottles. In this article, I will try to explain my methodology for scoring and describing the whiskeys that I review. The rating scale I use to review whiskeys for The Pot Still Column is based entirely on the enjoyability of the whiskey. I do not take into account external variables such as pricing, availability, presentation, and reviews from other sources when deciding on an appropriate figure. Because these external variables are important to one’s overall impression of a bottle, I make a point to discuss any drawbacks or advantages stemming from the aforementioned factors as part of the written review. Every score has its caveats, and no whiskey should be simplified down to a number on page. Every whiskey that finds its way into my glass, regardless of my opinion, is somebody's passion project. While I will always be honest about my feelings toward a whiskey as a commercial product, I will never do so without a certain level of implicit appreciation for the work that went into its creation. The scoring structure that I have chosen is an amalgamation of three primary sub-scores: Nose, Taste, and Finish. NOSE: __/100 The “nose” score is an assessment of the scents present in a whiskey as well as the experience of encountering those scents. While every whiskey drinker approaches their glass differently, smell is the most important part of the tasting experience for me. While I do not weigh the sub-scores differently (each comprises 33.33% of the overall score), I do spend the majority of the review focusing on the scent. This being so, the nose is the sub-score of which I am often most critical or complimentary depending on the direction it leans. Some variables taken into account for the nose score include ethanol presence, diversity of scents, clarity of specific notes, uniqueness of notes, intentionality and cohesiveness of the overall profile, and richness and depth. TASTE: __/100 The “taste” score is an assessment of the whiskey’s flavors and the experience of encountering those flavors. While taste is the most directly impactful and obvious element of the review, I find it to be the lowest determinant of overall score. A great majority of the tasting experience is olfactory, meaning that it has already been experienced as part of the “nose”. Taste, limited by physical sensations such as discomfort and ethanol sting, is often less revealing of a whiskey’s tiny details and intricacies. For this reason, I use the taste score as an opportunity for the whiskey to show me something that I did not detect in the nose, or to fix an issue that I did detect. Some variables of the taste score that may improve or detract from the overall experience include texture, viscosity, flavors not present in the nose, interaction of flavors not present in the nose, sensations in the mouth and esophagus, and ability to coat the entire palate. FINISH: __/100 The “finish” score is an assessment of the experience that lingers on the palate after every sip. The finish is the second most important factor in my review, and it can often make or break an otherwise unremarkable or fence-sitting whiskey. Some of the variables that are taken into account for the finish score include length, astringency, bitterness, texture, palate presentation, flavors, and the ratio of flavor to sensation. OVERALL SCORE: __/100 The overall score is an average of the individual scores for Nose, Taste, and Finish, and ideally represents the quality of the experience as a whole. Instances of imperfect division resulting in decimal values will be rounded to the nearest whole number. THE SCORING SYSTEM My scoring process closely resembles an academic grading system. Take a look at the table below for an explanation of each letter and number grade. While many reviewers weigh their scores very differently, the majority of my scores will be clustered around the 80-point mark. Most whiskeys on the market are good, few are excellent, and fewer are very poor. The scores will tend reflect a median ranking of “good” (~80), with few whiskeys earning Extraordinary scores (90+), and even fewer earning Unpalatable scores (59 and lower). A graphical representation of the score distribution may look like this: Keep in mind that taste is subjective, and the designation of a score is ultimately arbitrary. It is a numerical representation of my overall experience with a whiskey, an inherently imperfect concept. Not only is the grading system imperfect, but the limitations of the human body severely affect consistency throughout this process. Some days may produce different results than others, so the score assigned to a whiskey is not binding. If it becomes apparent that a whiskey has been improperly scored, I will conduct a second review and make any necessary adjustments. Despite my intention to keep my reviews strictly informative and unbiased, my personal biases will undoubtedly influence my tasting experiences unintentionally. To help readers gain a better understanding of my personal inclinations and limitations, I will include a brief description of my preferences below. LIKES: Notes: Chocolate, espresso, red chili, dark malt, sherry, musty funk, herbal, smoke, tobacco Sensations: palate-coating, tingly, sparkling water, numbing, well-incorporated ethanol sting Texture: oily, syrupy, creamy, dense Finish: long-lasting, oily, fully mouthcoating, low oak, great retrohale, sticky, flavorful DISLIKES: Notes: Excessive oak, sharp citrus, green vegetal/grass, heavy ethanol, rubber ducks, sour dill, prunes, unwelcome funk, stale beer Sensations: concentrated, astringent, drying, sharp sting, vaporous ethanol, over-spiced Textures: thin, watery, grainy, vapor-heavy Finish: short or nonexistent, astringent, drying, low flavor density, bad flavors, grainy oak **Taste is subjective! Your experience with any given bottle may not align perfectly with mine. I am committed to providing you with the most accurate tasting notes I can muster, but how we perceive the presence of those notes may very well be different. Drink with good spirits and an open mind!