FOUR GRAIN STRAIGHT WHISKEY
SINCE DAY 1
Since our first day of operations in 2017, whiskey has been half of our production. Knowing that we wanted to age our whiskey for a minimum of two years, we released Batch No. 1 of our Four Grain Straight Whiskey in December 2019. It was a long tedious grind of a wait for that first batch to be ready. But, there are many reasons we waited. Many reasons it has four grains. Many reasons why we only use full sized barrels.
But, before I get into that, in March 2020, we received some great news! Our Batch No. 1 of whiskey received a Silver Medal from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition! This is “the” competition for spirits. There are NO participation trophies and the process of judging is very rigorous with multiple days and break downs. Our whiskey was entered in the Craft Distiller Whiskey category.
A huge part of our motivation to start The Block was the respect for other distillers and the spirits they make. Our whiskey is proud to share a medal from SFWSC with some of those idol’s whiskies including Leopold Bros., Laws Whiskey House and Kings County Distillery.
So, now to dive into the particulars of our whiskey and what makes it different.
First off, we have the…
THE MASH BILL
Its name “Four Grain” comes from the mash bill of oats, rye, wheat (red & white), and malted barley. Oats give the whiskey deep earthy notes and a creamy mouthfeel and, in our opinion at least, are one of the most overlooked grains for whiskey. Rye adds that peppery spice you know and love from most American Whiskeys. Wheat softens the finish. Malted Barley adds sweetness and the enzymes that breakdown the all of the grain’s starch into the sugar the yeast eat to create the alcohol.
THE BARREL
Why do you the imbiber care about what barrel we use? Master distillers estimate that around 50-70% of the flavor of the whiskey comes from the barrel! The use of the word “Straight” in the name of this whiskey means that it lived in that barrel for a minimum of 2 years. We stress lived over using a word like “rested” or “slept” because it was very much alive and changing. Changes in ambient temperature cause small pressure and vacuum effects inside the barrel meaning that the white spirit is gently moving around picking up color and flavor from the American White Oak barrel.
Now we have spent a lot of effort in ensuring that we are using the best grains, the best water, the best techniques, and the best yeast. So we also have to make sure that we use the best barrels. We use Canton Cooperage 53 gallon, 36-month seasoned, Char 3 with Toasted Heads barrels. (Yes, toasted heads.) This barrel is rare because of the 36-month season. It's not your average whiskey barrel, which is only air-seasoned for 12 months. The wood in our barrels was allowed to dry in open-air for 3 years before it was turned into a barrel.
That means it had three years of soaking in the aromatic compounds, flavoring the deep fibers, tissues, and essence of the barrel and prepping it to deliver depth to the whiskey in a natural way. This time also allowed a more serious breakdown of harsh wood tannins that impart astringency, or acidity/bitterness to the taste of the whiskey. The toasted heads allow the whiskey more interaction with the deep, richness of the 36-month seasoned wood. Along with the char of the barrel, toasted heads allow the whiskey to dance with the wood itself, giving and taking the flavors of the wood and grains until the lusciousness of our Straight Four Grain Whiskey has reached its peak of perfection.
TASTING NOTES
Now I mentioned higher up that other distiller’s spirits and stories were and continue to be a huge motivation and inspiration for The Block. When we finally emptied and mingled those first four barrels we knew we loved it but did were we too biased? Were we too close to the spirit and viewed it as a child that could do no wrong cause it was part of us? So we reached out to one of the big dogs, the head honchos, a pioneer of the craft distilling movement; Jake “Whiskey” Norris. If you don’t know who Jake is that is okay because in all likelihood you have tried and loved his whiskey and that is his life’s work. Check out his bio so you know what he’s started and created. AND the great thing about Jake is…he will call BULLSHIT. He says it like he sees it, or, in this case, tastes it. Jake was kind enough to review that Batch No. 1. His notes are below.
TASTING NOTES WRITTEN BY JAKE:
This four grain whiskey is the first offering of its kind from The Block Distilling Co. It isn't a bourbon, it isn't a rye, it isn't anything you have had before. It is an Oat heavy four grain straight whiskey. In order for a whiskey to be straight tit must age no less than 2 years in new American white oak. A Straight whiskey can have no flavoring, coloring or additives introduced to the whiskey on its long journey to the bottle. This means it is a pure whiskey and all of its character was come by naturally. This unusual grain bill is intriguing. Corn often takes a front seat in American whiskies. This grain bill instead makes the back-up singers the main feature. It is a creative gamble, and a risk to fly in the face of American whiskey convention.
NEAT
AROMA
Apple and vanilla, light and airey. Ethereal. Dark honey and a subdued grain note. Overall pleasant and inviting. Whiffs of minerality.
PALATE
First sip hits hard with spiced vanilla and flavors of warm black tea. Spiced orange? Lovely heavy mouthfeel, I feel like I had a spoonful of honey. The initial sweetness gives way to Apple and graham cracker. Surprisingly smooth and sweet. Creamy notes from the grain settle on the tongue. The finish is long and spicy….. A bit of heat lingers on the palate.
DILUTED
AROMA
More rich sweetness than before, smells like black tea with lots of dark honey.
PALATE
The richness of the aroma is delivered to the spirit with a few drops of water. The spice jumps up too, cinnamon and clove. Some toasty notes of baked goods, The creaminess persists. So does the heat of the finish. The cloying sweetness of corn is not missed in this combination of grains. This whiskey is somehow light and big at the same time. Spicy and sweet, fruit and cream.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall a great first offering from a startup. These guys took the risk to lay this whiskey down 2 years ago and give it time to mature and become a complex and beautiful spirit. Looks like the risk was worth it.
-Jake “Whiskey” Norris
Distillery consultant and a pioneer of Colorado’s craft distilling movement
SIGNING OFF
Well, that’s it. This is Kraig calling it good bye for now with a sincere thank you for reading, imbibing, and supporting The Block and craft spirits in general because if you don’t like it then we cannot make it.
Kraig