Review by: zSolaris

Cut Spike Nebraska Single Malt

Distillery: Cut Spike

Region: Omaha, Nebraska

Price: $40

Cask Type: Charred American Oak

ABV: 43%

Age: Aged a minimum of 2 years

Color: 1.5, Auburn/Polished Mahogany.

This is the eighteenth in my Countdown to Christmas series where I’ll be posting a review a day until Christmas. You can find the entire series here.

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Nose: It’s incredibly bright and fruity. It starts off with some brandied oranges and goes on to show a mix of berries, most notably blackberry, and a hint of pineapple.

Palate: Rather thin mouthfeel. It’s light and once again bright and very fruity. The brandied oranges show up strongly accompanied by blackberries and a hint of maraschino cherry. There’s a slight trace of oak as well.

Finish: On the shorter side of things. There’s a little bit of oak and a bit of blackberry residue.

Conclusion: I am a massive lover of single malt Scotch whisky so I’ve been eyeing this locally produced single malt for some time now. But really, how good can whisky from Nebraska be? I have to say, apparently it can be pretty good. This whisky was very bright and full of fruit. Nothing about it really betrayed that it is an incredibly young whisky, with a 2 year age statement on the bottle. The brandied oranges and blackberry mix well together to put together a really delightful dram. It is really thin though, which is really the biggest negative I have to say about this. I’ve been putting off driving down to go visit the distillery for a while, I think I’m going to have to bump that up the priority list now. Would I buy another bottle? Yes.

Final Score: 80.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.