Review by: dustbunna
Distillery: Hogback.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Colorado, USA.
ABV: 50%.
Age: 3 years. Bottled in 2024.
Cask type: New charred oak.
Price: $65 USD for 750mL.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 11 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point.
Nose: banana nut muffins, pink bubblegum.
Palate: thick body ~ pipe smoke, acrylic paint, more bubblegum, cherries, cold coffee, coriander, orange peel.
Finish: medium-short ~ cereals, more cherries and coffee.
Thoughts: A strange, unusual one: this American single malt is made with imported, peat-smoked Scottish barley, distilled in Colorado (on the same equipment as Vapor/Boulder Spirits) and then aged in new oak for three years. I first tasted this in a flight from Hogback at their shop up in the Colorado mountains, and in comparison with their other offerings I thought this one really popped due to the smoke and coffee elements—I was taken with it enough to buy a bottle. However, tasting it by itself or with whiskies from other distilleries, I have found those same notes in a strange, almost jarring constellation with the cherry, banana and bubblegum side of the whisky, which I find to be common elements in some of Hogback’s other releases. This never really fully gelled for me to the same harmonious point as what I tasted at the shop, and I was a bit disappointed by that. There’s nothing unpleasant here, exactly… it holds interest (especially on the palate) and has a nice heft to it, I just didn’t quite connect with it the way I expected I would.
Final Score: 73.
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.
Malt Runners 