Rough Rider Bourbon is a high-rye, straight bourbon handcrafted by Long Island Spirits of Montauk, New York. The bourbon starts out as a highly refined mash bill, consisting of 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley, and is then aged for several years in charred new American white oak barrels. The whisky is then finished in hand selected American oak barrels, which once held the Island’s finest wines. The wine casks that are selected for the second maturation, described by Long Island Spirits owner Richard Stabile as its exclusive method of "Reserve Aged," are chosen from the finest wineries on Long Island and are an exquisite balanced blend of award winning Merlot and Chardonnay barrels. These casks undergo a "cask finishing wash", with a very unique 180-proof brandy distilled from local Long Island Chardonnay, that tempers each wine barrel prior to filling it with the bourbon. The small batch straight bourbon mellows while acquiring its distinctive character during this delicate second maturation period, adding a layer of dark red fruit and honey notes to Rough Rider Bourbon. Each limited batch of whisky produced is meticulously handcrafted at a distillery just miles from where the Rough Riders departed.
TASTING NOTES
Rough Rider Bourbon delivers a light, floral nose followed by a smooth, well rounded palate of sweetness with complex hints of fresh juice, blackberry and currant, along with caramel and burnt sugar with a heady heat on the finish. The finish is savory, supple, and encored by a heady heat.
