Rogue Ales & Spirits (Newport, Oregon), the only farmer-brewer-distiller-cooper in the world, has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of this year’s Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout and Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey in February 2020.
Established in 2015 when Rogue “acquired vintage French WWII-era coopering equipment and built a barreling facility,” Rolling Thunder Barrel Works is a barrel making operation anchored by longtime employee Nate Linquist who was “tapped to be Rogue’s first cooper and spent six months apprenticing, learning the ancient art of barrel making.” Working exclusively with Oregon Oak, Linquist “assembles, raises, toasts, chars, hoops, heads, hoops again, cauterizes, sands and brands each barrel, one at a time, all by hand.” Once completed, these barrels go on to serve as aging vessels for a selection of Rogue’s handcrafted beers and spirits.
“With our culture of relentless curiosity comes the desire to create, innovate and do things differently,” says Bliss Dake, Vice President of Marketing. “At Rogue we come up with some wild ideas and then we make them happen. We are makers with a ‘Do It Yourself’ attitude and are always asking ‘What If?’. This ‘What If’ mentality pushed us to experiment and ultimately create something special with the Rolling Thunder family.”
Representative of “the culmination of all things DIY from Rogue,” Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout 2020 is a meticulously crafted Imperial Stout that “was aged for 9 months in one of these handmade Rolling Thunder Barrel Works barrels previously used to age Rogue’s Dead Guy Whiskey.” This treatment allows the Imperial Stout’s “rich, viscous notes of chocolate and coffee [to combine] with the flavors of whiskey-soaked Oregon Oak.” Weighing in at 13.6% ABV, Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout “can be enjoyed immediately or cellared for years.”
Taking the Rolling Thunder Barrel Works program “one step further,” Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey is an American Single Malt Whiskey “that was distilled at Rogue’s distillery then aged in barrels built at Rogue’s Rolling Thunder Barrel Works cooperage that had already aged Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout, which was brewed at Rogue’s brewery.” This full circle approach lends the whiskey “prominent notes of chocolate that complement the flavors of whiskey-soaked Oregon Oak.” Coming in at 97.5 PROOF, Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey is “big, bold and a true one-of-a-kind whiskey that bridges the gap between Single Malt and Bourbon.”
Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout and Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey are both scheduled to release in February 2020 and will only be available as long as supplies last. Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout will be available in 500ml (16.9 oz.) bottles and on draft at select craft beer-focused establishments located in Alabama, Florida, Oregon and throughout the rest of Rogue’s distribution network. Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey will be available in 750ml bottles at select liquor retailers located in areas that normally see offerings from Rogue Spirits. Prost!
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