Fiddler Cask Strength Toasted Rye

This third sample was from the start of our last Whiskey Discovery trip, which kicked off in Atlanta! ASW is one of the OGs of American craft whiskey, being around since 2011 under a couple of different names (you might recognize American Spirit Works or American Spirit Whiskey). Their Head Distiller, Whit, showed us all around their incredible operation, and there was a LOT to see (Christian calls them “experimental wizards”). Their ethos is “Scottish Tradition Meets Southern Innovation”, and this shows forth in so many ways, from beautiful pot stills modeled after famous Scotch distilleries, to making all their cuts by hand, to a collab with Big Green Egg™, to blends utilizing Georgia Heartwood Oak. They have a lot of levers to pull when it comes to flavor creation, with Whit saying their goal is, “to make the best whiskey we possibly can. Sometimes that's distilling it and sometimes it's sourcing it, and we're not going to stop either.”

This sample is from their sourcing side, which they have creatively named their “Fiddler” line. Not only does this come from how they use their talents and palates to adjust the flavors of the spirit (as Whit says, “We like to fiddle with the whiskey and try to make it better than what it was”), but also because Justin, their Master Distiller, is a dedicated old-time Fiddler who is frequently playing all around the distillery! This Fiddler Toasted Rye bottling truly demonstrates how well their process works, taking this high-corn Rye mashbill and finishing it for a long 2 years in a toasted cask, boosting the thickness and sweetness in a major way. Christian says that this whiskey’s texture and finish really grab him, with an incredibly oily and toasty profile. Whit calls this “a bourbon drinker’s Rye”, and says it’s his favorite to blind taste people on, as they are frequently fooled into thinking it’s a Bourbon! (Sorry if you were tricked.) We strongly encourage you to visit next time you’re in Atlanta, as their portfolio of spirits is wide-ranging, delicious, and deserves time to explore. Cheers to ASW, and all the “fiddling” that happens to make the best whiskey possible!