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🥃Review #84: Trapline Rock & Rye Liqueur - Mini Bottle

Trapline Rock & Rye Liqueur Mini Bottle

Produced by Glacier Distilling Company in Coram, Montana, Trapline Rock & Rye is a flavored whiskey that seeks to capture the essence of pre-prohibition medicinal draughts. In the nomenclature of the fur trade, a trapline is the route along which a trapper sets the tools of their trade, becoming experts in the lay of the land. Trapline is sweetened with local honey and house-made bitters with the goal of enhancing the natural spice character of the rye itself. 

This review is from a 50ml mini bottle so will not have the benefit of additional fine tuning sessions.

🛒Sourced: Free - A gift from somebody I think, found it in the back of my cabinet.

🧪Proof: 80 proof, 40% ABV 

🎨Color: Y4 - a Mountain Dewesque yellow

🥔Mash Bill & Production: 51% organic rye from Vilicus Farms (Havre, MT), 24% malted rye, 25% corn - Based on their house rye offering. 

  • Age - No Age statement 
  • Barrel Entry Proof - around 118 (that's their cask strength bottling)
  • Char - #3, 15-gallon white oak barrels from the Barrel Mill in Minnesota
  • Batch Size - Small

👃Nose: A truly rippling amount of rye spice along with some botanical notes reminding me of certain gins. There is a bit of nose tickling astringency but more from the additives than the alcohol. 

😜Palate: Very sweet and honey forward. I do get a little bit of a floral aspect with the honey and there are loads of rye spice and a bristle of cinnamon. Towards the finish, I'm getting a little bit of a citrus or lemon peel note.

💦Finish: Short and reminiscent of soda syrup, a bit sticky. 

🏆 Overall:  5/10 - Good - With a smashing nose and bright palate, it's a touch too sweet for me straight. The honey infusion is lovely and you do get the wildflower, but it just about entirely. overwhelms the rye grain and barrel character. I suspect you could get close with unaged spirit.

💵Would buy again? Happy to have tried it this once. 

⚖️Rating Scale

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out 
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice. 
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously

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