Gentle grain | Honey wheat bread | Light oak | Light honey

Noticeable honey sweetness | Fresh baked bread | White pepper spice | Lightly toasted oak

Rush of peppery spice | Gentle honey | Light oak | Gentle heat

Founded in 2010, Rock Town Distillery is located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and claims to be the first legal distillery of any kind in Arkansas since Prohibition. I’ve reviewed past bottles from the brand that have been distilled and aged at their distillery in Arkansas, but the company’s new Column Still Collection changes how the company is able to grow their ability to produce their whiskey. The company states that “in March of 2020, our Head Distiller Phil Brandon set out on a mission to find a way to keep up with the demand for Rock Town bourbon. The search ended when he discovered the Collaborative Distilling Program offered by Bardstown Bourbon Company, which allowed him to use his own bourbon recipes and the same Arkansas-grown grains that have helped produce the quality bourbon Rock Town is known for. Working with our grain partners at Stratton Seed from Stuttgart, Arkansas, 180,000 lbs. of Arkansas-grown corn and wheat were trucked 500 miles to Bardstown, Kentucky.”

The nose on Rock Town’s Column Still Collection Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon is straightforward but pleasant, consisting of honey wheat bread and more traditional notes. A rush of honey sweetness takes over at the midpoint, which is joined by additional baked bread notes and a white pepper spice. The finish starts with a rush of peppery spice that is replaced by gentle honey and light oak to round things out. Overall it’s a simple straightforward sip through and through.

I’m intrigued by the fact that the brand shipped its own grain for the production of bourbon at Bardstown Bourbon Company. However, for the price, I was expecting more from the sip. It could very well be that the brand needs capital and wanted to bring this out sooner rather than later, however, I would like to see this with just a bit more age on it. The flavors are certainly there, but it doesn’t deliver anything intriguing enough to set it apart from the pack.

The bottle in review comes from barrel number 84.