Honey | Raisin | Apricot | Vibrant

Caramel | Raisin | Apricot | Stone fruit | Saffron | Waves of rye spice | Full-bodied

Big rye spice | Green grape | Apple | Long

Ironroot Republic is located in Denison, Texas, a small city just south of the Oklahoma border, about 75 miles north of Dallas. The company was founded by brothers Robert and Jonathan Likarish, and their mother, Marcia, who manages daily operations. They started distilling in August 2014 in a pot still, and use dozens of different varieties of corn, taking advantage of local terroir. While most of their mashbills are 100% corn-based, for this release, the company used their 60% rye mashbill. All of their distilling and aging is done onsite.

Saints Alley Nobleman is a blend of straight rye whiskeys, combining one distilled by MGP’s Ross & Squibb Distillery and one by Ironroot Republic. It is then finished for an undisclosed amount of time in Tokaji casks. Tokaji is a sweet wine originating from the Tokaj region in Hungary and the adjoining region in Slovakia. Batch 4 consists of 2,400 bottles.

The whiskey has an incredible aroma, filled with vibrant scents of honey, raisin, and apricot. The full-bodied sip brings raisin, caramel, and apricot accented by stone fruit, saffron, and waves of rye spice. A surge of rye spice followed by green grape and apple wraps up the whiskey’s long finish. The combination of using in-house and sourced ryes, along with finishing in Tokaji casks, produces a satisfying result. While the combination masks Ironroot Republic’s unique whiskey style, the resulting whiskey has immense depth of flavor nonetheless.