Tasting Iron Vault’s Stowel Evergreen White Corn Bourbon

Welcome And A Quick Joke

SPEAKER_03 0:09

Welcome to the Whiskey Chasers, where we talk about our passion for whiskey and its history, either amongst ourselves or while interviewing distilleries. Oh, while enjoying a glass. I'm Steve. I'm Nick, and I'm Chris. Please enjoy responsibly while enjoying this week's episode of The Whiskey Chasers.

SPEAKER_06 0:29

And one of her, like, she was like doing a show or something. He was backstage waiting for her, because you were married, you know. And Gene Waller was there because he was in the theater at the time. And Gene was wearing a pea coat. And Melbrooks walked up to him and he was like, hey, uh, nice coat. And Gene Waller's like, oh, thanks. He's like, yeah, they were gonna call those urine coats, but they weren't selling. Just a really stupid joke.

SPEAKER_03 0:56

He really sells a stupid joke. He does a great job with it. Excellent.

Progressive Bottles And Today’s Pour

SPEAKER_03 1:01

We are doing an Iron Vault bottle. We are uh with a guest. Ryan is gonna do us again today. Say hello, Ryan.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

What's up?

SPEAKER_04 1:10

We're actually doing uh we're we're kind of carrying on slash finishing the series of updated or progressive or progressive progressing bottles that uh distillers that we've already interviewed that they did releases that we couldn't try on the interview, or this is one that they talked about, they didn't have any, we can try, but it's something rare, something unique, or something that they tried for the first time, and we got a bottle of it. So super excited about that.

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Super excited, yeah. So we have a couple episodes from these guys coming up. Oh, Nick's got some excitement happening over

Racing A Sun Bear Tobacco Drop

SPEAKER_03 1:45

there. While we're doing this, one thing that is happening simultaneously to this is a tobacco event. And so Sun Sunbear is something that comes out every year. Uh and this year's released uh yeah, so there's a new edition of Sunbear that is released today at six o'clock. Uh, we are currently at 6.08 trying our dangest to get onto the website before it sells out. Uh before it sells out.

SPEAKER_06 2:09

So it's pipe tobacco, if people are wondering.

SPEAKER_03 2:12

So that way we can bring you Cornell and Deal's Sunbear 2026 edition.

SPEAKER_04 2:16

I was gonna say, we've had Sunbear on oh yeah, we've had multiple.

SPEAKER_06 2:19

The last one I think was the tequila finished one. Yeah, we've had a few different iterations of it. This is the newest one, it sounds really good.

SPEAKER_04 2:26

This one is uh topped with honey finished and bourbon barrels, ex bourbon barrels. So I which is kind of right up our alley. It is. Steve and I were talking, I was like, this is every this fits everything the club and the podcast enjoys. Honey, bourbon, tobacco. That's perfect.

SPEAKER_06 2:42

So while we're waiting to get into the queue to order some pipe tobacco, we're also drinking, which we'll talk about the bottle in a minute, but I want to start

Opening A Ten-Year Tobacco Tin

SPEAKER_06 2:50

smoking too.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 2:51

Um, and for this one, I decided to pull out something that's been sitting longer than I realized. It says 7616. So we got right at 10 years, a little over 10 years. This was the Savonelli um 100 and uh yeah, 140 years celeb celebration. Okay. So Savonelli's been around at this point. This was 2016, 140 years. So they did something special, they had Cornell and Dale blendness, but they used uh bright and red Virginias with some Orientals and dark fired florets from Italy. So that's like the cigar type of um bundles or whatever. Florettes? Yeah, and then it says infused with subtle notes of citrus and wildflowers, but the florets are from a single farm in Italy in the Tuscan Valley, double fermented. So I mean, this is pretty this was really popular when it came out, and it's and it's sold out like super quick. I bought some on a whim and it's just been sitting forever. We're gonna open it up. Nice.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

So when did when did Savanelli go out?

SPEAKER_06 3:56

When did they finish?

SPEAKER_03 3:57

When did they they close up shop?

SPEAKER_06 3:59

No, they did. I mean, Savanelli still makes pipes. So yeah, so Savannify.

SPEAKER_03 4:03

I was thinking of Sutliff, yeah. Yeah, you're thinking Sutliff.

SPEAKER_06 4:05

So this is actually Savanelli, the pipe, the pipe, um the pipe maker. The pipe maker. They might they make pipes, they've been making pipes for 140 years. They got into the pipe tobacco game a few years, well, more than a few years ago now. This is 2016. I think they got in a little bit before this. Um, and they just started kind of making their own, I guess, should say releasing their own pipe tobacco through Cornell and Deal. Uh, they were blending for them. And they're, I think you can still get they have their own line, like four, only like four or five tobaccos or something. But this was like one of the first big things that they came out with. And I was it was kind of like one of things like, ah, do I really want to smoke Savonelli's pipe tobacco? You know what I mean? Like they might make pipes, they are not really in the tobacco game, but they're doing they did it the right way. Basically, they sourced it, you know what I mean? So, and they had a super huge hand in it. So, we'll we'll see. It didn't make any sound at all, which is crazy. Okay, but but it feels like it was super tight. And I will say for a non-English blend, this is pretty dark.

SPEAKER_03 5:02

Yeah, I was gonna say, what what is it? What is the blend? Do we know?

SPEAKER_06 5:06

Yeah, yeah, it's red and bright Virginias, spiced with Orientals and choice dark fired florets from Italy. And it says, and infused with subtle notes of citrus and wildflowers. So I'm guessing maybe it's topped a little bit. The moisture feels good. But basically it's a vape, it's a it's a Virginia with Oriental and dark fired. Sounds wonderful. Sounds pretty good.

SPEAKER_05 5:33

Sound really good.

SPEAKER_06 5:33

So let's smell it. Give it a give it a whiff there. Actually, there's a lot of citrus coming off. But it's got a different kind of tang on the nose, doesn't it? And I like that they did that's a bigger tin. But they don't even make that, like, I don't think you can get that 140, whatever it's 140 degrees or whatever it's called. They make other stuff, but this was just like a one-off that they did that one year.

SPEAKER_04 5:56

The smell reminds me of an IPA without like the dryness.

SPEAKER_06 5:59

It is kind of IPA, isn't it? It's kind of nice.

SPEAKER_04 6:02

Well, not like the hops, but the citrus from an IPA.

SPEAKER_06 6:04

It's like smaller than a ribbon, but it's not quite a shag. It's like a nice cut. I think this is gonna be a good card. I didn't realize it was 10 years old at this point. It's just been sitting there waiting. I don't know, it was one of those things I only bought one 10. Like, you know, kind of on a whim. And this is watch, this will probably be amazing if you're like, why didn't I get four? I mean, um people have said a lot of stuff about this over the years, yeah. So I think some people were trying to get their hands on some of it still, but it's like just not in circulation anymore. Okay, you ready? Oh, oh, nice.

SPEAKER_05 6:46

All right, well, should we start while we while we get our our false and true lights going? Should we talk about uh you're you're looking at the mouth?

SPEAKER_03 6:57

Should we talk about the

Iron Vault White Corn Origin Story

SPEAKER_03 6:59

yeah? So we are drinking uh Iron Vault. Uh Iron Vault is up in Galleon, Ohio. It's a very small little operation. We did not uh we did an um interview with them uh a few months back uh when that came out.

SPEAKER_04 7:13

And this is a white corn edition, a very specific white corn grown local to Gallion, Ohio. So the story behind and uh I didn't realize they um so I'm gonna space on his Rob is the distiller that we talked to for the interview. And Rob told us a little like briefly about this, is like, hey, this is coming out. It's a white corn local stuff that we do. It smells really good, doesn't it? He was like, This is a local thing that we do. We've got like a guy that comes in and brings us this crop, like this corn. It's really good. And he's like, when when we talked about it, I I swear, and I keep meaning to go back and listen to the interview, but I swear that Rob was like, it's like 300 bucks a pot for this bottle.

SPEAKER_05 8:00

Is that the one you were talking about? Was super expensive?

SPEAKER_04 8:02

Yeah, because it's so limited and so rare. And uh, and so when he talked about it, I was like, Oh, like that would be really cool. Chris and you and I were like, that'd be really cool to go try and like get a hand our hands on it. And it wasn't coming out until like the the December, like winterish time. Well, the clubs, the the two chapters of the club actually went and toured around that time, and I totally forgot about this bottle. And they were like, Yeah, we've got like four or five left. Yeah, and I was like, Can I try it first? And like, yeah, we've got one here sampling. I tried it, and I went up to Rob was like, Okay, so tell me this this story. Like, what do you you barely like touch the edge of the story? What it is, what's going on. So it's like a local friend of theirs, or someone that used to be a distiller there, or somehow knows the distillery, also a farmer. He raises he grows this white, this stole evergreen white corn that's local to Ohio. He then it's so it's very extremely limited. He brings it once he cuts it down by hand, he brings it into his own garage, lets it air out, dry out for a little while, then throws it into So we're talking super small batch. Yes, throws it into pillowcases to then throw into dryers that he has in his garage just for this to dry out the rest of the corn, and then brings it in, still in the pillowcases, into the distillery, and gives it to them that way for them to mill it down. Like we're talking like extremely small, extremely local, like arm craft on craft. Like I was like, why does he keep doing that? Like it's a it's a passion of his. Like he just loves growing this stuff, and he doesn't have anyone else. I mean, what what's uh what else is that?

SPEAKER_05 9:47

Is this like an heirloom corn?

SPEAKER_04 9:49

Is that what it is? Stole corn, stole evergreen, white corn, local to galley in Ohio, I guess. Um yeah, they they do this once a year. They when they release it, once it's gone, it's gone. It wasn't as expensive as what I thought it'd be. It was now, granted, it was still like a hundred plus for the bottle, but it wasn't 300 that I was expecting.

SPEAKER_06 10:09

I guess it changed something they do. Yeah, does it change every with every like like it may change with a crop?

SPEAKER_04 10:15

Like, do we get more or less of the crop kind of thing?

SPEAKER_05 10:18

But um, I don't I'm not gonna say a whole lot about it so far, other than like it is super

Chocolate Orange And Dusty Oak Notes

SPEAKER_05 10:24

unique.

SPEAKER_06 10:24

Yeah, this is like almost to the point where I'm like, I don't even know. Like, I don't want to say anything yet, just because it's like it's giving my brain a bit of a workout.

SPEAKER_04 10:33

There's a lot going on with this, yeah. There's a lot, and we've had every time we try it, I'm like, I love this, but there's a lot happening, and I can't think of it as white corn because we've had white corn in bourbon. MB Rollin is white corn. This is not not the same MB Rollin uh flavor. Garrison Brothers does white corn, it's not the same white corn flavor.

SPEAKER_06 11:01

I'm trying to like think of something I could like compare this to, and I nothing's coming to mind. It's not sweet and it doesn't expect like that. It's got that much corn in it.

SPEAKER_03 11:10

It's all the the flavor profile I'm trying to like piece together on it is I'm getting like hints of I I suppose I'm gonna call it chocolate, but it's not really chocolate. And then I'm getting citrus, but it's not really citrus, so it's almost like a chocolate-covered orange, like a combination of orange.

SPEAKER_06 11:30

I was gonna say maybe that actually makes sense. But do you remember those that you could eat, those or chocolate oranges? You ever have those and you smash them in the middle and then you open them up and eat them? That's kind of what I'm getting. Yeah, it's the milk chocolate, yeah. Yeah, with with the fruit notes. It's not like cacao, it's not no, it's very much milk, almost like fake milk chocolate, like a super creamy. The kind of Easter time melt in your mouth, kind of a thing, but the mixed with that art of almost artificial orange kind of flavor. Yeah, I'm getting that.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 12:03

But it's not just that because it is very much a roller coaster of flavors going on.

SPEAKER_03 12:09

Yeah. That's the that's the flavor that I feel at the peak. Yeah. So that's where it's kind of the dominating. High one. And then that's when you get to the top of the roller coaster. But you still have the whole rest of the ride to go through. So like there's still lots more happening. But that's the that's like the first big point that I've got.

SPEAKER_06 12:27

Sur syrupy, kind of like uh almost like the uh Miss Buttersworth syrupy kind of notes in there. Yeah, like pancake syrupy, kind of like buttery, more like butter syrup. Yeah. Like the fake syrup. Fake syrup with butter, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:41

Butter flavoring.

SPEAKER_06 12:42

Butter flavored syrup syrup, yeah. But it leaves your it leaves you with this really interesting, creamy kind of mouthfeel. It is creamy. I like it. It's very like satisfying, like that like aftertaste.

SPEAKER_04 12:56

And what's crazy is it's not like uh it's not a long finish in the fact that it like sits on your tongue, but the the flavors don't like the memory of the flavors don't go away. Like it makes an impression where you're like I know it's there, like I know something's there, and I have to process through what it is, but it's not like on the tip of my tongue. It's in the background.

SPEAKER_06 13:18

Yeah, it is a thinker, and then all the way through it's got this like dusty dusty barn a little bit, that small distillery. It's really oak, like um kind of like almost like old oak. Yeah, I can see it's vintage, vintage oak that was left in a dusty barn. Yeah, I don't know what the proof is in a pillowcase. In a pillowcase, in a pillowcase. Pillowcase. Pillowcase. Now what color pillowcase? That's this one tastes like Hilton. Hilton, Hilton Garden, I'd say.

SPEAKER_04 13:58

What's the thread count? Now, what's crazy is this distillery's been around or started in 2017. So we got to interview them this year, or was it last year? Oh gosh. Uh oh, down she goes. Did Ryan take it downtown?

SPEAKER_03 14:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:18

We interviewed them recently. I don't remember if it was this year or last year. Uh last year.

SPEAKER_03 14:24

Did we interview them in 25? I don't know. I remember if it was 25 or 25. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 14:31

I don't think it might have been last year. Was it 25, 26? Like this year. Well, no, it would have been 25.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

No, it would have had to be 25.

SPEAKER_04 14:37

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, well, we got to interview them. They've been around since 2017. The stuff they put out is flavor-wise, is what the heck is going on. Well, it's because they're checking it daily.

SPEAKER_06 14:52

They're only pulling when they're ready, when they think the flavor is ready. They don't do anything based on time. On time, exactly. Or based on past practice. It's all like, does this taste good now?

SPEAKER_04 15:01

And they don't love high proof. That was one of the other things. They don't love high proof.

Six Months Old And Still Dark

SPEAKER_04 15:05

So I say all that to say this guy has been aged six months and is 90 proof. Six months? Six months and 90 proof.

SPEAKER_06 15:14

And it's 90 proof. And these are in small, they do smaller barrels. This one's got to be smaller. Yeah. I don't think they have a ton of 53 gallon. If they do and that's why you can get away with the six months, because it's dark. It is. Like you guys can't see it because obviously because you're listening. Can't see with your ears, but it's dark. It's like uh explain the color. Uh they can listen with their ears. Red. Isn't it? Uh it's like if you ever had like black coffee that you allowed to cool down, you put it in a glass, but it's got this tinge of red to it. It's it's like a like a diluted kind of oh, tea. That's what I'm thinking of. Tea? Yeah. It's black tea. Okay. If you ever take black tea and put it in a clear glass and let it cool down, that's what it looks like.

SPEAKER_03 15:57

I was gonna say watered down cherry Coca-Cola.

SPEAKER_06 15:59

Oh, well, there's that too. Yeah, that that actually, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:02

That might work because maybe we have tea drinkers and Coca-Cola drinkers, cherry.

SPEAKER_06 16:06

Now you'll both understand. But that does look like it does look like cherry cherry coke, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:11

Yeah, but also it has to be watered down a little bit.

SPEAKER_06 16:13

You ever take like rose red tea and like brew it and then in like a clear, like that? It does have a bit of a red tinge to it. When's the last time you had rose red tea? Uh like yesterday.

SPEAKER_03 16:25

Here's the thing. This is the thing. This happened, this happened at some point last year. We talked about rose red tea, and I never even heard of it. It's in a box like Limpton, like it's a Limpton style tea, and I never heard of it. And Chris is like, yeah, it comes with this little toy or whatever, or a cutout or something. Yeah, little thing. That's cool. I've no figurine. Like, I drink tea, not like a ton, but I drink it alone on occasion. Last uh at the end of the end of the school year there, I was doing my student teaching and everything, and there was a box of it sitting on top of the microwave there in the like teacher's lounge.

SPEAKER_04 16:58

Was the toy?

SPEAKER_03 16:59

The toy was still there. It's like a cutout, it's like a cutout uh horse or something.

SPEAKER_06 17:03

Yeah, it depends on what you get, but they they and they sell the little they're can commemorative, but you can you can even buy them, but they are they're like little ceramic figurines or whatever. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

So uh yeah, so I randomly found it one day. I was like, oh, he wasn't talking out of his ass. It was real for once.

SPEAKER_06 17:22

Here's the thing I'm per I'm perfect at sounding like I'm talking out of my ass, to the point where you're like, there's no way. But then you end up finding out that I actually wasn't, but it's the way that I think it's kind of surprising.

SPEAKER_03 17:33

You're like, wait, was he was serious about this? A bit of a devil agent. Yeah, yeah. I make things sound like I'm making it up, but then I'm also really smart, right? Like double agent, double agent, the other way around. Playing playing 40 chess over here.

SPEAKER_05 17:49

That's that's my trick. You've learned it, you learned my secret.

SPEAKER_06 17:53

Speaking of this tobacco is really good. What do you guys think? And it's uh it's burning really nice, yeah. It's really behaving well. Keep sketching in my throat. I think it's a bit of a stronger tobacco, too. But I think that's the from the Italian florets, the dark fired.

SPEAKER_02 18:13

Yeah, I like it though.

SPEAKER_06 18:14

It's good, it's earthy.

SPEAKER_02 18:16

I mean, just smelling it in the tin is like, oh my gosh, what's this? Really? Yeah, oh yeah. Does it translate from experience smoking it?

SPEAKER_06 18:26

But it's a very good rustic kind of meaty tobacco.

SPEAKER_03 18:31

Now, am I right in saying this? Uh I also feel like it's catching in my throat a little bit. And I think that's that's the strongness of the tobacco. But I was also wondering if it's uh thin's not the right word, but the smoke seems to be a little bit thinner, it's not pluming as much as like it's coming out of the pipe faster and raising faster than than some other type of pipe.

SPEAKER_04 18:57

It's it's definitely for three of you guys smoking in here, it's not as cloudy, it's definitely thinner.

SPEAKER_03 19:01

And so I was wondering if something in here was was burning in such a way that it's almost a little bit thinner. So because that like when I'm doing my rehale or exit retrohale. Retrohale, yeah, it's it's going too far. And I'm I'm sometimes getting it.

SPEAKER_06 19:15

It's deceiving because it is kind of a thinner smoke, but the flavor is not thin. No, no, no. But it's deceiving in that way. So you might be taking a bit of a harder puff than you think. But I think it's it's just the quality of the tobacco and the age on the tobacco, it's just smoking so well. Like it's burning so well that it's not putting off a ton of smoke because there's no like particulates or anything or anything, it's just a clean tobacco.

unknown 19:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 19:39

I think that's what I was wondering. Because I was, I was, I've never really looked at the smoke like that to see if that is like a sign of anything.

SPEAKER_06 19:48

Yeah. I've had cigars even where they don't put off a ton of smoke, you know what I mean? But the but they're full flavored.

unknown 19:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 19:54

And I think that if anything, it might even be stronger because it's like putting out a ton of smoke. So I'm not, yeah, it's not a thinness and flavor by any means. But I like that it's not kind of, you know, it's not a dirty smoke. You know what I mean? It's kind of uh efficient.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

And it does have the power of cigar tobacco. It's a it's a it's hefty.

SPEAKER_06 20:17

Hefty, but it's if you're thinking like what are they talking about? Flavor wise. It's like rustic tobacco, is what I would just call it. Like it's very much like if you were to, I feel this is what it should taste like if you were to ever make your own tobacco. That's what it should be like. Probably wouldn't be. You know what I mean? But this this reminds me of something somebody made by hand and put in their barn and smoked like you know, a hundred years ago.

SPEAKER_04 20:42

The smell does remind me of like a light Connecticut tobacco.

unknown 20:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:46

Like we're not uh not tobacco, but like a cigar. Like if you guys are having cigars instead of a pipe.

SPEAKER_06 20:52

That's not like a dark Maduro.

SPEAKER_04 20:54

No, no, no, no, like very light, uh, but but potent at the same time. Like farmhouse. Yeah. Yeah. Yep.

unknown 21:02

Yeah.

Value Debate And The Missing Finish

SPEAKER_04 21:03

Now, Ryan, I'm really glad that we have you on for this episode. Okay. And it was the Jimmy Red. I know that you've you had the Jimmy Red the other weekend.

unknown 21:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:26

But I don't know if you've had anything outside of that for Iron Vault.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

I kind of don't think I have. Um, I did like the Jimmy Red. I don't remember what I said about it at the time.

SPEAKER_04 21:42

He did like the Jimmy Red. It was that's right. I remember it. It was um for the proof point, I think you weren't expecting the flavor that was coming out of it. Like it's it's also 90 proof, but the flavor that came out of it, you it's almost one that would Expect that to come out of like a higher proof point bottle 100 plus that's been sitting there for years, kind of thing. And so when you and I were talking about that, I was like, Oh, you gotta be on for these because this would be very interesting. Because these are both of these bottles. One, we've got a bottle that anyone that listens to the next episode they've done once. This is the first time they've ever done it, and they may never do it again. And the one that we have right now that is the stole evergreen, they do once a year, but it's so limited that if you can get your hands on it, you're kind of one of the few and lucky that get your hands on it. But they don't carry it past, hey, we're done, it's ready to be released, and we're out. But for six months, 90 proof, unique grain, local craft distillery. I'm curious on your thoughts on is it worth the price? Yeah, did they hit the nail on the head, or is it like, hey, we're we're kind of throwing the craft tax pricing on it? Like it's it's not as good as what the distiller things versus what the consumer tries. Like I'm just very curious on your thoughts.

SPEAKER_02 23:12

Okay. Well caveat. I'm coming off the end of a cold. Um and uh I like it. Yes, because this will explain if I if I sound really stupid on this one. This is why. Second thing is I scorched my tongue a little bit with some uh jalapeno hot sauce at dinner. Okay. So having said that, um I do like the flavor of this. Um, but one of the things that surprised me most is the mouthfeel. And I don't know if anybody else is picking up on this or not. I'm just gonna say it, I might be a complete idiot. Okay, so when I take a sip, it it it does feel kind of bulky, you know, like it, like there's some there's something there. Um but then like it's not exactly like coating my tongue, like when the second uh sort of like when you have a complex whiskey that has like a you know a first flavor and then like a second part to it, that second part, the mouthfeel disappears for me. Like like instead of like feeling like that the texture, the oily texture, whatever it is that like around the sides of the tongue, it's like water on the sides of the tongue for me. I mean the bot it's the body disappears in the in toward the end, it thins out toward the end in terms of body. I've never had that happen before. Yeah, like the bottom falls. Is that is that just me? I'm gonna be able to do that. Or are you picking up on that too?

SPEAKER_06 25:13

Yeah, but I get what you're saying, and that could be everybody's every palate's different, you know what I mean? And and everything, but I get what you're saying.

SPEAKER_02 25:20

I have had whiskies before the kind of the bottom falls out, but it's but it's more the body than the flavor at that point.

SPEAKER_06 25:27

So not so not so much the flavor, but like the way you're talking about the mouthfeel basically.

SPEAKER_02 25:31

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:32

So when you describe that, I I think I mentioned before on the podcast that my first car was an old Volkswagen Beetle. And the first car I ever drove, learned to drive, was a 70, oh, I think it was a 74 Volkswagen Beetle with an automatic stick stick shift, which was weird for Volkswagen. It was a four-speed missing one or two speeds.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

I remember that. I remember that now.

SPEAKER_01 25:58

It was yellow gear.

SPEAKER_04 26:00

It was a yellow car. Yellow bug. I think my parents still have it. Um, but one of the the funny things that when you drive an old Volkswagen Beetle for enough time, you realize that the floorboards come out from underneath you. Like it's not like they don't fall out, but they rush through the fastest. They did not make the floorboards very well. They didn't, I mean it. I mean, the floorboards literally are just underneath. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

In all the song in the song. Water splashes up.

SPEAKER_05 26:32

We'll use cardboard.

SPEAKER_04 26:34

Same with the wheel wells. So, like right at your feet, and uh on all the bugs, that's where the most water would hit and come through. It would rust right there to begin with. And if you weren't paying attention or forgot about it, you got surprised real fast. And there was a day I was taking that to the school. It was me and my younger brother were driving. We were late to, we're about ready to miss the bell. And uh, I took a curve, I was like, we're flying through this, and forgot that his side rusted through, and we went right through a water puddle, just straight up his leg, and he was livid, just pissed off. And I looked at him and go, I totally forgot. And he's like, How how could you forget?

SPEAKER_00 27:19

Like, this is the most common on that side of the car.

SPEAKER_04 27:22

As the driver, that's not something you should be worried about, right? Like, and it was the most common thing for these cars. You're the one sitting in that seat, dude. Wear a raincoat. He looked at me, he's like, It's the most common thing for these cars. How do you forget this was a thing? And it's like, I'm sorry, I don't know. But that was the picture I had, and you're like, it just falls right out from underneath you. I'm like, Yep.

SPEAKER_05 27:40

We're in the Flintstones car right now.

SPEAKER_04 27:42

A moment where you're like, oh, I forgot that was there. But now I'm reminded that was there. That was supposed to be there. Something was supposed to be there.

SPEAKER_06 27:50

I don't get that on this one, but I do get what you're saying, and I've had that before. But you are you anybody else getting what Ryan's talking about?

SPEAKER_02 27:58

It's like the texture stays on the middle of my tongue for some reason, not around the sides. It I don't know.

SPEAKER_06 28:07

But flavor-wise, it sounds lasting or does the flavor dissipate really quick too?

SPEAKER_02 28:12

Um I would say the the flavor dissipates too, but not as much as the mouthfeel.

SPEAKER_04 28:21

And I think what you're describing is what I feel what might be the better way of describing where the the there's no lasting flavor, like the finish isn't there, like it could be a little bit more. Is it almost dry? Like you taste it right away, and you're like, man, this should be this should be something.

SPEAKER_06 28:39

It's like angels. There should be a lot. It's kind of a weird thing. The way that he's describing is like there's like flavor but no substance. Yes. And I don't really like that feeling. Like I've had like there's food that you can eat that's like that, and it's like it's kind of a weird thing. You're like, it's not, it's not satiating, right? But you're and you're like hungry, and it's not satiating. It's like flavor only goes so far in those times, right?

SPEAKER_04 29:00

You know, I think the thing I appreciate the most about that idea with this bottle is the sense that you don't experience this with any other high-quality bottle or craft distillery where there's a lot of flavor just compacted into one, and then it releases for you to try to figure it out. Normally it's like we don't really have anything here, like we're just gonna water it down, and then that's what we like. It's not a ton of like compacted, heavy flavor, and then dissipating.

SPEAKER_03 29:32

I think I'm I think I'm getting a little bit of what you're saying, like also on this bottle where I can feel it on my tongue, but it's almost like the rest of my mouth doesn't really feel it all that much. Yeah, um, and I almost wonder if that is a symptom of its

Small Barrels Experiments And Mash Bill

SPEAKER_03 29:50

youth. So it's only six months old. I was gonna say it's only six months straight for only six months. It has a lot of flavor, and the aging process gives you that oak that you're missing from those that longer aging, but the juice inside is still only six months old.

unknown 30:05

Right.

SPEAKER_03 30:05

So I'm wondering if that if that's a little bit of a problem. It's not super mature in the in the aging process.

SPEAKER_06 30:12

And it makes you wonder if it would be almost overpowered flavor, might be overpowering if it if the age caught up to the yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

Well, didn't we say they were uh using smaller barrels in order to release earlier? What if they put it in like a regular size barrel and see that a regular amount of time?

SPEAKER_04 30:31

That's the thing that it's maybe maybe that's what it's kind of the the pro-con of being a small craft distillery that doesn't source is everything they're doing now is small batch and experimental, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:44

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 30:44

Experimental and small batch. It is very so even down to the labels. So, Chris, you and I talked about uh on their American single malt. Why does it say produced and bottled by?

SPEAKER_06 30:55

Yeah, do you ever ask him?

SPEAKER_04 30:56

You asked him about so I I figured out all their stuff says produced to bottled by. You want to know why? Because it's a pain in the ass to get that changed by the the the tobacco and they'd have to do a new a new label. They'd have to submit for a new label, they'd have to have that appropriate. Because originally that's how they did it, but that's it was original. Like, are we gonna be able to distill our own stuff or produce it? And so it made sense for them as a small distillery trying to count their pennies, let's just say produced.

SPEAKER_05 31:25

Yeah, it cut because it covers all.

SPEAKER_04 31:26

Because it covers all. And if we end up distilling, we distill. If we end up having to produce and just bottle because we can't figure out the distillation part, then we've got our we've got it covered then too. But they're getting to the point where like people are catching on, but they still can't keep up. They're so small. I mean, they they are they sell out, and their their distillery is how do I how do I explain this? Imagine going to like an old town where they have all the old buildings from like the 80s and 90s or 70s, super.

SPEAKER_06 32:01

Shotgun style, like a galley style kitchen, it's really long. And their distillery is just on the back, and that's a garage, it's the same style. It's like a three-car garage, but only single car.

SPEAKER_03 32:10

If you think of any like old school downtown that's in a hallmark movie, it's one of those deals. It's all the buildings right next to each other. Most of the establishments there are pretty thin and long back. So, like when you go like a pencil shank. Yeah, it's like a pencil shank.

SPEAKER_04 32:27

And they could only make, if I understood or remember correctly, they can only make their distillation floor so big without having to add on because of I guess hazardous. It's cozy in there too. It's what they have for what they're set up, is it's perfect. And I think the fact that they can put this out at that small, and uh we're talking as if you're bigger, as if the distillery is bigger, and like, oh, you should have this figured out. Like most of this bottles we have were like, you should probably have this figured out by now. For this distillery, I'm like, you there's something you guys have something unique, and this is just touching the cusp of that. Like, we're just we're just barely hitting that.

SPEAKER_02 33:12

I'm not trying to throw shade. No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_03 33:14

Yeah, yeah. But yeah, I I would agree that uh I think that most any any company that has done these small barrels and have gone this route, there is a little something lacking in the in the bottle. And it's just because of that lack of aging, which is maturity, because there's more than just oak involved in that. Like there is more involved than just oak touching barrels. And that's what you're making up for in that smaller barrel and time is you're getting the oak, but you're missing out on some other stuff. And so it doesn't always so it's not like it's a perfect one-to-one match of like six months this way is the same as two years the other way.

SPEAKER_06 33:50

And what and what you might like about the fact that it's six months in and tastes this way, is it's a trade-off, right? Exactly. It might be worth what it would taste like otherwise. Right. But what's funny is what and you guys, the way you're describing this to me, it sounds like it's like that high school, not even a senior, but like maybe like a like an upperclassman high school athlete that's got the full beard. It's like you you you look like you're like you're 25, but you're still like your maturity and stuff. Like you're definitely in high school. You talk to them and you're like, yeah, like you, you, you could, you could go buy beer for your friends, you know what I mean? But you're like, but you're definitely still not an adult, you know, but they look like it. Oh, you don't know what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_04 34:28

You have a person who's gonna buy below Keystone Light because you're like, I don't really know what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_06 34:32

Like by the time you're actually 25, you'll be bald and you'll look 40. Yeah, yeah. You're that guy. Yeah, that's what that's what this reminds me of. The way you guys are describing it.

SPEAKER_03 34:40

Yeah, and so there is a particular flavor with that. And so it's a good flavor, it's a bad, you know, whatever. It's a it's a flavor that's different. Um, and I don't fault them at all for it. This is better than I think if they were to try to find somebody else to do it and try to have them use this corn and do all this or whatever. I think it's better that they do it themselves. Um, the the the flavor profile is not really for me necessarily. But uh, but overall, like the the quality is there, it's just not for me necessarily. But the um that thinness, I think, is more of a product of just the the youth of it.

SPEAKER_02 35:19

Yeah, but it's but the weirdness is that it's not there from the start. You don't start drinking it.

SPEAKER_06 35:24

It starts pretty bold and then it thins out as it goes. I'm wondering if that's something that maybe me and you, Nick, are maybe we're detecting it, but we're overlooking it because of the fact that it is six months and we like the flavor of it. And so I was very, you know, because I'm not really getting that, but maybe if I pick it, like really think about it, but maybe I think I might be overlooking it.

SPEAKER_03 35:43

I do think that Nick is afraid to say even the teeniest, tiniest bit of negativity about iron vault.

SPEAKER_04 35:54

We like iron vault, we like you guys. This is my one negative to this bottle is the fact that the the it doesn't last.

SPEAKER_06 36:02

It's not lasting. And and when you when you first like you're drinking in the flavor.

SPEAKER_04 36:09

It's not long lasting. And what I what disappoints me about that, what I don't like about that is like you said, Ryan, when you first sip it, that first that first like half, you're like, whoa, like what am I what's going on right now? There's so much, it's dark, which is weird for white corn. There's this dark depth complexity going on, and then it drops, and you're like, uh, but I wanted more. Like I was hoping for more.

SPEAKER_06 36:39

I think I'm the odd one out on this one because actually I like it for me. I like it because it's actually making it like it. Well, no, but I mean I like that aspect of it because it's actually making me want to dip back in. So I actually drank that pretty quick and I want more. Like I really want to fill, well, we have more to go through, but maybe I will have some, but uh, it makes me want to keep pouring this. And that's so I don't like that when it's a hundred dollar bottle, you know what I mean? But I like that because it's it's like uh it's it's movie theater popcorn. I just keep eating it, eating it, and eating it. I'm like, I don't need any more, I don't really want any more, but I'm gonna keep eating it.

SPEAKER_04 37:13

So that's the thing. I when you when you mention, like I feel like, okay, Chris, you and Nick, you and I, we don't really, we we view this different, right? Yes, I think you and I view it very differently. You the smell reminds me of the South Bend Whiskey Company, the Indiana Whiskey Company. Their rye. Chris and I love their rye. I don't think either of you guys like it.

SPEAKER_03 37:35

We did not like it. I did not like it.

SPEAKER_04 37:37

Right. But that's what this reminds me. That's what this reminds me of. It is very, it's very craft, it's very local. This feels like this reminds me, and maybe this is why I like it so much, and this distillery, it reminds me of like my grandparents, like growing up and going into their shed. He was a uh homemade. Yeah, it's very homemade, very homemade, and like, but homemade with what you have. He uh my my grandpa used to work for um, I think it was like a cabinet company originally, and they had to uh like strip out screws and replace them. He kept all the screws that he ever took out of the cabinetry in like an old coffee tin. And I have those screws because he had so many of them, but like that memory of like we scrap, we we use what we have.

SPEAKER_06 38:23

You're you're describing like so my grandma made jams and jellies, and you're gonna be like, you're gonna 100% agree with what I'm about to say here. She would make jams and it was kind of her thing, but she also is kind of a bit of an earth person, and she made it out of every every plant had like feelings. She was like one of those people, and she used every plant in the world, and she was very much into her home like homemade medicines, but um, she would make jelly out of clover. She made jelly out of like different flowers, yeah, dandelion jelly, yeah, like lots of things, and actually they were pretty good. The fl the flavor was very European because it was like subtle, right? It was not a very American flavor. Um, but what I'm getting at is the consistency was not the same. But it was very homemade tasting and very purposeful, and purposeful, but the cons it was not jelly, but it was jelly, and we used it and we liked it and we enjoyed it because it was grandma she made it homemade, and it had a different sort of that homemade flavor, like what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_04 39:24

When my grandpa passed, we went through his like wood shop, and I've got I've got this probably like uh probably four foot by two foot chunk of slab of walnut wood that he cut down years before it passed. He wouldn't let anyone touch it, and it was a whole tree that he had to like cut up and that slabbed, probably something that fell down, and he wouldn't let anyone touch it, it was his wood. And I remember walking through my dad and grandpa, like or dad and my uncle, like, why didn't grandpa use it? It's beautiful. And the response was it wasn't time, yeah. It was the purpose was right there before it, yeah. Yeah, the purpose wasn't there for yet. But that's what I when I think of Iron Vault, that's what I think of of someone trying to figure out how do we do this the right way with what we have. It was per purposeful, yeah. Liberty poll that we just had. I mean, we just had some of Liberty polls. Liberty polls is somewhat similar to that, but they have the size and the capacity to say this doesn't fit the purpose. Yeah, this doesn't fit the purpose. It's okay. We don't need to use this. Whereas these guys are like, well, we we need to use this. Like we we we kind of we kind of need we're scraping the pennies here, yeah. But we're trying to figure out how to scrape the pennies in a way that the consumer can try this and go, What the heck am I like? Not in a bad way, but like this is blowing my mind. What am I drinking right now? What am I going through?

SPEAKER_06 40:52

Yeah, they're very much, and that's that's why we appreciate that, so maybe we make allowances, right?

SPEAKER_02 41:00

So what's the mash bill? I don't know the mash bill on this guy.

SPEAKER_03 41:05

We do uh the biggest amount of corn that that heirloom is that stole, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:10

The stole how much?

SPEAKER_06 41:12

It's not 100%, right?

SPEAKER_04 41:13

No, it's not 100%. It's it's it's at least I would say with them, they're not a big fan of rye, so I'm gonna go Ohio Ryan, it's all local. So I'm gonna say they're probably looking at somewhere as 60 to 70 percent of that corn, wheat, and malted barley, is my is my guess.

SPEAKER_06 41:30

All the way up to 75 corn. Yeah, it's it there's a good amount of it in there, whatever.

SPEAKER_04 41:34

And they again, they don't like they want all local and they don't like Ohio grown rye. It it doesn't fit it, it's doesn't fit their profile, it doesn't fit a lot of people's profile because it is very Ryan. I'm just gonna it it's it's like Hudson. Did you notice Hudson tonight walking up to me wanting to pee pee punch? Oh uh every time I just started Taekwondo, it's always really well. But now he's trying to do it. That's the aggression that they would probably describe Ohio grown rye. It is very much like a oh, you're local in pee-punch, you're like, oh gosh. Well, I you know, I really like that you're local, but I'm not I I just don't please don't do this.

SPEAKER_02 42:19

Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm I'm just kind of wondering if maybe maybe adding something else to the mash bill would just fill out that last little bit and make and stick the landing.

SPEAKER_06 42:32

I think it, I think you're you're 100% right, Steve. I think it's maturity. I I do what you I do wonder if that's the mash bill.

SPEAKER_02 42:38

Not the mash bill.

SPEAKER_06 42:39

Yeah, I think it's what you're talking about. Is like it's lacking a volume in like and I and I think that not in flavor, but in overall, like the overall doesn't stick the landing in the experience. The overall experience is lacking a bit of volume because I think that comes with age.

SPEAKER_03 42:55

I like what I do like about this is the creaminess of it. I think it's a very creamy drink. Um, especially, like I said, that first half is is uh uh very creamy, very full-bodied, and then it just kind of goes away. Um and like you said, Ryan, it sticks around on the tongue a little bit longer, but the rest of your mouth just kind of it just kind of evaporates away.

SPEAKER_06 43:17

It's a weird is it doesn't taste young. But I think that instead of tasting young, the trade-off is it tastes like like maybe it's yeah, it's not it's not solid yet, right? It's it's like the muscle's not dense yet. You know what I mean? I guess that's the trade-off.

SPEAKER_04 43:34

Well, we talk a lot about craft distilleries, but this might be the first craft distillery that we we kind of caught them right at the start, where we're trying some of their five, 10, 15 gallon barrels. That's all they have to offer. Like the larger ones, they ain't they ain't touching yet. Those are sitting by and we'll we'll get to them when we get them. Right. And and so with that kind of comes. Uh an interesting teeter totter scale, I guess. We either go for age because we want age, but we miss the flavor. Or we go for flavor and we miss the age. It's really hard to do both with that small of a barrel because one can suck the other out.

SPEAKER_03 44:20

But I also fear that if you would let it sit for a year, then it would become too oaky.

unknown 44:25

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 44:25

And you would have too much of the oak flavor.

SPEAKER_04 44:27

And you miss that coin.

SPEAKER_03 44:28

And so but you but you yeah. You're in danger of losing what's going on already. I don't know if there's a solution in those small barrels. Well for that. You could blend it, right? I really couldn't blend it.

SPEAKER_04 44:40

If you have bigger ones, if you have something to blend it with, that's the thing.

SPEAKER_06 44:45

This overall experience is kind of a just a take it or leave it type of a thing. You either like it or you and I think that you guys appreciate it and you like it, but there's aspects you don't like. And that doesn't mean you don't drink it. I'm not saying I don't mean you wouldn't drink it. But yeah, there's I mean there's always I and that's the thing about bourbon, especially. I don't really trust anybody who's like 100% liking everything. You know what I mean? I there's gotta be. I love stuff and I still have aspects I can kind of pull out and say, I don't like this and I don't like that. There's very few things that I'm like 100% on board with the whole thing. You know what I mean? It's like it's all good, you know. There's usually something I can, you know, pick out or whatever, or I would say, ah, this could be different, you know, or whatever. But that's what makes it good. It's unique. It's not not everything is perfect. That's what's what art is. Art has diff, you know, imperfections in it. And that's what makes that kind of more special, I think.

SPEAKER_04 45:36

And I would agree, the the thing I I don't it's not a question that I want to ask. What I I think what I appreciate the most about this interaction and having both Ryan and you, Steve, on is Steve, you're you're you're regular, I guess. Uh, but having both of you guys involved in this is at the same time. As Chris has talked about this idea of looking at whiskey, true whiskey drinkers, not just uh those to resell, but collectors, those that drink. There's those that appreciate, and then there's those that don't. Like if you don't, you don't understand it. But you can appreciate it and still go, I appreciate what you're doing. I don't know if it's for me though. I don't know if I like that just yet, or I don't know that that's my flavor or my palette, but I appreciate the heck out of what you're doing, what you're trying to do. And from what I'm hearing in this conversation is very much that of I I can appreciate what you guys are trying to do, and I can appreciate what you're doing. Uh I don't know if it's if it's at the mark just yet for me to go, I'm sold, I'm all then. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 46:49

Yeah, and there is something with Mashbill though, right? Because I've had lots of stuff from Iron Vault, and a lot of it is this one year, six months, eight months. It is these really young, small barrel kind of deals, and I don't have that same problem with them, so it's not all it's not just the maturity thing, the the mash bill does play. Just the way that it plays a factor in this particular model.

SPEAKER_04 47:13

It would be interesting to see uh them turn this into a four-grain and add just a little bit of rye to it, a little bit of that spice.

SPEAKER_06 47:25

I think the corn um could be played around. I think this corn is something that we've not had before that's unique enough that I'd like to see that represented in different forms for sure. Like, and I don't know how hard that would be to do, but it sounds like it's pretty hard to grow and produce a proprietary

Tobacco Retrohale Room Note And Strength

SPEAKER_06 47:42

process. Speaking of a kick, a kick a punch to the pee pee or whatever, before we get done with this one, I do want to say going back to this tobacco, yeah. This is not something I do very often, but I have found myself kind of inhaling this a little bit every now and then. And I really don't do that. I and I typically I think it tastes gross for this blend. It actually is good. Did you guys try that at all?

SPEAKER_03 48:02

Well, like I said, almost because of because of, like I said, the thinness of the smoke, uh, it almost does have a uh a feeling or a um like more of like a cigarette.

SPEAKER_06 48:16

Yeah, but not but not the taste.

SPEAKER_03 48:18

It's not it's not a flavor.

SPEAKER_06 48:20

But it's slightly when I inhale, it's really gross. This actually has really good tobacco flavor in an inhale, which is different. But you have to be careful because it's strong, it's stronger than you think. Because I tried to do it with like a good one a minute ago, and I was like, oh, that was that one hit pretty hard. You know what I mean? But it's it's just interesting that uh you don't get that kind of flavor. I don't typically get that kind of flavor taking it downtown like that and and like inhaling it. But I only did it a couple times and I was like, oh, that's actually kind of pleasant.

SPEAKER_04 48:48

What is interesting about the tobacco is it's not dark like others that you have had on the podcast. But it's not light either. It's like right in the middle. It's right in the middle. I wouldn't say it's it's it's light. And the fact that I don't notice it, but it it's not it's not a meal. Like a lot, a lot of the tobaccos you guys have is very dark, almost like a meal with a glass. Or heavy. You're saying heavy.

SPEAKER_06 49:17

This isn't heavy, yes, but i I think it's just a really rich tobacco flavor. I I keep saying tobacco, but like it just it's and it's more rounded than some tobaccos like that we've had. Like, as I've said that before in the podcast, it's a very tobacco flavor. This is a very Virginia flavor, but it's a very real tobacco flavor, yeah. Virginia, it reminds me of something that they would have smoked like you know, uh 200 years ago in early America or something, which we've had a few tobaccos like that. I've said that on this podcast before, but this just reminds me of something that was pulled out of a barn uh and smoked like when men were men. You know what I mean? Like that that's just what it reminds me of. It's like the same type of tobacco they'd probably make chewing tobacco out of. You know what I mean? It's that kind of tobacco flavor.

SPEAKER_04 50:01

I think it's also very light and refreshing.

SPEAKER_06 50:04

But it's light, yeah. It's not, it's not dirty. That's the thing. It's not like a dirty smoke, it's not, it's not putting off a lot of dark smoke. It's not gumming up my pipe or leaving.

SPEAKER_02 50:15

And you could just leave that tin uncovered and use it like potpourri or something. I mean, it smells great. The aroma. The room note on this one.

SPEAKER_03 50:22

It's a really good room note. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 50:25

I thought about doing those like candle warmers and just opening up a tin of tobacco and setting it on there and see what happens.

SPEAKER_01 50:31

Like an incense.

SPEAKER_04 50:35

I'm like, ah, yeah, I get that. It's a room cigar. I thought about it. You know, room cigar. I don't want it too intense, but I think we're gonna do it.

SPEAKER_06 50:44

I do um and we just keep going on tangent to tangent.

Pipe Show Regrets And Closing

SPEAKER_06 50:48

But you know what's something, something that I actually regret now. Do you remember when we were at the pipe show last time? Yeah. And what was I looking for? Do you remember this?

SPEAKER_03 50:56

Well, there was a particular pipe tobacco, right?

SPEAKER_06 50:58

Valumet pipe right, right. It was a table pipe. And I found one there, remember, and I almost got it, and then I didn't. I should have gotten it because I still want one of those things. So when we go to the pipe show next, I'm looking for one hardcore. Which is coming up. But can you imagine? Like, I want to set this thing on the table. It's kind of like a hookah, you know what I mean? But it's a tobacco.

SPEAKER_03 51:17

It had multiple hoses to it, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 51:20

And you light the thing, and you just kind of I just love that idea. I'm totally gonna get one. One of these days I'm gonna get one. If I can't, I'm gonna have to have to make one. No, you can't, it's not the same thing. I've already looked into it. I've already looked into like, can you make a hookah? Like it's not the same thing.

SPEAKER_03 51:32

But that would be cool to have one bowl for all three of us. Wouldn't that be three separate bowls of the same thing?

SPEAKER_04 51:38

And you just light it and just yeah, just that would be. Can you imagine how crazy club nights would be? Gosh, that'd be wild, dude.

SPEAKER_06 51:44

It's a big chunk of briar, you know. And it's that the reason why I didn't get that one was because I was worried it was gonna be kind of flimsy. Yeah, but um, I do want one. I do want one. So something to think about. But it's reminded me of that when we were talking about that. But anyway, I think we should we should go on to the next episode.

SPEAKER_03 52:00

Go on to the next one, which is another iron ball, if it's one of the companions or not on that.

SPEAKER_06 52:05

And Ryan will be back with us. Yep, stay tuned. Stay tuned until next time. Cheers.

SPEAKER_03 52:16

Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. We can be reached on our website, whiskeychasterspumad.com, with any ideas for the show. Thanks again.