Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey
When Yellowstone and Limestone Branch announced they’d be putting out a single malt earlier this year, I was excited. I love trying new American Single Malts (ASMs) and generally like Yellowstone’s products, so there was a solid chance of this being a solid product.
Ultimately, it just barely gets there. It’s fine, innocuous, and tastes like a 100% malted barley whiskey, and so in that way accomplishes what the label pronounces, but I’m left wondering how much better this could have been.
Let’s break it down.
First off, the source. It’s 100% malted barley distilled and aged in Indiana, so it’s MGP. In an oddity of timing, if this had been purchased in bulk by Lux Row or Limestone Branch before 2021, it would be a sourced whiskey; since Lux Row was bought by MGP in 2021, it’s not technically sourced even though it’s not from Limestone Branch’s own stills.
Second, the profile. There’s nothing bad about this. It tastes like a single malt - any single malt. And that’s the problem. How does this stand out? How is this different?
If anything, I’m most reminded of some 95/5 MGP ryes I’ve reviewed. I love the 95/5 around 7-8 years old and 110-115º. But not every brand that sources it - or MGP/Ross & Squibb itself, for that matter - tastes the same. Some take the flavor profile and make it their own in some way. Some choose to finish it or age it somewhere special for a period of time. And others just buy it and bottle it.
There is so much 95/5 MGP rye out there that you have to stand out if you want to make your product something different than any other version on the shelf. After all, if two products taste exactly the same I’ll just buy the cheaper one.
The Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey makes me feel the same way. It’s not bad, but it does nothing to justify its existence. And if you think that wording is too strong, consider the following: Stephen Beam leads Limestone Branch and has 200+ years of family history in distilling. Some of that, however far back, would be with 100% barley whiskey, and obviously he has worked with barley in a smaller capacity as part of bourbons and ryes. He has already shown his ability to differentiate, most notably in the “family recipe” Yellowstone Bourbon.
There is nothing about this that differentiates it as an American single malt. It doesn’t have any factor to it that invites conversation or drives thought. Even bad ASMs will at least cause commotion. This is anodyne distilled.
Part of me feels like this was a product forced upon the brand. At four years old, 108º, and priced at $54.99, this screams “we needed to get rid of this.” I so want to believe that’s not the case, but it’s a hard sell. What would this have looked like if it were distilled at Limestone Branch? What would this have looked like if Stephen Beam was behind it from day one?
By putting out a product thats’s 100% not theirs, one that is offensively inoffensive, this undercuts Limestone Branch’s brand for me. By intention alone, this would have scored higher if MGP simply put it out as a Ross & Squibb American Single Malt rather than passing it through its relatively new subsidiary.
It’s a shame, and I hope MGP lets Limestone Branch do its own thing when it comes to new types of whiskey. If a Yellowstone American Single Malt comes out that is from Limestone Branch and made by Stephen Beam, I’ll revisit. Until then, this is one for the back of the shelf.
Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey: Specs
Classification: American Single Malt Whiskey
Origin: MGP Distillery
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 108 (54% ABV)
Age: 4 Years Old
Location: Distilled in Indiana, Bottled in Kentucky
Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey Price: $54.99
Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey: Tasting Notes
Eye: 18k gold. Thin rims, falling legs and small-medium drops.
Nose: Malty - makes me think immediately of a beer malt, or a distilled beer rather than a whiskey. I know they’re technically the same, but it’s a noticeable difference. There’s a slight funk that goes up the nostrils, like apples fermenting.
Palate: Odd…this tastes more like a spicy, distilled beer than a whiskey, following the nose perfectly. The funk of freshly-brewed beer is there, not tasting bad but tasting mild and offensively inoffensive, like the whiskey just wants to be a wallflower at a party. Neither coating nor oily, mildly filling only by virtue of a slightly higher proof. Feels thinner than it should be, like the whiskey is actively holding itself back.
Finish: Follows the nose and palate, short side of medium.
Overall: It’s an American single malt, and that’s about all I can say about it. You’ll know it’s malty, but it tastes like a beer that’s been distilled rather than a whiskey. Wonder what this could have been had it been at all a Limestone Branch product from the start.
Final Rating: 4.7
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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