Ironroot Icarus Corn Whiskey

Saw this at a local gastropub while celebrating my birthday. My wonderful girlfriend bought me a pour of this to celebrate. It’s one of the more unique corn whiskeys I’ve tried. Ironroot is always experimenting with corn mashbills, and they make some of the best corn whiskeys in Texas. This one is full of body. It’s sweet, oaky, and has some peat to balance the flavors. I find stonefruits and berries on nose and taste. The peat is there too, but it’s mixed in with a strong oak/tannic taste that I like. On the finish, I get some of that corn dust. A few drops of water brought out more of the sweetness in this dram. This is certainly a unique Texas whiskeys, and I really enjoyed it! I’ll have to stop by the distillery and grab a bottle soon.

Nose – ok let this one sit out for a LONG time and it punched me with vanilla. After the sweetness comes oak and funk. Very much a wooden cabinet. But I get a bit of a nutty element ,deep and old nuts. Touch of cherry and I’m thinking bourbon. Taste – oaky and funky for sure. Very high proof, super sweet for about a second then the sweetness comes back later. And then the funky oak blast hits you again. I’m struggling to get much more as this is just so much of a punch. Ok water was needed and now I’m getting more fruity notes. I also cheated and looked up that this has a port finish and yeah I get that. I don’t however get peat, unless that’s what I’m getting as heavy oak and funk. The thing is that the finish here reminds me of harbinger which I don’t like much. OK doing more, and yeah this has a peat like the new riff backsetter which I hated. So this is a hard pass. Too sweet. Too weird. The sweetness and the funk are both over powering. 1.75 stars but I could honestly go upwards of 2.25 just on how dang unique. I once again gotta thank Matt for samples and I'm so glad I got this one just again UNIQUE but yeah not really good.

Love the way they incorporate the peat into this guy. It’s just right. Not overwhelming, but you still know it’s there. None of the off-putting smoke flavors that typically turn me off to peat. Sweet port flavors round it out. Creamy and sweet with a savory smokiness.

This is the perfect blend of smoky brine and tawny port and corn whiskey. Rich, deep and complex. Got a sample out of the barrel at the distillery and it was incredible. I know it’ll be proofed down a little bit when I buy a bottle in May, but I’m really looking forward to it.

Ironroot Icarus 2019 ed 52.5% Nose: its a merri-go-round for your senses. Top notes of sweet red fruit (raspberries) and sugar. Gives way to classic bourbon notes of vanilla and brown sugar with a faint whiff of smoke and peat. Eventually the character of the Ironroot corn mash comes charging through. Deep rich red fruits and sweet corn, candied bacon, ceylon tea...and then it all circles back around. Palate: beautiful, sweet, rounded, and wonderfully balanced. The port influence is up front with raisins and mixed nuts. That gorgeous rich corn and oak follows up. There is a very faint undercurrent of smoke and a touch of brininess as it closes out. Finish: tart fruit, drying leather, sugary port sweetness sprinkled with salt. As it spends time in the glass, more of the Islay begins to come through but never in any dominant way. Its gorgeously nuanced and provides a balance to the sweetness of the corn and port. This is the definition of integration and balance in a whiskey.