We use one hundred percent hard white spring wheat grown just up the road from our distillery at Wheat Montana Farms for this whiskey. This unique strain of wheat is grown primarily for the bread making industry therefore it has a higher protein content compared to other strains of wheat used in the distilling industry. Affectionately known as "Prairie Gold," this wheat has soft and gentle notes when mashed and distilled providing a distinctly unique taste from the beginning. After fermentation in our open-top old growth Oregon fir fermentation tanks, it is carefully double distilled in our traditional copper pot stills. After distillation, only the sweet clean heart of the distillate is placed in our used pure malt casks for maturation. Aging in the used malt barrel allows for the gentle notes of the wheat to shine through without an overbearing oak influence. After the whiskey is matured, it is then finished with a heavily toasted French oak for a few months which provides a bit more body and complexity on the finish. Producer It All Starts Here There hasn't been a distillery in Montana in more than 100 years, which we thought was a shame. One thing history tells us is that great whiskey starts with two things: amazing grain and pure water. Luckily we've got plenty of both right here in Montana that rival that of any place in the world. With the beautiful grain grown throughout the state and the pure mountain snowmelt that fills our lakes, streams, rivers, and aquifers it's a no-brainer that Montana was meant for making whiskey. Damn good whiskey, in fact. Nestled at the base of the Bridger Mountain Range in beautiful southwestern Montana, RoughStock Distillery is quietly hand crafting small batch whiskeys with a western air. We are Montana's first legal distillery since Prohibition and the first to make whiskey in Montana in more than 100 years. Grain To Glass A Handmade Approach Our base ingredients make our whiskeys as pure and down-to-earth as they sound and a True reflection of a western-style whiskey. The entire process is closely monitored from grain milling, yeast selection, fermentation, slow distillation, selection of barrels, and the final marriage of barrels for bottling. Every step is meticulously watched over by our head distiller with a high standard of excellence in mind. It's all done right here in our facility in Bozeman, Montana. While some other whiskeys claim to be handmade, we can back our claim up. From grain to glass each batch of our whiskeys are carefully scrutinized for superiority. At RoughStock, there is no automated processing, large industrial factory or outside resourcing-and you can forget fancy gimmicks. What you can expect is just simple, pure, 100 percent Montana-made Whiskeys crafted by people who enjoy making whiskey as much as you enjoy drinking it. Full Flavor We double distill our mash on the grains in custom copper pot stills and only collect the good, clean heart of the distillate to maintain the original full flavors from the world class grains. From there, it is aged in custom proled American white oak barrels. After aging, mature barrels are selected and married for bottling and your ultimate enjoyment. We do not chill filter our whiskeys because it is our belief that this strips important oils and flavors that add to the body, complexity, and character of the whiskey. Several factors affect the final taste of the whiskey: grain variety, yeast selection, barrel size/toast/char, and local weather conditions. Our barrel warehouse is temperature controlled and the frequent high pressure/low pressure weather systems of our unique mountain region work the whiskey in and out of the barrel staves tirelessly. Each of those factors, among others, will impart their own elements to the final product. We take pride in the fact that even though our process is the same for each batch, Mother Nature has her own plans for the taste of the final product. Each bottle of RoughStock Whiskey is hand signed with the batch number and the name of the individual who took the time and care to put that whiskey in that bottle. We are a small batch distillery therefore that information is written on the label for traceability and as a reference for the unique flavor of that particular batch. Many distilleries blend their whiskeys with hundreds of barrels to maintain a level of continuity, but at the expense of flavor. We embrace the individualism of each small batch and the full flavor it has to offer. Aging A whiskey's age should be seen as a number and nothing more. It is not a statement of quality; it's simply the time it was in a barrel. A whiskey's maturity is determined by many factors outside of, but also including, age. A whiskey is fully matured when the flavor profile the distiller is after is achieved. At this point the whiskey is ready to drink-no matter if it is thirty days or thirty years old. When our carefully selected barrels age in our erratic local mountain weather patterns we can fully mature our whiskeys in a relatively short time. is is in no way a shortcut on quality or maturity but is simply the way in which our whiskeys mature in our unique mountain environment. Proof We are sure you will taste the difference our handmade approach makes in every bottle of our whiskey. RoughStock Distillery is quietly handcrafting small batch western-style whiskeys using locally grown grains. Our process highlights the world class grain without an overbearing oak influence. Our whiskeys are truly something unique and unlike anything you've ever tasted. We hope you agree.