Caramel corn | Barely grain | Maple | Light smoke

Sweet corn | Cereal grain | Caramel | Honey | Light smoke | Light maple

Corn | Grainy | Wet stone | Hot | Short

Established in 2011 in Warren, Vermont, Mad River Distillers was created by John Egan, Maura Connolly, and Brett Little, who leveraged surplus heirloom apple trees on their farm to venture into apple brandy. After converting a former horse barn at Cold Spring Farm into their operational facility, the distillery debuted with Mad River First Run Rum in May 2013. Mad River has since expanded its portfolio to include whiskey, rum, and brandy, handling all mashing, fermentation, distillation, and aging locally on-site. The producer prioritizes regional, non-GMO, fair-trade, and organic raw materials across its lineup.

One of the most unique aspects of Mad River Distillers Burnt Rock Bourbon is that the company smokes their barley over maple wood before adding it to its bourbon mash. This gives the bourbon a light, smoky complexity it would otherwise lack. At only 2 years old, it doesn’t have a broad range of flavor yet, and the flavors it does have lack depth. At its current age, the bourbon is still very grain-forward, and its notes of caramel, honey, and maple don’t have enough intensity to offset the grain found throughout the sip.

Outside of Mad River’s local community, many won’t have the personal connection to the distillery to overlook these qualms. Having been in business since 2011, you'd expect older whiskey by now. It's possible that, due to production constraints, they are still releasing young whiskey, and hopefully they can continue aging it longer to improve its current state.