Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills Distiller’s Reserve Rye Whiskey

A tasty Rey Whiskey made from a Beer mash and aged in new quarter-casks for a full-on flavor party.

Rodney “Rod” Cegleski was a California surfer when he met an Australian Jackaroo named Hamlisch “Hammer” Marshall (a “jackaroo” is a young ranch hand down-under). In 2012 they started experimenting with brewing and distilling at the SLO Brew brewery in San Luis Obispo that Hamlisch had purchased. Distilling grew into a passion, and that passion developed into a business. They officially opened Rod & Hammer Slo Stills in 2019 and set about to build.

Rod & Hammer’s Slo Stills Distiller’s Reserve Rye Whiskey was released for the first time in 2020 and it immediately was names as one of the Top 100 Spirits of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine. Congratulations to them, right? So, what makes it special you may ask? First, the mash bill is a “Beer mash” with 60% rye grain that means the fermenting yeasts are tightly controlled. The second is that even though the Spirit is aged for twelve months, they use unusually small quarter casks. Each one only holds fifteen gallons so wood contact is maximized. You care because that means the Whiskey develops flavor a LOT faster. When we tasted our sample it “felt” like a four to five-year-old dram with a warm, caramel-and-spice profile.

Smartass Corner:
A Whiskey and a Beer mashes are similar, but they have important differences. Proper Beer fermentation requires far more control over the yeasts and bacteria to prevent funky and sour notes so the wort (mash liquid) is usually boiled prior to fermentation. Not so with Whiskey.