This past week I was in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and in addition to enjoying stunning natural beauty around the lakes and forests, I spent some time shopping and enjoying their restaurants, and found a craft distillery known as Hot Spring Distilling. When I went to the tasting room, I got to visit with Keith Atkinson, one of the owners and the general manager, about their spirits. Keith’s son Scott is co-owner and distiller. Currently, they are making a 100% corn vodka, a high rye white whiskey, and a two year old high rye bourbon, although they will be coming out with a corn/barley bourbon (no rye or wheat with barley as the flavoring grant, similar to this) in a few weeks. They also are blending bourbon from MGP barrels, that combine a four year old wheated bourbon and a five year old low rye bourbon.

I sampled the range of what they have in the tasting room. The tasting room was very nice and Keith gave good explanations for what their various spirits are and how they are made. The Spa City Vodka, made from 100% corn is twice distilled, and then charcoal filtered and bottled at 80 proof. As vodkas go, it was pretty good. No serious negatives, although I prefer the cane sugar vodka Sugarfield Spirits produces largely because of the mouthfeel. But I don’t really drink vodka except in the morning on Mardi Gras with orange juice so who am I to really judge? That being said, I respect that they are twice distilling it and charcoal filtering it. Their Falls Creek White Whiskey is made with their high rye bourbon mashbill at bottled at 100 proof; this is essentially their new make that they put in and immediately take out of a barrel so they can call it whiskey. I don’t think a barrel is what makes whiskey and whiskey; whiskey is whiskey as opposed to vodka because of the lower distillation proof of the grain spirit which leaves more flavors from the grains in the spirit than a vodka making process. As new makes go, it is solid – Scott clearly knows what he is doing as far as distilling. The Bear Clap Distiller’s Series Batch 1 is their own distillate, with a mashbill of 53% corn, 33% rye, and 14% malted barley, aged for two years. While I found this bourbon to need more maturation as it had some youthful bitterness, I was really impressed that the rye in the mashbill had already converted to a spicy rather than grassy note. So many producers, in their quest to produce the next Blanton’s, put out high rye bourbons that taste like hay. This was the complete opposite with wonderful rye spice. In another two to three years, this bourbon should be soemthing special.

I also sampled (and bought a bottle) of Bear Clap Batch 4. Again, this is a blend of MGP bourbon, wheated (45% wheat) and rye recipe (21%, a low rye bourbon), and bottled at 98.7 proof, just a hair lower than 100% proof. Keith said they intended it to be 100 proof, but if you get alcohol rather than water evaporation on a humid Arkansas day when you are blending for bottling things can happen. In any event, I liked it enough to buy a bottle.

The color on this is a nice solid amber; it is pretty rich in color given that is was proofed down. On the swirl is a thin film but with oily legs and droplets. On the nose, I detect those wonderful doughy bread notes from the wheated bourbon, some nice vanilla notes, and a subtle hint of oak. Very nice. On the palate, lovely cinnamon roll notes start on the front but then the spice level really builds from cinnamon and other baking spices to clove, which is great. I take issue with their description on their website; this is not a pinch of peppery spice as the clove and cinnamon notes almost reach red hots level as if those flavors are about to fall off a cliff but then suddenly regains it balance. I really like those particular flavor notes in a bourbon, as they are pretty reminiscent of higher proof longer aged wheated bourbon. Very decent mouthfeel as well. On the finish, the clove notes continue and are mingled with notes of Peychaud bitters and cherries bringing to mind a Manhattan cocktail. The finish on this bourbon is really something, despite being only four years old.

Bear Clap Batch 4 is a very good MGP release from a craft distillery that is aging some very good bourbon of their own making. I really enjoyed visiting with Keith and I look forward to meeting his son Scott on a future visit. This is a very promising craft distillery for whom I think the future is very bright.