| As a farmer-brewer-distiller-cooper, Rogue Ales & Spirits is able to handcraft these products at its headquarters in Newport, Oregon. Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout and Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey are the culmination of all things DIY from Rogue. |
| “With our culture of relentless curiosity comes the desire to create, innovate and do things differently,” says Bliss Dake, vice President of marketing. “At Rogue we come up with some wild ideas and then we make them happen. We are makers with a ‘Do It Yourself’ attitude and are always asking ‘What If?’. This ‘What If’ mentality pushed us to experiment and ultimately create something special with the Rolling Thunder family.” In 2015, Rogue acquired vintage French WWII-era coopering equipment and built a barreling facility. Longtime employee Nate Linquist was tapped to be Rogue’s first cooper and spent six months apprenticing, learning the ancient art of barrel making. Using Oregon Oak, Nate assembles, raises, toasts, chars, hoops, heads, hoops again, cauterizes, sands and brands each barrel, one at a time, all by hand. |
| The 2020 Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout was aged for 9 months in one of these handmade Rolling Thunder Barrel Works barrels previously used to age Rogue’s Dead Guy Whiskey. Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey takes it a step further. It is a whiskey that was distilled at Rogue’s distillery then aged in barrels built at Rogue’s Rolling Thunder Barrel Works cooperage that had already aged Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout, which was brewed at Rogue’s brewery. This process results in a stout-finished single malt whiskey that was made completely by hand. Opening with subtle aromas of smoke and sea air, Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey has notes of dark cocoa, toffee and a coffee and grain finish. This year, Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout features prominent notes of chocolate that complement the flavors of whiskey-soaked Oregon Oak. It is big, bold whiskey that bridges the gap between Single Malt and Bourbon. Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey is available in limited quantities nationally in hand-numbered 750ml bottles. The American single malt is 97.5 proof and aged in new Oregon oak barrels with a No. 4 char. |