purple barley
WORKHORSE RYE/MODERN ANCIENT
ARTISANAL DISTILLATION OF ANCIENT GRAINS
WORKHORSE is the brainchild of Rob Easter, who has devoted years to rectifying the almost universally corrupted modes of whiskey production in the USA by attention to the grains themselves, ancient and rich, the modes of production, using truth to talk about his ingredients and methods. His whiskies are frequently reviewed as among the best in current production.
bolita amarillo corn
Easter’s gift is in identifying promising ancient varietals of corn, barley, wheat, and rye, then ensuring the purity of their cultivation, harvest, and preparation for pot distillation. His ingredients are astronomically expensive, but clearly worth it.
Modern industrial methods focus on the most efficient conversion of starches to sugar to alcohol, destroying a great deal of the ingredients’ original complexity and replacing it with overly powerful charred oak flavor. Workhorse skillfully honors the essence of the ingredients and ages only in used oak. You have likely only rarely tasted American whiskey as it should be made.
Under the name MODERN ANCIENT, Workhorse has released a series of superb whiskies, a dramatic mix of traditional and contemporary.
