GrainHenge Whisky’s First Release Inspired from World Beer Cup Silver Medal in 2016
GrainHenge launched Red Deer’s first craft whisky on December 7, 2021. Born inside Troubled Monk’s craft brewery in Alberta, the inaugural release from this exclusive small-batch series is Meeting Creek Single Malt Whisky.
This three year old whisky is influenced by one of Troubled Monk’s year round offerings, Open Road American Brown Ale. A World Beer Cup Silver Medalist in 2016, this top shelf beer has wonderful roasty flavours. In 2018, Head Distiller, Garret Haynes, rewrote this prestigious recipe for what would become GrainHenge’s first ever release, Meeting Creek. Using Open Road’s mash bill for inspiration, he increased the quantity of the 2-Row from Rahr Malting, and a variety of speciality malts from Red Shed Malting and beyond: chocolate, brown, amber, and crystal malts. He notes, “I was pleasantly surprised that the nuttiness from the amber and brown malts, and a lot of the chocolate, persisted through the distillation process. Therefore, a lot of chocolate and nutty character remains in the finished spirit.”
To read more tasting notes and reviews on Meeting Creek, check out these posts from the whisky community: WhiskeySith, Park Whiskey Society, The Whiskey Heathens
