One of, if not the best, craft bourbons I can recall. We’ll get to that.
My name is Nate Pilcher, president of the Cedar Rapids Proof 319 bourbon club
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/proof319), Patreon supporter of The Great American Whiskey Cookers, and friends with Jeff, Kirk, and Thad. I’m also interested in everything, so when the opportunity presented itself to assist with the filming of a new distillery for their show, I was all over it.
A full day to say the least. I left my house at 4:30AM and departed with GAWC at
5:00AM, only to drive back past my house on the way out of town at 5:20AM. We’ll discuss
the route in more detail next time, that extra 30 minutes of pillow time would have been
nice this early in the morning. Anyway, a quick 3 ½ hour drive to Harvard, IL put us to
Rush Creek Distillery around 9AM.
I don’t exactly know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t even remotely close to what I
saw. This place is polished, literally. The custom decorative steel tables, doors,
artwork, and bar features were incredible. We got to meet the wood/ironsmith who will have a spot in one of the episodes. A very nice touch. Nice and spacious, and just
very-well done. Nothing seemed out of place.
The day was broken up into 3 filming segments – their story, their still and barrel
storage, and their expressions. I was a “grip,” or “hand” if you will…keeping busy
helping Jeff and Kirk do their thing. I was also in charge with a lot of the “B-roll.” These
will be the short intro and transition video clips you see in their episodes to create a
seamless viewer experience. I became “one” with the DJi Osmo, a handheld video camera
gyroscope. I’m a little nervous, but mostly anxious to see how those turned out. In
between B-roll duties, I helped with their social media posts. I collected pictures and
sent out an update after each of the 3 segments mentioned above. The day flew by.
While finishing up filming the tastings, we found ourselves in the middle of their 3PM
opening time. I, swear to God, have never seen a 3PM rush like I did at Rush Creek
(how did they know to name it “Rush” Creek?!). Within 15 minutes the bar area was full.
After another 15 minutes, the place was full. Mind you, it’s Thursday November 21st .
It’s 30 degrees, windy, and snowing. I will attest, nothing was keeping this crowd away
from their favorite spot. I’m still talking about it a week later.
We spent a lot of time with the Rush Creek team. Mark, Jeff, Todd, and Jay (in order of
who I met) were gracious hosts. They didn’t have to welcome us back…we want to
come back. A couple veterans in the group as well, they have a really thoughtful “pay-
it-forward” program aimed specifically at veterans. It hit home with our GAWC host,
which was touching to witness. Snacks, lunch, and of course drinks were provided
throughout the day. We felt right at home. I think our stay would have been extended if
not for the lengthy drive home.
I suppose I should talk about their whiskey. I had a sip before 10AM of their double oak
bourbon. While it was still early, I could immediately tell Rush Creek had something
going on. It nosed beautifully and had a mature balance I would not expect from a craft distillery. I’m intrigued at this point. But back to filming, grip duties, and social postings. Fast forward to 2PM for the tasting segment, where we went through 6 of their expressions. We started with their wheated bourbon. Now I have this superpower of spotting a pot still bourbon from 3 counties over. I did not initially get those notes, which is comical because the segment before we were filming their pot still, so it was no surprise where this juice was coming from. I just got this full, balanced flavor. And the
mouthfeel was incredibly viscous. It blew me away. We moved on to their double oak,
which was my favorite of the day. An approachable 96 proof. Again, great mouthfeel,
with very-well balanced traditional bourbon notes. For a pot still, it was very little grain-
forward, which suits me very well. We moved on to a couple ryes, I don’t recall the
proofs. One was their standard and one I believe was a cask strength. I liked their
traditional offering, great spice. The cask did not fit my palate this go-around, but I
would certainly revisit. We next tried a collaboration blend with other nearby distilleries and a honey-finished bourbon. Both were enjoyable. But again, the winner here in my opinion was their double oak.
They sent us off with our hands full of bourbon. Again, beyond gracious hosts. I of
course purchased their double oak, but also their straight bourbon that they use to make
their double oak. I revisited both these a couple nights ago. Long story short, they held up. I’ll repeat my opening line - One of, if not the best, craft bourbons I can recall. I’m
looking forward to the next pour already.
Back in the truck, a quick stop at Family Liquor in East Dubuque, because, why not?
Then I introduced the team to Mulgrew’s Tavern just down the road. Get their chili dog is all I can say. It felt nice to relax for a quick bite. Past my house again to our initial
rendezvous point, then back home finally a little after 9PM. What a day.
Thank-you to Great American Whiskey Cookers for inviting me to join their crew for a day. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. Osmo and I will dominate on the next trip! I look forward to these episodes dropping in a couple months. Hey, till next time…if you can’t be good, be good at it.
What I'm drinking while writing this:
Rush Creek Straight Bourbon 6 year
Proof: 90
Nose: grain forward (pot still!), apple and sweet
Pallet: subtle grain, medium to full viscosity, sweet but balanced
Finish: medium, leaves you wanting more
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