Attention All USA Whiskey Drinkers!

Haven't tried the Rogue Oregon, although it is for sale here in Ontario (lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/lcbo/…). The LCBO takes great care to point out that it cannot be classified as a whiskey under Canadian law as it hasn't been aged for a minimum of three years.

Not sure what three months of aging will do, and given the whole debate about terroir in Scotland, it is unlikely that the aging in the beachfront warehouse has had much effect (now, if they'd tossed the barrels in the ocean, and allowed salt water to seep in, that could be something). I've read mixed reviews elsewhere, but at $66 CAD for a three month-old whisky, it is pricey. I could get JW Black, Glenlivet 12, or Aberlour 10 for about $20 CAD less...

Have not tried them or even seen them. Since I am on the other side of the country from Oregon this does not surpise me though as distribution for smaller whiskies can be limited. Rogue beer, as you seem to imply, is widely available and highly regarded, certainly in the USA.

You might want to look at the Los Angeles Whisky Society page since they have wide ranging reviews and are on the US West Coast or also the Whisky Advocate buyer's guide. I know that that magazine recently had an article about brewers that were branching out into distilling although I cannot recall if Rogue was mentioned. There are so many small distillers that have cropped up recently, I think it is really hard to keep up.

Don't know the Rogue products, and would no doubt be interesting in seeing what they taste like. On-line feed-back I have seen didn't make me enthusiastic though.

I've had the Dead Guy. It tastes like slightly alcoholic apple juice. Don't bother.

Thanks guys! I've had the Rogue beers before and they were extremely good, but I'm leery of breweries starting to distill. I personally wouldn't call these spirits whisky, but something closer to moonshine. And for some reason people left and right lately have been giving me moonshine and I'm feeling a wee bit tired and bored of most of them. I think I'll take a pass unless I hear something awesome about one of those whiskies, but I'm not holding my breath.

Once again everyone thank you!

@SquidgyAsh Looks like I'm late to the party, but I'll chime in. I have not had either of these "whiskeys," but I have had the opportunity to buy them (and passed). My view of Rogue is that many (read: most) of their product line is overpriced for what it is, and relies solely on the marketing/branding--Dead Guy especially ($12 for a 6pk of Maibock?). Then there is Rogue Maple Bacon Voodoo Ale, etc.

While the product is good quality, it is overpriced. My .02

@HopScotch (I'm judging the QpR on US pricing, not sure about how expensive Rogue is in Australia compared to the competition)

I've heard it referred to as "Interesting". I don't think my friend, a recent convert to whisky, thought much of it, but it grew on him as the bottle emptied.

@HopScotch A 650ml bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale over here will run you any where from $16 to $22 a bottle. I havent seen any 12 ounce (355ml) bottles come over here and from what I've heard we're just importing the 650ml bottles. To give people a comparison point: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale over here can run from $75ish to $85ish for a carton of 24. 6 packs for $20 (cheap) to $25. Stupid prices to be sure!

@SquidgyAsh Good god man, that is expensive! How much is a Little Creatures Pale Ale 6pk by comparison?

@HopScotch Sorry mate! My brain completely slipped to reply to you I've been so busy! A 6 pack of Little Creatures Pale Ale will run you around the ball park of $20 from the biggest liquor store over here. Sometimes it can go for $22 or so.

Not a fan...

Clear Creek's Steve McCarthy makes the Oregon Single Malt. Made with Islay Peated barley flown into Oregon It gets three years in oak so is a classic SMW. Jim Murray gives it a 94 and names it one of the world's best that rivals anything from Islay. Pretty high praise and I agree. I always have a bottle and never pass up the chance to buy it when I see it. Plus, if you're ever in Portland, Oregon you can fourths Clear Creek facility with Mr. McCarthy as your guide.

Rogue on the other hand is a waste of time and water.

My bad. It's too early in the morning... I see the Rogue is calling something "Oregon Single Malt" which I believe is an effort to cash in on McCarthy's very successful SMW. Any who. I've had the Dead Guy and it was terrible. I'll try it again in a couple of years to be fair. I don't know about this Rogue "Oregon Single Malt", but I guess I do owe them the courtesy of trying it before dismissing it,

Anyway, get McCarthy's and erase any misgivings about Oregon Single Malts. clearcreekdistillery.com/products/whiskey/

@Wodha Hahaha thanks for the info! I won't be able to bring in Oregon Single Malt Whisky sadly :( Or at least at this stage. Hopefully someday though! As for the Rogue spirits I'm at this time giving them all a wide berth.