"Roughstock."
The term generally refers to the more dangerous events in a rodeo, namely riding huge bulls with very bad dispositions or broncs that live to buck.
If the word was applied to a whiskey, you might reasonably assume the elixer would have a tendency to erupt on the tongue and palate, sear its way through the gullet and explode in the depths of the belly and, if enough was consumed, result in being roughly pitched to the ground with only hazy memories of the ride.
On the contrary, Montana's first micro-distilled whiskey from Roughstock Distillery in Bozeman is a complex and delicate single-malt ambrosia that wonderfully lights up the taste buds and sends a symphony of pleasant stimulation to the sensory receptors in the brain.
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| Distiller Brian Schultz poses with his white oak kegs. |
Brian Schultz, who founded Roughstock Distillery, may epitomize the true Montana entrepreneurial spirit: have a big dream, creatively pursue it in earnest, then start out very small and plan to work your tail off while you organically grow the enterprise.
In his 5,000 square-foot facility in an east Bozeman industrial park, Schultz has assembled a grain handling and milling room, cookers, fermenters, a still, a cask storage and aging area, a small bottling operation and a tasting room.
And he has done so mostly single-handedly, but also with valuable help from his wife who handles the business side and the money, a part-time assistant who helps in production and sales, and many friends ... and $200,000-$300,000 dollars invested.
When you enter the distillery, you are hit with a steamy atmosphere heavily laced with a scent almost like rising dough or baking bread, strangely fragrant with overtones of whiskey. It is a pleasant impression.
Schultz employs a rapid-fire delivery in response to questions from a reporter. It is clear, he knows this business and is highly enthusiastic about it. He says his essential business model quite expectedly calls for starting out on a very careful, small scale, then gradually ramping up production, marketing and distribution as profits allow, and only as long as quality is maintained.
There are two basic challenges in launching a successful distilling business: you have to make an exceptional product, then you have to somehow get people to appreciate its qualities and buy it: manufacturing and marketing.
The marketing hooks Roughstock has latched onto are apparent: capitalize on the Montana Mystique, the qualities that set this state apart from all others – pristine skies, water and land; rich soils and a climate suited to growing grain, namely exceptional malting barley; wide open spaces and very open people who are dedicated to doing things the right way, often with their own two hands, but who don't shy away from having some fun.
The company's brochure sums it up: "History tells us that great whiskey starts with two things – amazing grain and pure water. Luckily, we've got plenty of both right here in Montana. With the beautiful grain grown in the Golden Triangle of north-central Montana and the pure mountain snowmelt that fills our lakes, streams, rivers and aquifers, it's a no-brainer that Montana was meant for making whiskey. Damn good whiskey, in fact."
Of course, there is more to it than that.
Sure, it takes the right grain and the right water, but it also takes the right equipment, the right cooking temperatures and times, much close and constant attention to the process details, and a distiller who knows something about how fine whiskey should taste.
You've got to get an appealing package right, then get the product to the wholesaler – in this case the State of Montana Liquor Control Division and its liquor warehouse. Then you've got to deal with the retail tier to get it on the shelves, to the taverns and restaurants and into home liquor cabinets.
All this with one or two or three people doing all the work.
"Getting recognition and distribution is the hardest thing," Schultz says of successfully entering the spirits business.
But first and foremost, distilling requires licensure at both the federal and state level.
Schultz says the process is rigorous, but says he found both the federal and state bureaucracies helpful and easy to work with. He procured the federal license in November of 2008 and the state license shortly after.
Ironically, before one can acquire the federal license, the actual distilling plant has to be constructed before application can be made and it can be authorized – sort of putting the cart before the horse.
"Used distilling equipment doesn't exist," Schultz explains. Therefore it has to be purchased new and Roughstock's was procured from manufacturers in Kentucky. Specific equipment is required for a specific spirits and is customized to the individual operation, he says.
Schultz, whose background is in civil engineering, says every whiskey made will vary according to where it is made. Local grain and water aside, even prevailing atmospheric conditions affect the taste of the end product.
In mountainous Montana, he explains, we experience a lot of atmospheric variations as frequent and stormy high- and low-pressure systems blow though. This, in turn, affects how much and how often the liquid in the white oak kegs is pressed into – and squeezed out of – the wood, which affects what flavors will be infused, and how quickly they will be manifested.
The choice of kegs is critical, Schultz says, because each variety of wood will yield different flavors influenced by the sugars and tannins and other aspects of tree species. The chemistry is complex but will either contribute to a wonderful end product or destroy it.
The requisite product aging complicates a whiskey business start-up: after all, you make your product, but have no product for sale until it is properly aged, so your inventory literally just sits there while ongoing operating expenses continue to pile up. Thus, substantial operating capital is necessary.
Given that, Schultz says he initially opted to age his early batches – run 250 gallons at a time – in small five-gallon casks because this speeds the aging process as more liquid is exposed to more wood. This allowed him to bring more product to the market more quickly.
In Roughstock's controlled temperature warehouse environment, a five-gallon cask is properly aged at six months; a 15-gallon cask takes 12 to 15 months and 53-gallon barrel takes 24-30 months.
However, the small 5-gallon casks each cost more than the larger 15-gallon quarter-casks and more even than the 53-gallon industry-standard barrels. So it is important to phase out the small units in favor of the biggest, which is what Roughstock is now doing as rapidly as production, and finance, allows.
Schultz says he favors "toasted" Northern American White Oak barrels which he procures in Minnesota for the flavors imbued in the wood, which in turn is more dense than the southern varieties which grow more quickly. The density affects the rate at which the whiskey is absorbed and expelled from the interior wood fibers and thus affects taste and quality.
He uses Bozeman tap water which originates as snow-melt surface water. It is then charcoal filtered and run through a reverse osmosis process for maximum purification.
He starts with an 800-gallon batch that is ultimately reduced to 250 gallons as undesirable waste products are separated and distilled away.
The distillate is produced in three phases: the first portion is known as the "heads" and is too potent and strong to make good whiskey; the middle part of the run – the best stuff – is called the "hearts" and is what Schultz is looking for; the final product of the run is the "tails" and is too weak and lacking in flavor, besides having a heavy, oily texture.
A typical 250 gallon run will yield 60 gallons of "hearts" which still has a 150 alcohol proof.
It's all in how the run distillate is selected. Schultz says in reality the end of the "heads" is used, all of the "hearts" and just the beginning of the "tails" which is what yields the complexity of flavors. That portion is then mellowed with water. The remaining heads and tails will be recycled through redistilling.
Currently, Roughstoch has 1,200-1,500 gallons aging.
"A minimum order for a custom bottle is 10,000," Schultz explains, but nevertheless the company just ordered its first unique bottle, which is more sharply angled and squat than the old one. It even features a Roughstock emblem embossed into the glass.
The label has carefully evolved through the design process to give it a rustic and aged look, water-stained and tattered-edged. The presentation is quite attractive and likely will have considerable shelf appeal.
The marketing strategy by necessity is quite simple at this point: "Word of mouth, some (whiskey) festivals and the Internet," Schultz relates.
The Roughstock whiskey is no well drink. It retails in the mid-$50 range, Schultz says, adding he is not apologetic for the price. He says the whiskey is costly enough to produce, and good enough to compete in that price range.
In the earliest going he focused on getting the liquor into Montana retail outlets, a tactic that has proven successful, he says. Ultimately, though, he sees a larger market where the "Montana-made mystique" concept has the most cachet, and that's the urbanized national coasts. He currently has distributors for Washington and Oregon.
"Right now we're selling what we make (about 3,000 cases a year). In fact, we're trying to catch up on back-orders," he says.
"We want what we make to represent Montana well," Schultz says.