To paraphrase a 1990s one-hit wonder: “He drinks a whiskey drink, he drinks a lager drink.” But sometimes he or she or they wants both, and essentially that’s what the new release of Arrogant Bastard Whiskey is—a malt whiskey distilled from a craft beer fan favorite.
Of course, Arrogant Bastard Whiskey is not really a beer at all; it’s beer that has been distilled into whiskey. Or, to be more exact, this whiskey was distilled from Arrogant Bastard Ale wort, which is the liquid produced after combining grains (in this case, malted barley) with water before adding yeast for fermentation. There are some whiskeys that are distilled from actual beer, but according to the brand this is not one of those.
Arrogant Bastard Ale has been a favorite of beer fans since it was first released in 1997, using hops that California-based Stone Brewing only lists as “classified” (the brewery may not really count as “craft” anymore, since it was acquired by Japanese company Sapporo a few years ago). The wort was produced at the brewery’s Virginia location and then shipped to Foundry Distilling in Iowa, the distillery started by ex-Templeton Rye founder Scott Bush. The wort is fermented and distilled there, and then aged for at least four years in new charred oak barrels and bottled at 97 proof. We got to try it, and it is a surprisingly fruity and light whisky with notes of green apple, pear, berry, and citrus, along with some spice and vanilla on the palate.
This isn’t the first time Foundry has worked with Stone Brewing—in 2021 they collaborated on a previous version of Arrogant Bastard Whiskey, and the two released an Imperial Stout Whiskey the following year. As mentioned before, there are other distilleries literally distilling whiskey from beer. Charbray in California is a high-profile example, where master distiller Marko Karakasevic takes “bottle-ready” beer and redistills it, and Westward Whiskey in Portland, Ore. collaborated with the team from BridgePort Brewing after it closed. Foundry produces a few other spirits as well, including Butcher’s Block Vodka, Botanically-Infused Gin, and a wide range of other brewery collaborations. At the moment, Arrogant Bastard Whiskey can only be found in three states—California, Iowa, and Texas—but you can track down bottles available to purchase from secondary market websites as well.
