Glacier Distilling, located in Coram, MT, just outside of Glacier National Park, began operations in 2010. The founder, Nic Lee, originally hails from North Carolina and purportedly ‘cut his teeth on Appalachian shine.’ Glacier Distilling first produced an unaged white dog rye, but since has expanded their offerings. Today we look at their third product with the Glacier Distilling Wheatfish Whiskey review.

The distillery describes the whiskey as ‘a single-malt whiskey based on the recipe for Great Northern Brewing Company’s Wheatfish Lager.’ (For those not keeping up with the Montana beer scene, Great Northern has since shuttered.) Apparently, this equals a mash bill of wheat and barley with no percentage breakdown. Furthermore, the proof clocks in at 90 (45% ABV) and contains an aging statement of 8.4 months. Finally, the distillery claims to use pure glacier water. With the basics out of the way, let’s see how this ice melts.

Bottle and Appearance

In an apparent nod to the founder’s past, the bottle resembles that of a moonshine jug. The whiskey inside portrays yellow straw coloring, which shifts to a light white grape juice appearance in the glass. Giving it a swirl produces a very minimal coating with skinny, broken legs that unceremoniously fall down.

Nose

Lifting the glass to the nose produces…nothing. This may be the first whiskey I ever encountered with practically no scent or effect on the nose. Strenuously inhaling does finally uncover a minor drying effect. A mild citrus in the form of an orange eventually wakes up and begins stirring. This effectively morphs with light vanilla that also peeks out forming a citronella effect. Warning – it requires serious effort to pull anything out of the nose on this one.

Palate

Moving along, the light presence from the nose carries through to the palate. The whiskey enters the mouth discreetly and with little fanfare, practically unannounced and unnoticed. The flavors that do emerge do so with a sweet side. Corn turns up first. Next, a simple syrup develops that presents a sugary aspect and ends with nut-based note. What finally remains echos that of candied walnuts. What does pop out does so pleasantly. However, it remains a bit too shy and hidden resulting in a languid profile.

Finish

As this whiskey fades into oblivion, it seemingly attempts to wake up. Finally, an alcohol burn materializes that actually reminds you that you’re drinking an actual whiskey. The sweetness continues as a coconut flavoring emerges. Too little too late with this one though, as the finish terminates fairly quickly and easily, leaving behind a sense of guilty goodbyes.

Drinkability

Drink this one neat. Adding ice or water propels the wheat to the forefront. However, in doing so a yeasty soap conglomeration arises as well producing a borderline queasy effect. While not typically commenting on cocktails, it’s highly doubtful the meek flavors would show up at all in such a setting. This spirit feels like the Corona (beer not virus) of whiskies. It could work on a white sandy beach on a hot day under an umbrella overlooking a blue sea.

Food Pairing

To suit the light vibe of this whiskey, serve it with fish tacos. Both work great on the beach and require little reflection or attention to detail.

Facial Hair Rating

We award the Soul Patch Facial Hair Rating to Wheatfish Whiskey. While the Soul Patch look imparts a level of mystery as to the actual intent, it remains highly likely that it yearns to be accepted. In this attempt, however, it feels as though other pressing matters remain unattended to. A little bit like your uncle that possesses the best vinyl album collection yet doesn’t have a drivers license.

Overall

To conclude the Glacier Distilling Wheatfish Whiskey review, I barely knew thee. Despite Wheatfish clocking in at a healthy 90 proof, it’s barely noticeable in most respects and quickly forgettable. The light coloring in the bottle and glass forewarn the lackadaisical experience ahead. What flavors do eventually bubble to the top perform fine enough, even if they barely show up. Additionally, the whiskey displays a couple of taste notes but lacks any level of complexity. Finally, I’m not sure why they call this a ‘single malt’ but wheat whiskey suits it better. The best I can say about this one is that it’s ultimately not offensive.

Final Grade: C

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