NOSE: Thick Vanilla  | Root Beer Candy  | Menthol

TASTE: Root Beer  | Oak | Vanilla

FINISH: Menthol, almost like a cough drop.

SHARE WITH: Someone who is pestering you for a date and you’re trying to find a new, unique way to send him or her elsewhere.

WORTH THE PRICE: Ralph Nader might have said Root Out is unsafe at any price.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Rating this a Bust is unfair to the “Bust” rating.

OVERALL:  There are times, as a whiskey reviewer, when I just feel badly writing the review. My intention when reviewing a bad product is to not be unnecessarily mean or vicious. However, when something is so offensive it makes my stomach turn, it ceases to be a simple review and instead becomes a Public Service Announcement.  

Root Out is made from a Canadian blended whisky that has been aged four years in American oak. The goal was to create an “extensively aged whisky with root beer flavor.” I enjoy root beer. So, when I was approached to review Root Out, I thought it would be kind of cool because I’ve never had a root beer-flavored whisky before. If it was root beer with a bit of a kick, that would be a good thing. And, it made for a nifty #DrinkCurious moment.

Root Out suggests it can be consumed neat, on the rocks, as a shot or as part of a cocktail. I’m a neat drinker who will occasionally add a couple of drops of water when I really want to get curious (or when something tastes poorly neat and I want to give it a fair chance).  

I opted to try this both neat and on the rocks. 

Neat, the nose was thick, creamy vanilla and menthol, with the added quality of root beer barrel candy. The mouthfeel was creamy and the palate offered root beer and some oak. I was surprised by the amount of “heat” there was on the finish, which I attribute to the menthol. This was like sucking on a root-beer flavored Hall’s throat lozenge. Overall, it had a phony root beer flavor, the kind you’d find in the candy. I found this to be a very unappealing whisky, flavored or not.

On the rocks, the menthol completely disappeared from the nose. That gave me hope. But, when it hit my palate, all hope was lost. It was a mixture of vanilla and something I just couldn’t put my finger (or palate) on. It was definitely not root beer. Also, the oak was gone.  The finish lost all that menthol “heat” but it still had a very fake root beer candy quality. It also started making me nauseous.

My goal is not to be cruel, and while saying that, Root Out is terrible. I’ve never had a whisky make my stomach turn.  This is the worst thing I’ve put in my mouth in 2019 - by far.

Learn more about Jeff's whiskey preferences and check out more of his reviews…