Rivalist American Single Malt Whiskey Review | The American Single Malt is Here | The Liquor Connoisseur

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN92wkQcdlQ

Is American Single Malt the New Scotch?

Union Horse Distilling Company's Rivalist American Single Malt Whiskey answers one of the most intriguing questions in modern spirits: can an American distillery craft a single malt that rivals Scotch? On this episode of The Liquor Connoisseur, Crystal and Roger crack open batch one, bottle 1229 — hand-signed by the master distiller and co-founder Patrick Garcia — to find out whether this $70 Kansas-made spirit is the gateway between American bourbon and the Scotch whisky world. Spoiler: they were convinced enough to plan a trip back to the liquor store.

About Union Horse Distilling and Rivalist

Union Horse Distilling Company opened in 2010 in Kansas City, Kansas, with an ambitious mission: to do something unique and special that hadn't been done since Prohibition. Rivalist is their flagship American single malt — a small-batch, artisanal whiskey made from 100% malted barley. The mash bill blends three styles of barley: Odyssey, chocolate, and caramel varieties. This is not a commodity spirit; every bottle is hand-numbered and hand-signed by Patrick Garcia himself.

What makes Rivalist distinctive on the shelf is its commitment to non-chill filtration. While chill filtering removes impurities and fats, it also strips away flavor compounds — the fat-soluble aromatics that give whiskey texture and depth. Rivalist opts for sediment in the bottle over stripped flavor. At 96 proof (48% ABV), it's bottled at cask strength with no compromises.

Production and Craftsmanship

Rivalist is distilled in copper pot stills — the same style Scotch distillers use — and then aged for four years in new, charred American oak barrels. The four-year maturation is significant: while current U.S. regulations for American single malt whiskey only require that the spirit be 51% malted barley (mirroring bourbon rules), Rivalist is made with 100% malted barley and a distillery-controlled aging program that hints at where American single malt regulation is heading.

The American Single Malt Whiskey Collective has petitioned the TTB to formalize rules that would align more closely with Scotch: 100% malted barley, U.S.-made, single-distillery production, with flexibility to use previously-used barrels (not just new charred oak). Rivalist is already built to those proposed standards — a preview of what American single malt could become. The batch-and-bottle numbering system, rare corks, and Patrick Garcia's personal signature on every bottle underscore that this is artisanal production, not commodity output.

Tasting Notes — Nose, Palate, Finish

Nose: Immediately rich and complex. The non-chill filtered nature delivers potent aromatic intensity — caramel, orange peel, and baking spices lead, with a robust backbone of alcohol that doesn't overwhelm. The nose here is very similar to the palate profile, which suggests good integration of flavor development across the maturation. Crystal and Roger both noted the luxurious thickness of the aroma — the fats that chill filtering strips away are doing their job.

Palate: Sweet and balanced, with a notable toning-down of the sugar you'd expect in American whiskey (particularly bourbon). The spice profile is more prominent than in typical bourbon — this is where Rivalist positions itself as a gateway between bourbon and Scotch. There's a midpoint quality: not quite as spicy as a rye, but spicier and less candy-forward than a standard bourbon. Caramel and orange peel persist from the nose, with baking spices emerging more sharply on the mid-palate. The spirit clings to the palette — good viscosity, good texture, suggesting a whiskey built for sustained tasting.

Finish: The orange peel and baking spices carry through, adding length and complexity. This is where the comparison to Scotch single malts becomes most apparent — those are the flavor markers you find in Highland and Speyside whiskies. The finish is clean without being thin, with a gentle fade rather than a sharp cut-off. The non-chill filtered nature means you're not chasing tail notes that have been filtered out; this is the complete flavor arc the distiller intended.

Glassware Tip

Neat in a Glencairn is the way forward with this one. The tulip shape concentrates the caramel, orange peel, and baking spice aromatics where you can pull them apart individually, while allowing the alcohol to diffuse away from your nose. Add a single drop of water if you want to open the spirit further, or a single cube of ice if you prefer it chilled — but Crystal and Roger agreed this whiskey is best undiluted. Just add the glass.

Price & Value

About $70 a bottle. For a 100% malted barley, four-year-aged, non-chill filtered American single malt aged in new charred oak and hand-signed by the distiller, this is genuinely competitive with entry-level Scotch single malts and substantially more interesting than many bourbons in the same price range. This is the kind of bottle that makes you plan a return trip to the liquor store — which is exactly what happened to Crystal and Roger.

LC Verdict

Complexity: This is the bridge whiskey. If you're an American whiskey drinker who hasn't warmed to Scotch, or a Scotch drinker curious about what American distillers are doing now, Rivalist is the elegant answer. It's intermediate-level in profile — complex enough to reward sustained tasting, approachable enough that you won't spend the evening chasing flavor ghosts. The 96 proof is a strength advantage (compared to the 80-proof Scotch minimums), and every proof point earns its place in the glass.

Gift-worthiness: 9 out of 10. The story alone — an independent Kansas distillery doing something prohibition-era whiskey makers couldn't, hand-signed bottles, a clear mission to push American single malt forward — makes this worth gifting. Add the fact that it's genuinely delicious, batch-numbered, and hand-signed by the master distiller, and this becomes a gift with personality and purpose. Pair with a Glencairn and a note about the American Single Malt Whiskey Collective's effort to reshape TTB regulations.

Final word: The American single malt market is no longer an experiment — it's arriving. Rivalist proves that U.S. distillers can craft spirits with the complexity, balance, and storytelling power of Scotch, using their own terroir and their own rules. Pour it neat. Let the orange peel and baking spices remind you that flavor doesn't need a Scottish postcode. And the next time someone says the best whiskey comes from Scotland, hand them batch one, bottle 1229, and let the Kansas craft speak for itself.