Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills Cask Bourbon Whiskey

A Central Coast California Bourbon at full cask strength.

Rodney “Rod” Cegleski was a California surfer when he met an Australian Jackaroo named Hamlisch “Hammer” Marshall (a “jackaroo” is a young ranch hand down-under). In 2012 they started experimenting with brewing and distilling at the SLO Brew brewery in San Luis Obispo that Hamlisch had purchased. Distilling grew into a passion, and that passion developed into a business. They officially opened Rod & Hammer Slo Stills in 2019 and set about to build.

The folks at Rod & Hammer’s share a lot of information about their Spirits — which is great for Whiskey nerds like us. For their Slo Stills Cask Bourbon Whiskey they tell us that the mash bill is 55% corn, 35% rye, and 10% malted barley. We also know that it was aged for two years in new darkly-charred oak casks. Importantly, we also know that it is delivered at a full cask strength of 56% ABV — uncut and without chill-filtration. And that is a formula for a premium flavor profile that will not be shy in the glass.