As something we read once said:
"In a very basic sense, whiskey is distilled beer."
The fermented mash used to make whiskey is sometimes called "distiller's beer", something completely undrinkable. But what is drinkable, and has been done a time or two, is whiskey made from a finished beer.
Which is exactly what Sierra Nevada has done. A time consuming process, as it involves first making a completely palatable, drinkable beer and then then creating a whiskey from that beer. But that didn't stop the Chico-based brewery, which paired up with St. George Spirits to create Ruthless.
The whiskey touts a flavor profile of "marmalade, coconut, roasted pineapple, ginger, white pepper and even Tootsie Roll notes" with the scent of "chocolate, turmeric, pistachio, fruit punch and coconut notes on the nose."
Ruthless is a limited-edition whiskey, which was distilled from Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye IPA. This beer was distilled in 2013 and, after some time (aka the whiskey aging process), is now finally available as a single malt whiskey. It will officially be available this Saturday, December 18. Here's the catch-- you can only purchase it at the St. George Spirits Distillery in Alameda, CA. There are only a limited number of bottles available and they retail at $75/ea (limit two bottles per person).