Nightlife

Rum and whiskey get paired for Nevada’s newest booze

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Las Vegas Distillery is holding a Rumskey tasting at their facility on November 19.
Photo: Steve Marcus

There’s a new spirit headed to Nevada shelves, and it promises a unique taste experience, even for the jaded. It’s called Rumskey, and as the name suggests, it’s a combination of rum and whiskey, courtesy of Las Vegas Distillery owner George Racz. He got the idea while learning to make rum.

“We were fermenting molasses [for the rum], and at the same time I was making seven-grain whiskey. The idea came: Why not marry these two spirits at the beginning?” Racz says. “So we took both products at the mash level and put them together in the pot still and distilled them together.” The product is double distilled, “like scotch,” Racz says.

The result is, interestingly, neither whiskey nor rum. As Racz describes it, it’s a cross between moonshine and vodka.

The Details

Las Vegas Distillery
7330 Eastgate Road
Beyond the Weekly
lasvegasdistillery.com

“When making whiskey or rum, you try to preserve as much flavor as you can, from the grains or molasses or whatever,” Racz says. “When you are making vodka, the goal is different. You don’t want to preserve the little flavor components, just bring up the alcohol content. In making Rumskey, we wanted something between those two.”

The first batch isn’t barrel-aged, and thus is clear, but future barrel-aged versions of Rumskey will include seven-grain mash, single-malt, rye and bourbon, aged one to four years, depending on the type. Rumskey joins Racz’s other two current products, Nevada Vodka and Seven-Grain Vodka, with his planned line of whiskeys, ryes and bourbons.

In the coming weeks, Rumskey will makes its way to local Lee’s, Whole Foods, Total Wine and other spots where spirits are sold. In the meantime, Racz will hold a tasting at his facility (7330 Eastgate Road) from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, November 19.

Racz isn’t looking to revolutionize the industry with Rumskey—just to give people a unique experience. “This is only a small idea,” he says. “We hope people will like it.”

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Ken Miller

Ken Miller is the editor of Las Vegas Magazine, having previously served as associate editor at Las Vegas Weekly, assistant ...

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