Roots, Barrels, and a Little Bit of Weird: An Evening with River Roots Spirits
The Central Ohio Whiskey Society welcomed a larger-than-expected crowd to Little Turtle Golf Club for an evening with Tim Harnett, brand ambassador for River Roots Spirits — a small but fast-growing barrel company out of Rocky River, Ohio. Not many in the room had heard of them when the Society first caught wind of what this Cleveland-area operation was doing, but by the end of the night, River Roots had made a lot of new fans.
Tim set the tone immediately, joking that anyone expecting a younger, flashier rep would have to settle for an honest assessment of whiskey from “the old fat guy” instead. It was exactly the kind of unpretentious, geeked-out presentation that COWS members love.
A Barrel Company Born from a Bourbon Club
River Roots has been around about three years, and its founding story is one that will resonate with everyone in this organization. The company’s founder — a founding member of the Cleveland Bourbon Club — was sitting in a meeting much like ours when the idea took root. A little enthusiasm, a little seed capital, and reportedly a 22-year-old bottle of Bulleit go a long way.
The founders originally envisioned a full distillery and brewery, but after a few more years and a lot more whiskey, the barrel company model won out. As Tim put it: they’d probably be tasting stuff ten times better than anything they ever made themselves. It was a philosophy the room clearly appreciated.
River Roots currently operates out of a modest space, but they are in the process of restoring a historic property in the Cleveland Flats that will nearly double their barrel capacity. When those doors open, it promises to be something worth making the drive north for.
The Portfolio: Built for Bars, Beloved by Nerds
Rather than simply chasing rare single barrels, River Roots made the deliberate decision to develop four flagship spirits — two small batch expressions proved down to 100 proof, and two single barrel offerings — so that bars and retail outlets would have consistent products to carry. They keep batch sizes small, typically combining only about three barrels at a time, all from the same spirit family.
Beyond the flagships, they pursue 15–20 barrel house exclusives per year depending on what they can get their hands on. That’s where, in Tim’s words, they “really geek out.” The Society tasted three expressions on the evening, moving from the approachable to the genuinely adventurous.
The Pours
River Roots Small Batch Bourbon (100 Proof) The evening opened with River Roots’ flagship small batch, a 6-year Bardstown Bourbon Company four-grain with 10% wheat. Smooth and approachable, it offers vanilla and baking spice on the nose with a clean, even finish — an easy sipper and an excellent cocktail base. A fine warm-up for what followed.
Guardian Single Barrel Bourbon — 9 Year Green River (Barrel Strength, ~120 Proof) The flagship single barrel steps things up considerably. This 9-year Green River Bourbon arrives at barrel strength around 120 proof, bringing dark fruit, toasted oak, and a long warming finish with just enough sweetness to balance the heat. Tim noted that Guardian evolves across iterations — when a barrel run is exhausted, they find the best available successor and mark the change on the label so buyers always know where they stand in the lineage.
Guardian Single Barrel Rye — Barrel Strength The rye expression generated some of the liveliest table debate of the night. At barrel strength, it opens sharp but softens into layers of pepper, dried fruit, and a lingering spice one member likened to gingerbread. Even the rye skeptics came around. For the rye faithful, it was the highlight of the evening.
Charbay Beer Whiskey — 10 Year, Double Oak Tim promised something “pretty freaking weird” to close the night, and he delivered. This California distillery started making whiskey from Bear Republic’s high-gravity beer around 2006 — when Bear Republic scrapped their distilling plans, Charbay kept going because the product was too good to abandon. The current batch is a 10-year double oak: seven years in the original barrel, three more in French oak. The result is a layered, category-defying pour with cinnamon, maple, and an almost anise-like quality. Member descriptions ranged from “brown sugar” to “beef jerky” to “the aftermath of lighting a firecracker.” Not for everyone — but absolutely unforgettable.
The batch River Roots is currently carrying is a 10-year double oak expression: seven years in the original barrel, then an additional three years in French oak. The result is a whiskey unlike almost anything else on the market. The French oak adds wild layers of cinnamon and maple on top of the already complex base, and the whole thing carries an almost anise-like herbal quality that had several members reaching for comparisons — absinthe, beef jerky, brown sugar, and “the aftermath of lighting a firecracker” were all offered at various tables. It is emphatically not a daily sipper, but it is absolutely a conversation piece and a genuine collector’s item. As Tim noted, it has found an enthusiastic following overseas.
Worth Watching
Tim stuck around after the formal presentation to answer questions and pour additional tastes, and the energy at the tables stayed high well into the evening. River Roots is the kind of small operation that reminds you why the independent barrel company model exists — not to cut corners, but to go places the big labels can’t or won’t. With a new facility coming in the Cleveland Flats and a steady pipeline of barrel house exclusives in the works, they are a brand worth following closely.
Keep an eye on what they’re building. This one is worth watch.
