John Petrucci | Whisk(e)y Network

THE SIDECAR

Shaken Not Stirred:

Join us each month for guest articles and editorials

October 2021

An Interview with John Petrucci

Spirits, and more specifically, whiskey, have a long and storied past in the world of music and with the many interesting and intriguing characters that we call musicians. In the modern landscape, this relationship has blossomed from consumption to collaboration, and fans couldn’t be happier. Distilleries are increasingly teaming up with enthusiasts in the music industry in a show of mutual admiration to produce expressions that reflect the shared values and passions that both parties hold dear.

The incredibly creative and supremely talented guitarist, John Petrucci (Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, and Solo Artist), was kind enough to chat with us about his recent collaboration with Iron Smoke distillery, his journey into the realm of whiskey, and the surprising similarities that can be found between the two worlds.

John Petrucci is regarded as one of the most celebrated and accomplished guitarists in the world. He co--founded the band Dream Theater in 1985 and has also enjoyed successes with the supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment and as a solo artist. His musical career spans almost four decades, and he has inspired countless musicians along the way with his technical prowess and creativity.

Iron Smoke Distillery was founded in 2011 by musician Tommy Brunett. The company’s concept was simple: combine whiskey/bourbon making with an added subtle hint of Applewood BBQ’s smoked goodness. The award--winning distillery sources its grains from local farmers in Fairport, New York, and smokes them on--site in their handmade smokin’ machines.

Rock The Barrel was handpicked by John from thousands of barrels aging at Iron Smoke. Pure and unfiltered, this cask strength, 120 proof bourbon whiskey bridges strength and smoothness with a whisper of Applewood smoke sweetness.

ORIGINS

Every journey has a beginning, and like most undertakings, it is common for certain aspects of an origin to have a lasting influence on the path we take and where we end up with any individual endeavor. To get a more intimate look at the foundation of Rock The Barrel, we will go back with John to his first experiences with our beloved golden nectar and the moments that kickstarted his passion for the spirit.

Sean Mullen

Can you tell us about your first experiences with whisky/bourbon?

John Petrucci

My first ones weren’t so good. I was probably too young to be trying it. Like what is this horrible substance? It’s interesting because it’s been only in the last several years that I really got into whiskey; before that I was more into drinking red wine, and if I would have any spirits, it would usually be in the martini realm, like vodka--based drinks. I’ve had some friends that were really into it, and a friend in Scotland that brought me back a bottle of Scotch. I was pretty blown away by that. But it was only in the last several years, it was actually on tour on the road, that I officially got turned onto it. Something clicked, like ‘this is really interesting, I think I like this and want to explore this some more.'

Do you remember the whiskeys that elevated your interest from just a casual consumer to a hobbyist?

I guess it was when I started to get into the more top-shelf expensive bottles, you know, like the Staggs and others. That’s when I started to take notice of the flavors, notes, and complexity. There are layers to it, like with guitar when you start getting into combining different tone woods, like mahogany and maple and alder and you start to really hear the way that all those things are influencing it.

I also noticed that I gravitated towards the higher proofed versions. I thought those were more interesting. It was actually in Europe. Blanton’s has some versions that are only available in Europe, and some of those smaller batch cask strength releases really opened my eyes and were really on a different level than just the regular bottles found on the shelf. That caught my attention.

Do you have any favorite pairings you enjoy with your whiskey?

Things that are on the sweeter side really appeal to me, like dark chocolate or berries or even some hints of citrus. If I’m having a meal, like a steak or something, I feel it’s more of a wine vibe than bourbon. The whiskey is so strong that it’s just not appropriate to me. Things that are in smaller servings and more in the sweets department are what I enjoy. Full meals need something to wash it down and you can’t take big gulps of bourbon.

Do you have a preference with glassware?

I like Glencairns. I didn’t realize how big of an effect it had on the whiskey until I went up to Iron Smoke.

What are some of your favorite profiles in bourbons?

You mentioned the mouthfeel earlier, that’s something I notice right away. The ones that have a thicker feel to me I always gravitate towards. I definitely enjoy deep caramel colors. I like slight spice, and a bit of smoke, and again, that’s something that Iron Smoke does. The owner, Tommy Brunett, had this idea to combine BBQ smoke with distilling bourbon. They lightly smoke the wheat before it goes into the mash, and I like that little edge, it’s subtle, but I think those complexities, you know, spice, smoke, color, are amazing. I like a caramelly taste to it as well, it’s not so much sweet; I can’t exactly explain it.

Do you have any specific bottles that you gravitate towards for celebrations?

I really like Blanton’s, there’s something about it. Because it was one of the first experiences I had, you know in Europe, where something changed in me, and I really started to appreciate whiskey in a different way. Michter’s too.

ROCK THE BARREL

Iron Smoke and Mr. Petrucci have joined forces to produce something truly special and unique. Here, we will find out how Rock The Barrel came to be, the organic nature of their relationship, and the intentions behind the product.

How did the collaboration with Iron Smoke take shape?

Dream Theater, a couple years ago, did a signature beer with a Long Island brewery and the guy who brokered that emailed me one day telling me about Iron Smoke and asked if I’d be interested in doing something with them. The owner of Iron Smoke has been in the music business as a guitar player and we kind of hit it off right from the start. They were super interested about working with me and I looked into the distillery and tried their expressions and I just thought they were amazing, especially their cask strength, which is called Casket Strength. After tasting their bourbon, talking to them, and looking into the distillery, it was like ‘yeah, this is going to work, let’s do this’. A really natural progression; almost meant to be. Most of the things I do that are successful kind of happen organically like this. It’s like we were drawn to each other.

Can you give us some insight about this release and the distillery?

This was our first time working together (John and Iron Smoke) and we talked about, especially with my career in the past, that there’s such an international fan base, and the idea of doing an international release was something that I felt was really important. I wanted people in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, and Italy to be able to go out and get this. But, you know, it wasn’t possible with this first run and if we continue this, which I think we will, moving forward with some other releases, it’s something we’ll have to look at.

But I know, this distillery is in upstate New York, outside of Rochester, beautiful town, and that thing that’s happening there, the artisan distillery aspect, is just so inspiring and so cool, and I see a lot of parallels with the things that I’m into in music, you know? Like how my guitars are built, how my amplifiers are built. You have the same level of people that are so into the craft, they’re into the art, they’re into the integrity of it, you know? It’s just inspiring and amazing to see. They’re a great bunch of guys in the distillery up there. I grew up in New York; I’ve always lived here, so it was important to me to have that connection with my first collaboration. They’re farm to bottle. Local grains come from the local farmers.

Walk me through the barrel choice process, and was cask strength always the plan?

It was, yeah. We determined from the beginning that this signature release was going to be cask strength. They have thousands of barrels in their warehouse and my wife and I went up there together and they pulled about 10 or 12 barrels for us to sample. There must have been 50 Glencairns lined up for us to taste. I looked for the ones that to me had the most complexity and the ones I felt best complemented each other. I found that I gravitated towards the older barrels, and we did some blends and at one point I looked at the distiller and we were like ‘yeah, that’s the one’.

It sounds like you were heavily involved in the process. This was not just slapping your name on a product and going to market.

Any sort of success I’ve seen or the paths I’ve taken have always come from a place where I have to like the product first. If I’m going to talk about something and put my name on it, support it, and endorse it, I have to believe in it myself. All these things happen. Take musical gear for example, with stuff I already had been playing. Things I’ve been playing my whole life. I wanted to make sure it was something I really enjoyed on every level, even down to the artwork. The distillery has a music venue and the vibe… they went all out, very old--timey. They have a great merch store, there’s just so much detail in the way they lay the place out and decorate it. I really connect with that. The fact that Tommy was a guitar player and in the music industry just made everything feel really natural.

The label’s texture and graphics have a nice vintage feel to it; how involved were you in the design? And were there any influences you wanted to bring into it?

Yeah, thanks. I was very involved. I suggested we use an artist that I work with, who actually did my latest solo album, the new Liquid Tension Experiment record, and a bunch of work with Dream Theater. His name is Sean Mosher--Smith and he lives in Brooklyn. I talked to him about getting involved and he was like ‘Hell yeah. Not only am I into bourbon but I’ve done a lot of work with spirit companies, so I know the drill on the layout and other details related with the industry’.

The photo on the bottle was taken by Larry DiMarzio. He happened to do a shot during the session of me drinking bourbon with sunglasses and a suit, it was perfect, and Sean took it from there. Iron Smoke has a certain vibe and there were things they wanted to retain from that, and he really brought everything together. Was kind of like doing album art.

Are there any plans for future collaborations with Iron Smoke?

You know, we had such a great time with it, and have such a great relationship, we already said ‘we gotta continue this, we gotta do it again’. I’m sure it will happen. I don’t know when, but hopefully in the near future. We had a great time.

Wood plays an enormous role in both the maturation process of whiskey and the final tone a guitar will produce. Considerations in aging and finishing casks are very similar to the considerations a master luthier will take when choosing tone woods. I found this parallel between the two worlds to be quite interesting and profound as its impact on the finished product is extensive. Something to think about the next time you’re sitting down with a dram and strumming a guitar.

Another interesting aspect of this collaboration is the passion that was clearly involved. I think this shared passion really shines through in the final product and, like in music, it exudes a feeling of quality that can only come when immense care and consideration are given to it by its creator.

We can’t thank John enough for taking the time out of his day to discuss this project and his whiskey journey with us.

Rock The Barrel sold out quickly but please keep an eye for future collaborations between Mr. Petrucci and Iron Smoke. Cheers!

NEWS AND INFORMATION

John’s band Dream Theater has a new album coming out on October 22nd titled ‘A View From The Top Of The World’. The first single from the album can be heard on all streaming services right now. If you’d like to see them live, the ‘Top Of The World’ North American Tour begins in February 2022.

DREAM THEATER RETURN WITH

A VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE WORLD

THEIR 15th STUDIO ALBUM SCHEDULED FOR WORLDWIDE RELEASE ON OCTOBER 22nd

For more information on John visit:

https://johnpetrucci.com

Find Dream Theater online:

www.dreamtheater.net

https://www.facebook.com/dreamtheater

http://twitter.com/dreamtheaternet

http://instagram.com/dreamtheateroffical

For more information on Iron Smoke Distillery, please follow on the socials or visit:

https://ironsmokedistillery.com