Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye: 13 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey




Whiskey Review #13: Van Winkle 13 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey 

Category: Boutique
Price: $70
Availability: Almost nowhere   
Proof: 95.6, 47.8% abv
Age: 13 years (although this expression is probably pushing 19.)    
Mashbill: an undefined marriage of Old Medley and Bernheim Rye  
Distillery: Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Kentucky/ Old Medley and Bernheim 



     Every million years or so, you can stand on a mountaintop in Greenland and hear the magnetic frequency of the northern lights zing overhead; their brilliant, playful, color-display flair across the sky above. You’re taking all of this in while simultaneously appreciating the stunning view of Saturn as it aligns on the low, pink horizon. The extremely rare northern migration of an African Blue Crane softly lands in the rocky bay below.

     Am I the only person who thinks it’s special that my 13th review happens to be a 13-year-old product? I’m hard pressed to think of any other 13-year-old whiskey on the market. Maybe its because certain brands believed that the “13 year” mark would be unlucky in the minds of superstitious folks. I could see how this would incline them to make 10, 12 and 15-year old products in order to keep sales up. In all seriousness, the Van Winkle 13 Year Old Rye, is anything but unlucky! It seems fitting that this rare gym would fall just perfectly into this 13th review spot. This extremely elusive whiskey is nearly perfect in every way! 

     While visiting my homeland of Kentucky, I had the opportunity to taste several expressions from my good friend Dr. Joel Kilty’s pantry. The V.W. 13-rye was one of the highlights of the evening! To make this review even more special, this bottle was hand signed for Dr. Kilty by Julian Van Winkle III! According to Joel, when he showed up in line to have Julian sign his bottle, Julian’s response was “Where in the world did you get this bottle of 13 rye?”  “Danville, Kentucky, ” he answered.  Julian responded with, “Ah those folks in Danville don’t know a thing about whiskey!” For the record, Danville is where Julian’s grandfather (Pappy) graduated from college, at Centre College. I just think it makes this story all the more funny!



     It is no mystery that the Van Winkle 13 rye is sourced, however when you start to dig into the particulars, it gets ambiguous. I’m not going to make claims for information that I don’t have. Unlike the other Van Winkle products, the 13-year rye (actually closer to 19 years old) is a combination of Medley (Owensboro, Kentucky) and Cream of Kentucky (old Bernheim in Louisville) rye whiskey. In regards to the mashbill, the rye sits close to the legal minimum of 51%, with a hefty dose of corn at slightly less than 30%. This would explain the softer, sweeter, more rounded quality.

     When I travel, I keep a small whiskey diary with me. The following review was recorded in my diary:

     Van Winkle 13 year Old Rye Whiskey:

     Color: A Dark, rustic, amber.

     Nose: Candied granny smith apples, dipped in caramel. The nose is well structured with a hint of smoke and dry, rye spice.

     Palate: In order (from start to finish) Sweet Minnesota corn, white pepper, caramel, dry smoke, lemon zest, buttered vanilla, oak, candied cinnamon.

     Viscosity: chewy, sticky and somewhat thick.

     Finish: Very long. This is akin to all other post 10-year-old, Van Winkle products. 

     Overall: The corn is working well to add a touch of sweet roundness, while simultaneously softening the dry, spicy rye notes. The structure and overall quality of this expression immediately puts you in mind of the other Van Winkle products. It’s certainly unique among other rye whiskies. I would say it is sweeter and softer than most with a killer long finish! In fact, it has the longest finish of any rye I have ever had! The Colonel’s score: 9 out of 10! This one’s going to make the Colonel’s top five favorite boutique list! (Replacing Parker’s Heritage in the #5 spot) This means that there are currently three Van Winkle products on that list of five. It just goes to show you what I think in general about the Van Winkle whiskies!  

           






Tuesday, August 5, 2014

High West Double Rye




Whiskey Review #12: High West Double Rye



Category: Go to
Price: $38
Availability: Year Round-Everywhere  
Proof: 92, 46% abv
Age: 2 years and 16 years
Mashbill: 2 year old- 95% rye, 5% barley. 16 year- 53% rye, 37% corn 
Distillery: Sourced from MGP Distillery of Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

     And, now on to the second installment in my series on rye whiskies. This episode features the High West Double Rye Whiskey. High West is considered to be a “craft whiskey” company based out of Old Town Park City, Utah. The reason that they are considered to be a craft distillery is because they’re involved with innovative concepts regarding the whiskeys they source. These concepts include the small batching of whiskies that you would not normally think about putting together in order to create some truly unique expressions. The folks at High West are sourcing some of the best rye whiskey on mother earth! The Double Rye is just one of their amazing rye’s in the High West lineup.

     The “Double Rye” is a very unique because it combines two rye whiskies with different mashbills. One is a two-year-old rye with a high percent of rye in the mashbill. The other is a sixteen-year-old rye with a lower percent of rye and a fair amount of corn in the mashbill. These two ryes are married together to create a very complex and interesting expression.







     Overall: This is fantastically complex stuff! It hits you with an explosion of unexpected and even exotic flavors. It’s zesty, spicy, sweet and earthy characteristics are separated out in the sip. Sometimes I prefer this to a tightly compact blending of flavors, because I feel that it gives you more of an opportunity to taste each and every note as the sip progresses. The 37% corn in the 16 year old, helps round things out, and adds a touch of sweetness. This is a rye whiskey that can and should be sipped neat. At this price point, I’m going to have to restructure my top five favorite go-to list. Oh yes, it’s making the list at no less than the #2 spot, just under Elmer T. Lee!!! The Colonel gives the High West Double Rye a 9 out of 10! I can’t wait to try some of the other products coming out of High West!