Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey
Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey is blended from 159 barrels and aged five to seven years. Well balanced and smooth, with flavours of rye spice, fruit, toffee, caramel & vanilla. Aromas mix rye spice, sweet dried fruit, toffee and slight hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. Taste: A mingling of sweet dried fruits, toffee, caramel, vanilla, that finishes with bold rye spice and a hint of cocoa and smoke.
Pearse Lyons Founder's Choice 12 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey
A 12 Year Old Single Malt aged in bourbon casks for 12 years giving the whiskey a honied sweetness, rich vanilla, oak spices and a herbal undertone. On the nose this Whiskey gives a natural honied sweetness with rich vanilla, oak spices and a herbal undertone. These notes develop to orchard fruits of white peach, apple & pear. The taste offers citrus hints of lemon, dried orange and a touch of honeysuckle. These flavours will evolve giving way to a silky vanilla palate with a tingle of spiced pear and warming notes of ginger and clove to finish.
Masterson's 10 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey
Crafted in small batches with the utmost attention to detail. Masterson's is 100% Rye whiskey that far exceeds industry standards. Very limited-release rye whiskey Each bottle is painstakingly hand numbered & cases are individually packed with six 750ml bottles.
Michter's US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey
On a short list the most desirable, super premium American whiskeys, Pappy Van Winkle is usually near the top – if you can find it. But there’s another name in town: “Michter’s”, with roots going back to the 18th century. For scarcity, reputation and market value, Michter’s is now outdoing Van Winkle on every score. The ultra-aged releases are periodic and therefore actually far rarer than Pappy’s which are annual. Many consider older Michter's superior to the equivalent Van Winkles, especially if you prefer your whiskey to not be overly oaky. To top it off, a Michter’s 25 Year Old Rye has reached $8000 / bottle. Or there’s a 25 Year old for US $10,000 at Wally’s Liquor in the States. Take your pick. That’s the direction this brand is headed. The modern Michter’s was created in the 1950s (then owner, Lou Forman combined his son’s names – Michael & Peter). Later in 1989, the company declared bankruptcy, abandoning the original Pennsylvania operation. In the 1990s, two entrepreneurs filed for the Michter’s trademark and relocated the brand in Louisville, Kentucky. The “New” Michter’s whiskeys come with a swag of 5 Star / Highest Recommendations from respected critics that’s confirmed by a strong following amongst bartenders (now number two in top-trending American whiskey brands globally). There are four tiers in the range - which is a little confusing at first. The "US*1" expressions are the entry level, so named to honour Michter’s heritage, harkening back to America’s first whiskey company in 1753. Then come the limited releases (toasted barrel finishes and cask strength), then the age statements, and finally, there's a selection of ultra-aged 25 year old+ super limited bottlings. Master Distiller, Pam Heilmann, has extensive experience including time as manager at Booker Noe Distillery in Boston and 15 years with Beam Global. She’s helped out by Andrea Wilson, whose role is Master of Maturation. These ladies are very specific about the seasoning and toasting regimes of the wood they employ. They toast barrels before charring, which helps to make the wood’s sugars more accessible. They insist on barreling at a lower proof (103 instead of the standard 125), a practise which is claimed to get the sugars in oak to dissolve more readily into the distillate as it cycles in and out of the wood. Chill filtration is undertaken but customised to each whiskey's style. All Michter’s whiskeys are either ‘single barrel’ or ‘small batch’. Because “Small batch” is not a legally defined term in US whiskey regulation, many respected “small batch” brands are actually composed from hundreds or thousands of barrels, which helps to ‘lose’ sub-quality barrels in the blend. At Michter’s, the maximum “small batch” size is twenty full barrels. It explains why Heilmann and Wilson are more than a little fanatical about quality control, and you can sense it in the taste. Tasting note: [Lot L146456 tasted] Brassy gold. Opening aroma is peppery and true to style with lovely whiffs of dark rye bread; Further air contact draws out wax, dried apple, cinnamon and vanilla. Third pass finds suggestions of herbal tea - think peppermint and chamomile. Great complexity. A somewhat hollow entry leads into a powerful, peppery rye attack with ryvita biscuit, dried apple and peppermint tea flavours carried by vibrant spices. Hints of vanilla and toffee apple in the drying fade. Solid, text-book styled rye. 42.4% Alc./Vol.