rye whiskey

Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door whiskey brand has proven to be one of the best in the crowded celebrity field, with a solid core range of rye, bourbon, and American whiskey. The latest release, part of the brand’s Decade Series, is pretty straightforward for a limited-edition bottle—a 10-year-old rye whiskey—but this is one for those who crave the assertive, spicy notes of a bigger, bolder rye.

As you can probably tell by the name, the Heaven’s Door Decade Series is meant to highlight whiskeys aged for a full 10 years. That’s relatively young for scotch, but for American whiskey 10 years is getting a little long in the tooth—Scotland’s climate is mild, while most of America sees temperature shifts swinging from hot to cold that accelerate the interaction between wood and whiskey while it ages. In this case, the whiskey was matured in Indiana and Tennessee, two states which have hot summers and cold winters. And while the specific source is undisclosed, it’s probably safe to assume it’s MGP, the spirits factory that is behind so many of your favorite whiskeys.

You may be thinking to yourself, “A sourced 10-year-old rye whiskey? Big deal, I’ve had that before.” Indeed, you have—other examples include bottles from Templeton and Bulleit (sourced from MGP), WhistlePig (Canada), and Michter’s (undisclosed source, but usually quite exceptional). So why exactly should you give this bottle a try? First and foremost, if you are a fan of assertive and spicy 95 percent rye whiskey, this is for you. According to master blender Alex Moore, Decade Series 2 is a blend of dozens of rye whiskeys that were all selected because of their particular flavor profiles. The nose leads off with notes of banana and apple candy, but things really start to pick up on the palate. There are some tannic licorice notes that lead the way on the tip of your tongue, followed by orange, honey, and molasses. Deep vanilla and caramel notes emerge as you continue to sip, but there’s not much sweetness present and a dash of bitterness that might not appeal to everyone.

Based on those tasting notes, this sounds like it could be a divisive rye whiskey. If you’re looking for an easy sipper that you don’t have to think much about, this ain’t it. But like the Barrell Craft Spirits Private Release Rye reviewed here recently, this is a bottle for those who are really looking for a rye whiskey drinker’s rye whiskey. There has been a lot going on with Heaven’s Door recently, including the brand’s new distillery and redesign of the core range that we reported on recently. But the best news is that this is one celebrity-backed brand that continues to release high-quality whiskeys, likely due more to the everyday production team’s work than Dylan’s personal input. But hey, at least he’s not following the celebrity herd and chasing that tequila money.

For more information please visit https://www.heavensdoor.com/

It’s always nice, as a spirits writer, when you’re trying to make a point about a particular brand in the course of a review and then you end up with another sample immediately afterward that helps in illustrating what you were trying to say. Case in point: Yesterday I reviewed a single barrel expression of Blue Run’s Emerald Rye Whiskey, and was attempting to grapple with the idea of a $200 price point on a non-age-stated limited release, distilled at the still relatively youthful Castle & Key Distillery. That’s a tough ask for a spirit that we still theoretically know little about in the whiskey community, which I could see making consumers wary of dropping serious coin. But that same $200 when it’s directed at a 14-year-old bottle of rye whiskey from MGP of Indiana? You’re going to find more takers there immediately, even when we’re talking about a 90 proof rather than cask strength expression, because MGP is a significantly more known and understood commodity. That’s what Orphan Barrel Scarlet Shade is banking on, and it’s not a bad bet on their part.

This is of course an entry in Diageo’s long-running Orphan Barrel series of sourced, unique, one-off bottlings. As a brand, Orphan Barrel helped to establish the modern, sky-high price points for limited edition one-offs in the American whiskey world, though whiskey geek interest in the brand has perhaps predictably leveled off in recent years thanks to an influx of competition, much of it of the cask strength variety. Still, Orphan Barrel does still put out some occasionally intriguing releases, none of them cheap, whether we’re talking about American whiskey or scotch whisky. This one? Well, Orphan Barrel Scarlet Shade is the brand’s first-ever rye whiskey release, which will surely be an aspect that appeals to a certain niche.

As for what’s in this bottle, it’s “Indiana rye,” which we can assume means the classic 95/5 rye recipe from MGP of Indiana, but aged in Kentucky. It carries an advanced age statement of 14 years, and that, coupled with the fact that it wasn’t aged in Indiana, can’t help but bring to mind Dickel’s 13-year-old MGP rye release in the Cascade Moon series from a few years ago, a whiskey that I absolutely loved despite its gaudy $300 price tag. If Scarlet Shade turns out like that Cascade Moon expression, I would be very happy indeed.

In terms of historical context, though, one has to wonder if there’s a lifeline here from Scarlet Shade to the former Bulleit 12 Year Rye (also from Diageo) that was initially released in 2019. That brand was received with relatively little fanfare, and it’s sort of amazing to note now that it was retailing for only $50–what clearer indication could you want of how much pricing has changed in the last few years? With the Bulleit 12 Year having since disappeared, it’s possible that Scarlet Shade contains some of that same liquid, turned into a premiumized, slightly older bottle that now commands a $200 price point. It’s certainly possible–and very on brand for the whiskey market as it exists right now–but after tasting this one, I find myself liking Scarlet Shade significantly more than I ever enjoyed that Bulleit release. Which is fortunate, because at this price point it has to impress.

About Scarlet Shade from Orphan Barrel

Coming across a 14-year-old Rye is rare, giving our master blenders pause when presented with such a uniquely bold liquid. A born traveler, this whiskey was distilled in Indiana and then journeyed across state lines into Kentucky, aged to perfection at the infamous Stitzel-Weller Distillery.

A full-bodied aroma of sweet vanilla butter cream and lightly toasted oak is accented with banana bread and just a hint of berries. Upon taste, a collection of baking spices and rye toast complement a medley of orchard fruits, and finishes with sweet notes of orange marmalade and a light warmth which fades into lingering dark chocolate.

For more information please visit
https://www.orphanbarrel.com/our-whiskeys/scarlet-shade.html

Denver’s Laws Whiskey House recently released Batch #4 of their Bottled in Bond San Luis Valley Rye.

A statement from the distiller noted that the new expression is available for tasting and for purchase in the Laws Whiskey House tasting room in Denver, and will be available on Laws’ website and in key markets across the country starting late May for a suggested retail price of $79.99.

This latest batch is a seven-year-old whiskey, and its 24 barrels were distilled between February and April of 2016. The distiller’s notes show that some of the barrels were made from a mash bill of 95% San Luis Valley Rye and 5% two-row barley while others were made with 100% San Luis Valley Rye.

In all, 4,848 bottles were produced in this limited, seasonal release.

All of the grains in this whiskey were grown by the Cody Family Farm located near Alamosa in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. The distilling team at Laws explained that at 7,500 feet of elevation, the growing conditions of this valley contribute unique flavor profiles to the Cody family’s grains, including a distinct minerality that comes from the calcium and mineral rich soil of what used to be prehistoric lake.

The distiller’s notes show that the Bottled in Bond San Luis Valley Rye offers aromas of cherry cola, honey, and black currant that lead to a palate of hazelnut mint, salted toffee, and serrano pepper. After seven years of maturation time, the whiskey also developed layered notes of leather, wood tannins, caramel, and vanilla.

To qualify as a bottled-in-bond whiskey, according to the namesake act, a whiskey expression must be made by one distillery in a single season, must be bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV) and must be aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse.

Those requirements are courtesy of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, considered one of America’s first consumer protection laws.

Founder Al Laws said that “the soul of our whiskey comes from the union of the grains and the people who grow them combined with our no-shortcuts process and the people who make up Laws Whiskey House. We love this whiskey because it perfectly represents what we strive for as a distillery: terroir-led flavors, the highest standards of quality, and distinctive flavors, all made for people around the world who love and appreciate whiskey.”

For more information, check out www.lawswhiskeyhouse.com.