By
George Brozowski
It
seems what goes around comes around again. Take the
case of rye whiskey. Rye is, after rum, one of the first New
World spirits. It is the very first whiskey distilled in North
America. George Washington made rye at Mt. Vernon. By the
time of Prohibition, rye was the primary whiskey used for
cocktails. Most rye distilleries never reopened after Prohibition,
in part thanks to the changing American palate, which grew
to prefer lighter spirits and blended whiskeys. However, the
rise of single-malt scotch whiskey in the 1980s, and the growth
of small-batch bourbons has, in the last five years, led to
a growing market for rye.
The
old favorite cocktails are rebounding; the Manhattan, the
Sazerac, the Old Fashioned and the Rye and Ginger Ale top
the list.
Templeton
Rye comes out of Templeton, Iowa and has been produced
there before prohibition, during prohibition and of course
after prohibition. The recipe has stood the test of time and
even became known as the "good stuff" during prohibition
when Al Capone was its prime distributor. Well let's see if
it's still the good stuff.
It
has a pale golden color and comes in a bottle with a label
reminiscent of the good old days. It states right on that
label that it is small batch rye whiskey derived from a prohibition
era recipe. The nose is rich in rye and caramel with a hint
of vanilla and oak with no alcohol fumes present. It is gentle
on the palate with sweet rye coming front and center followed
by citrus notes, a touch of pepper, the caramel and finally
the oak. This spirit is very smooth in the finish and leaves
a short but sweet after-taste with no harshness and no sting.
It is surprisingly well crafted and leaves a warm glow on
the palate after swallowing. This is good enough and complex
enough to be sipped straight up from a snifter.
On
the rocks the nose softens to gentle rye notes, mild honey
and light caramel aromas. On the palate that softness carries
through and yet all the nuances of flavors are still distinctly
present. The finish is short and sweet with the rye forward
and it is very smooth and citrusy. On the rocks with ginger
ale it really flavors the ginger ale with the rye taste and
the two combine into a very nice cocktail. This is a very
good Rye Whiskey.
It
ranges in price from $32.98 up to $39.99 per 750 ml bottle
and based on the taste I'd say it's worth the price. If you
like rye whiskey or if you haven't tried rye whiskey you should
give Templeton a try because I do believe you'll end up liking
it. I am very glad that it's come around again and actually
I'm glad it never left in the first place.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
www.templetonrye.com/