Catoctin Creek "Roundstone" rye whiskey

Since all my posts last month have to do with rye, I figured I'd finish off the rye series and bring us into spring with a review of one of my favorite brown liquors - rye whiskey! For this review, friend and fellow gentleman Nathaniel offered up some of his private stock - some locally-made organic rye whiskey out of Catoctin Creek Distillery in Purcellville, Virginia.

As you can see, the batch numbers are written on the bottle. I've got B13A3.

In the United States, to be called "rye whiskey", a whiskey must be made from a mash of at least 51% rye. Other ingredients could be barley, wheat, or corn. These whiskeys are usually distilled and then casked (put into charred wooden casks to age) and left for some time, usually at least 3 years. For you Scotch whisky fans out there, Malt Advocate calls it "America's version of an Islay malt."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Bill Toland wrote a nice article back in 2007 about rye production in America, specifically in western Pennsylvania where such a beverage was "invented." And evidently - I did not know this - aged rye came about by accident. Rye originally was intended to be enjoyed immediately but the travel time it took to get from some little hamlet in Allegheny County to a place like Boston or even Philadelphia could take years. So the rye itself aged in transit and when it arrived at its destination, had a much more refined tasted than perhaps came out of the still in western PA.

Anyways - about the drink. It's a straw-colored whiskey, nicely-colored with the usual expectant alcohol smells. Some notes of wood and honey in there, but mostly alcohol.

It's got a very pleasant taste - there's really no harsh burn or caustic alcohol tastes...instead, there's a delicious deep woodsy taste matched up with a faint caramel taste. The finish is the usual woody alcohol taste, but a pleasant aftertaste that tingles on your lips.

While this whiskey doesn't have the depth of flavor I experience in the Rye-on-Rye, I didn't expect it to. It's got a very clean, pure taste to it that makes it great for sipping. But most notably, it lacks the alcohol bite and grain spirits flavor that a lot of whiskeys have. This is why I usually take rye whiskey neat, for sipping. You can mix it, too - my usual bar cocktail is a rye Manhattan, using Bulleit rye with one cherry. But I think Catoctin Creek would make a fine Manhattan if you so chose.