Review: Jaywalk Bonded Straight Rye Whiskey
AT A GLANCE
Owned, Distilled and Bottled by: New York Distilling Company
Spirit Type: Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey
Mash Bill: 75% New York Rye (both Horton rye and Pedersen Field Race rye), 13% New York Corn, 12% Malted Barley
Still Type: Hybrid Pot Still
Age: NAS (7 Years)
Strength: 50% ABV
Price: $55
Allen Katz and Tom Potter founded New York Distilling Company in 2011 with vision to revive the long history of distilling in Brooklyn that stretches back to the 1700. Like many other New York distillers, Katz and Potter source locally grown grains for their whiskeys and even worked with Cornell University’s College of Agriculture to breathe new life into an almost extinct variety of heirloom rye.
Jaywalk is made from a fermented mash of 75% New York rye, 13% New York corn and 12% malted barley. The rye is a combination of their Pedersen Field Race rye, a unique hybrid they developed with Farmer Rick Pedersen up in Seneca Falls and the Horton rye they revitalize with Cornell. The mash is distilled in their hybrid-pot sill and aged in new charred oak barrels for seven years before the whiskey makes its way into the bottle. Because this is bottled in bond it means that all the whiskey in the bottle was distilled in the same season (Jan-June, or July-Dec) and bottled at 50% ABV.
TASTING NOTES
Nose: On the nose there is a strong aroma of rye spice and oak followed by hints of vanilla, earth, and blackberries.
Palate: On the palate the whiskey is bold and spicy with notes of cinnamon, and clove, with a faint note of black licorice on the end the melds with an underlying fruitiness.
Finish: The finish begins warm from the alcohol and quickly transitions to flavors of blackberries, and plums and a note of coco powder.
Conclusion: The Jaywalk Bonded Straight Rye punches above its weight when it comes to flavor and for those who are fans of higher proof more complex whiskeys should give this a try. On the palate the alcohol is squarely in line at 100 proof and there is so much flavor, I struggle to imagine what the cask strength versions must be like. $55 for this 7-year-old bottled in bond rye form a craft distiller in New York is an incredible deal and is a good sign that as craft distilleries mature, they can continue to be competitive on both age statements and price with the heritage distillers. If you like your whiskeys to pack a big flavor punch, enjoy this neat, otherwise it will do well on the rocks, with a splash of water, and makes a great Manhattan.