Review: Jaywalk Bonded Straight Rye Whiskey

Sample bottle provided by New York Distilling Company

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.

Distilling Outside the Box: How Malted Rye effects the flavor of Rye Whiskey

If you were to ask a fan of American whiskey to describe the flavor of rye whiskey the first and maybe only descriptor would be spicy. This singular description is largely due to the dominance of both the Kentucky style ryes (51% rye) and the Ross & Squib (MGP) style ryes (95% rye) both of which only use un-malted or raw rye grain. So, if you are only used to drinking these ryes, your first exposure to malted rye in whiskey may not be a pleasant one because the flavors can be so different and outside of the norm for those styles. In general, distillers that use malted rye in their mash will have some grassy, herbal, and sometimes bready notes in their whiskey. In my experience if you are prepared for this, it is easier to actually enjoy the whiskey for what it is. Malted rye opens another dimension of complexity that ryes that only use raw grain can never achieve. So, if you would like to taste how malted rye impacts the flavor of the whiskey, below are four that I highly recommend exploring.

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Sample bottle provided by Mountain Laurel Spirits

Mountain Laurel Spirits

Dad’s Hat Pensylvania Straight Rye Whiskey 47.5% ABV, MSRP $50

Herman Mihalich and John Cooper founded Mountain Laurel Spirits in 2011 with the singular goal of making Pennsylvania rye whiskey. Mihalich and Cooper named the brand in memory of Mihalich’s dad who always wore a hat when he left the house and particularly like Stetson fedoras made in Philadelphia. Dad’s Hat has earned a lot of attention for their whiskeys and in 2015, Whiskey Advocate named their Classic Rye its Craft Whiskey of the Year.

They source much of their grain from local farmers and their mash includes a mixture of 80% rye, 15% malted barley, and 5% malted rye. After fermentation, they double distilled the mash and mature the spirit in charred new oak barrels. Their straight rye is aged for a minimum of four years and bottled at 47.5% ABV.

The whiskey has an inviting aroma of fresh baked rye bread, molasses, a light grassy note from the malted rye, and just a hint of licorice. On the palate similar flavors carry over onto the tongue with notes of toasted rye bread spread with a thin layer of salted butter, followed by tobacco, dried peach, cherry, a hint of caramel and a pleasant grassy character. The whiskey has a long and warm finish that lingers with notes of fennel, rye, dried mint, and stone fruit. Dad's Hat Straight Rye is a delicious whiskey that is a great example of both Pennsylvania rye and judicious use of malted rye which adds a lot of complexity.

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Sample bottle provided by Coppersea Distilling

Coppersea Distilling

Bonticou Crag Straight Rye Malt Whisky Bottled in Bond 50% ABV, MSRP $118

Michael Kinstlick and Angus MacDonald founded Coppersea Distilling in 2012 with the vision of creating whiskeys as they were in the 18th and 19th Centuries before industrialization. MacDonald has since passed away but their distiller Christopher Williams carries on this ethos. He developed a system of floor malting their own grain, which in the 21st Century was almost a completely lost art. They even source their barrels from a local cooper who makes them from New York oak.

Coppersea works with local farmers to grow their grains, and Williams floor malts the rye before it is fermented and double distilled in direct fire copper pots stills. The spirit is then aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of four years and bottled at 50% ABV.

The nose is jam packed full of aromas of stone fruit, caramel brittle, vanilla, live oak, and fresh cut grass. On the palate there are flavors of fennel, salted caramel, vanilla, raisins, sweet cherries, dried pineapple, peaches and cream, maple syrup and sassafras, followed by a pronounced dryness from the oak tannins. Bonticou Crag is a beautiful voyage of flavor that deserves to be sipped neat or opened with just a splash of water. If you are a fan of complex whiskeys this is a must.

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Sample bottle provided by Mingo Creek Craft Distillers

Liberty Pole Spirits

Pennsylvania Straight Rye Whiskey 46% ABV, MSRP $47

Jim Hough and his wife Ellen founded Mingo Creek Craft Distillers in May 2016, and their son Kevin joined them a few months later working as the head distiller. The distillery gets its name from the Mingo Creek Society that gathered in 1794 to protest the first whiskey excised tax enacted by the US Government. One of their forms of protest were to plant liberty polls which were simple polls tied three strips of cloth that read No Excise Tax.

In their memory, the Hough’s make several whiskeys including two standard ryes which are both distilled from a mash of 61% rye, 13% red winter wheat, 13% malted rye, and 13% six-row distiller’s malt. Their Pennsylvania straight rye is double distilled, and aged in 53 gallon charred new oak barrels for a minimum of two years.

The whiskey has a lovely nose of warm rye bread, fennel, mint, green apple, and caramel. The first sip is very warm on the palate, but it gets softer with each successive drink. There are flavors of oak intermixed with strong rye bread flavors, softened with a touch of honey orange blossom. The finish is bright and lively with notes of menthol, fresh cherries and freshly made lemonade followed by a healthy dose of brown sugar. This is a very tasty rye whiskey with lots of rye character mixed with sweeter fruit notes that are well-balanced with oak. Liberty Pole rye is a must try.

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Sample bottle provided by Disobedient Spirits

Disobedient Spirits

1794 Rye Whiskey 45% ABV, MRSP $60

In 2012, Bob Begg a recently retired teacher from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his friend and fellow winemaker Bob Sechrist founded Disobedient Spirits. They began building their distillery the following year and opened to the public in December 2014. Today they produce a wide variety of spirits including several vodkas, gin, rum, brandy, and a few different whiskeys.

Their rye whiskey is distilled from a mash of rye grown in the Monongahela valley, along with malted rye, corn, and chocolate malted barley, and then aged for just three months in small barrels.

The aroma is savory with strong notes of rye grain, wasabi paste, oak leaves, and hint of molasses. On the palate the whiskey has strong grassy flavors from the malted rye mixed with pleasant notes of milk chocolate, that is like drinking a warm cup of hot coco in a pine forest, or enjoying a mug or Mexican chocolate with cinnamon. The finish is light with a bright mint chocolate flavor, and dry oak. At just 3 months old the whiskey is grain forward and Disobedient has done an excellent job with it. And if the idea of cinnamon chocolate in your whiskey without any artificial flavors or sweetness excites you, look for it.

Four Empire Rye Whiskeys Worth Serching Out

Rye whiskey has been gradually growing in popularity but the majority of what is being drunk is still coming from Kentucky, Indiana, or Canada. However, since the 1700s rye as a grain and a whiskey flourished in New York it was one of the primary styles of whiskey made in the Empire State. Today a new breed of New York distillers has committed reviving the legacy of New York rye whiskey and in 2015, a handful of them banded together to form the Empire Rye Whiskey Association to collectively promote this historic and style. They define Empire Rye as whiskey made from a mash of at least 75% New York State-grown rye grain, distilled to no more than 160 proof (this is the same for other ryes), aged for a minimum of two years in charred, new oak barrels, with a maximum barrel entry proof of 115 (57.5%) and made completely at a single New York State distillery. Today there are more than a dozen distilleries making their version of Empire Rye and below you will find four that I think are worth searching out.

And, if you are interested in more detail on the history of distilling in New York you can find a whole chapter dedicated to Empire Rye in my book, The Atlas of Bourbon and American Whiskey.

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Sample bottle provided by New York Distilling Co.

New York Distilling Company

Jaywalk Straight Rye Whiskey 46% ABV, MSRP $50

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 have been dedicated to sourcing 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 six to eight years before the whiskey makes its way into the bottle.

This is a very exciting whiskey. There are intense aromas and flavors of black pepper, oak and rye spice but these are supported by sweeter flavors of vanilla, light brown sugar, dried apricot, and ripe nectarines. Don’t be afraid to enjoy this neat, but if you find it a bit too intene then it will do well on the rocks or in your favorite cocktail. $50 for this 6+ year old Empire Rye is a solid buy.

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Sample bottled provided by Kings County Distillery

Kings County Distillery

Empire Rye Straight Rye Whiskey 51% ABV, MSRP $99

Kings County Distillery was the first whiskey distillery in Brooklyn, New York to open since Prohibition. Like many other craft distilleries, they sourced locally grown grains and began by selling unaged corn whiskey and aged their bourbon in small barrels. However, over time they have gradually scaled up their barrels and their 375ml hip flasks have largely been replace by new 750ml bottles. In 2016, the American Distilling Institute named Kings County Distillery as their Distillery of the Year.

Their Empire Rye Is fermented from a mash of 80% New York-grown Danko rye and 20% English malted barley and double pot distilled in their Forsyth’s stills from Scotland. After distillation they are aged for a minimum of two years in Brooklyn though their recent releases have aged for at least 3 years.

The whiskey has lovely aromas caramel orchard fruit and baking spices. For a relatively young whiskey it has good structure and balance between flavors of oak, rye spice, fruit and caramels. Enjoy it neat, or with a splash of water, and it makes a fantastic New York Sour!

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Sample bottled provided by Great Jones Distilling Co.

Great Jones Distilling Co.

Straight Rye Whiskey 45% ABV, MSRP $45

Great Jones has the distinction of being the first operating distillery on the island of Manhattan since Prohibition. They source their grain from their sister distillery in the Black Dirt region of New York near the boarder with Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Their whiskeys are made by their Head Distiller Celina Perez, who previously worked for a couple of other spirit companys as well as a bartender and a cheesemonger.

Their straight rye whiskey is made from a fermented mash of 100% New York-grown rye which is distilled in their copper column with pot still doubler. And because of fire concerns their barrels are filled and them moved off site from their NOHO distillery to age for a minimum of 4 years before it is then bottled at 90 proof.

On the nose there is an inviting aroma of warm rye bread and strawberry jam followed by notes of orange zest and vanilla. As it breaths aromas of cracked black pepper and light caramel that evolves into over ripe apricot and toasted oak. These flavors ontinue on the palate and slowly fade on the finish. This is a solid buy at $45 and is fun new edition to the world of New York rye whiskeys. It is well balanced, easy to sip neat, and will work on the rocks or in your preferred rye-based cocktail.

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Sample bottled provided by Finger Lakes Distilling

Finger Lakes Distilling

McKenzie Straight Rye Whiskey 45.5% ABV, MSRP $40

Since 2008 Finger Lakes Distilling has been making a wide array of spirits in New York's famed wine region. The Finger Lakes are in western New York and the cold winters are moderated by lakes that stripe the landscape. When the distillery opened their doors, there were no malt houses in the state so they built their own to malt NY grown barley.

Their rye whiskey is distilled from a fermented mash of 80% NY grown Danko rye, and 20% malted barley which is then aged in charred new oak barrels made from Missouri white oak that was yard seasoned for 36 months. The whiskey enters the barrel at 100 proof and after aging for a minimum of four years before it is then finish in casks that previously held locally made sherry style wines.

The whiskey has lots of fun flavors of fruit and herbs. There is a light sweetness and subtle notes of oak followed by stronger flavors of caramel, clove and bright green apple. McKenzie Straight Rye makes a nice pre-dinner aperitif or post-desert digestive. At 91 proof the whiskey is soft enough to enjoy neat or with a splash of water.

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Honorable Mention

Since the founding of the Empire Rye Whiskey Association, it has expanded to 19 distilleries around New York. Here are a couple others that are also making Empire Rye.

Since 2015, Southern Tier Distilling Company has been making a variety of spirits including vodka, gin, whiskey, liqueurs and canned cocktails. Their stills were even built by one of their founders who previously worked as a welder and fabricator. Their rye whiskey is made from NY grown rye and corn, which after distillation is aged in new oak barrels with a heavy #4 char. The current bottlings of their Empire Rye are aged for a minimum of 6 years and bottled at 90 proof.

Black Button Distilling was founded by Jason Barrett who comes from a long line of world class tailors who have made closes for "Presidents, Popes, Kings, and Businessmen", hence the name. Built in Rochester, New York, Black Button is a grain-to-glass distillery with 100% of its ingredients grown in the Empire State. Today Black Button makes several spirits including vodka, gin, liqueurs, and whiskey. Their Empire Straight Rye Whiskey is made from a distilled mash of 94% Danko rye and 6% malted barley which is then aged for a minimum of 3 years before it is bottled unfiltered at 96 proof.