Two Souls Spirits is an independent bottler of whiskey. They sent me some samples to taste several months ago and because of the backlog of whiskey we had to taste, they kept getting put on the back burner. Matt and I finally sat down to taste them the other day and here are our tasting notes.
Two Souls Wisconsin Rye Whiskey Finished in a Rum Cask
This whiskey has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley and was distilled at the Yahara Bay Distillery in Wisconsin. It is eight years old and had a barrel entry proof of 120. It was finished for three months in a HAZMAT rum barrel and bottled at barrel proof and non-chill filtered. Matt and I agreed that it was better when water was added to the whiskey.
Proof: 146.96
Age: Eight Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla with a hint of rye grass, caramel, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, mint, baking spices, candied fruit and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, cherries, pepper spice, oak wood and a lot of alcohol heat. A dried cranberry brought out some citrus notes and tamed the alcohol burn. Tasted with a pecan and the caramel came out and the pepper spice was enhanced.
- Matt: Fruit, red hot spices, vanilla and oak wood with a lot of alcohol heat. The dried cranberry brought out strawberry and lemon grass. The pecan brought out brown sugar and red hot cinnamon candy.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with lots of oak and pepper spice. The dried cranberry made the finish shorter and added a little lingering citrus. The pecan made it very long and hot with oak and pepper.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and spicy, hot cinnamon. The dried cranberry added more heat and a little baking spice to the finish. The pecan made the finish longer with a hint of cocoa and hot spices.
Two Souls New York Rye Whiskey
This whiskey has a mash bill of 80% rye and 20% malted barley and was distilled at the Finger Lakes Distillery in New York. It is six years old and had a barrel entry proof of 100 and was bottled non-chill filtered.
Proof: 105.3
Age: Six Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, apples, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Rye grass, caramel, berries and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, apples, nutmeg, allspice, and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the apple and allspice. The pecan brought out notes of caramel and chocolate.
- Matt: Rye grass, caramel, lemon and berries with oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out some leather and enhanced the caramel. The pecan brought out some floral notes and spearmint.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, spice and lingering apple. The dried cranberry enhanced the apple in the finish. The pecan made the finish longer with lingering caramel and apple.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and rye grass. The dried cranberry added leather and cocoa butter to the finish. The pecan added lingering floral and mint notes to the finish.
Two Souls New York Wheated Bourbon
This whiskey has a mash bill of 70% white corn, 20% wheat, 10% malted barley and was distilled at the Finger Lakes Distillery in New York. It is eight years old and had a barrel entry proof of 100 and was bottled non-chill filtered.
Proof: 105.66
Age: Eight Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel with a hint of bubble gum, apples, white pepper and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, bubble gum, apple, rosewater, and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel apple, pepper and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the apple and brought out some cinnamon spice. The pecan enhanced the caramel and pepper spice.
- Matt: Caramel, green apples, rose water, coffee beans and oak wood. The dried cranberry added notes of grape and cayenne pepper. The pecan added notes of chocolate and French burnt peanuts.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak and pepper. The dried cranberry made the finish longer and turned the spice to cinnamon. The pecan made the finish very long with oak wood, pepper spice and lingering caramel.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood, coffee and white pepper. The dried cranberry turned the spice to cayenne pepper. The pecan made the finish longer with oak and pepper.
I would pair these whiskeys with a cigar that has a balance of tobacco, vanilla and cedar spice in the smoke. I would reach for a Fuente Short Story cigar.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller