Liberty Pole Rye is made at the Mingo Creek Distillery in Pennsylvania. I have tasted this rye before at the age of 18 months, but now they have a straight rye at over two years of age. It was barreled on July 8, 2020, and bottled on April 13, 2023. It is a very good rye whiskey in the Monongahela style of Pennsylvania Rye whiskey. It has a mash bill of 61% rye, 13% wheat, 13% rye malt and 13% barley malt. They bottled it at barrel proof and they have a low barrel entry proof. They sent me a bottle of their single barrel rye the other day and Matt and I sat down and tasted it. Here are our tasting notes.
Liberty Pole Single Barrel Rye
Proof: 107.8
Age: Two Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Chocolate, caramel, rye grass, raisins and plums, oak wood.
- Matt: Rye grass, molasses, raisins and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Rye grass, caramel, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the rye grass and raisin are enhanced while the spices step back a notch. Tasted with a pecan and the caramel is enhanced and a chocolate note comes out.
- Matt: Corn, Raisin Bran, cayenne pepper and oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out an oatmeal note. The pecan brought out chocolate and enhanced the cayenne pepper spice.
Finish:
- Mike: Long with oak and cinnamon. The dried cranberry brought out some lingering rye grass and raisin notes. The pecan made the finish long and dry with oak, rye grass, cinnamon and lingering chocolate.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and raisin fruit. The cranberry added a little lingering cayenne pepper spice. The pecan made the finish a raisin oatmeal with some lingering cayenne pepper spice.
I would pair this rye whiskey with a cigar that has lots of tobacco richness and a little cedar spice. I would reach for a NUB Habano wrapper cigar.
