Hemingway Rye was founded by Steve Groth, one of the founders of Angel’s Envy Whiskey, his sons, and Master Distiller Ron Call. This expression is a blend of 90% 6 year old Indiana Rye whiskey and 10% 4 year old Kentucky Rye whiskey. The mash bill recipe for these whiskeys is 95% Rye and 5% malted barley.
The blend was then finished in Oloroso Sherry barrels that have been used before to age rum.
I was sent a sample of this whiskey to review and Matt and I sat down and tasted it. Here are our tasting notes.
Hemingway Rye Signature Edition, Straight Rye Whiskey, Finished in Rum Seasoned Oloroso Barrels
Proof: 102
Age: 4 year old KY Rye, 6 year old IN Rye
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel, brown sugar, dates, cherries and oak.
- Matt: Vanilla, fruity strawberry, candied walnuts and white pepper.
Taste:
- Mike: Rye grass, caramel, dates, raspberries, cherries, cardamom, ginger spice and oak. Tasting a dried cranberry brings out more spice and oak. Tasted with a pecan brings out notes of chocolate and cinnamon spice.
- Matt: Vanilla, butterscotch, strawberries and white pepper. The dried cranberry brought out lots of rye grass and white pepper. The pecan brought out notes of malted chocolate ball and cherries.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak and spice and lingering caramel. The dried cranberry brought on lots of spice and oak. The pecan made the finish very long with oak and spice.
- Matt: Oak wood and pepper with a butter viscosity. The dried cranberry emphasized the oak and pepper notes. The pecan produced notes of oak, chocolate and cherry.
I would pair this Rye whiskey with a Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Robusto cigar. The full-bodied nutty sweetness of the smoke with some chocolate notes would pair well with the caramel and fruit flavors in the Rye.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller