Until very lately, being aware of the phrase “excessive rye” was sufficient to mark you as a whiskey nerd. However that appeared to alter this previous November, when Johnnie Walker—one of many best-known names in whisk(e)y—introduced the discharge of Johnnie Walker Excessive Rye, a brand new blended scotch possessed of a whopping 60% rye content material.
Johnnie Walker’s advance however, the way in which most customers have skilled a “high-rye” whiskey (that’s not a rye whiskey) has been by bourbon. Whereas American legislation dictates that bourbon have to be produced from at the very least 51% corn, that remaining 49% might be constituted from no matter grains the maker needs.
Rye, which dominated American whiskey within the days earlier than prohibition, has typically figured within the bourbon mash invoice. However some manufacturers have made elevating its place to high-rye standing a key a part of their id, together with Redemption Whiskey, which along with 95% rye, produces two high-rye bourbons.
“Excessive-rye bourbon is a selected focus for Redemption as a result of the sweeter corn taste of bourbon gives the right backdrop to focus on the peppery, spicy, and daring notes of rye, creating extra character and extra flavors in your glass,” says Redemption Whiskey Grasp Blender Dave Carpenter.
Carpenter says that there isn’t any authorized definition for what constitutes a high-rye bourbon however says that the business customary is taken into account to be at the very least a 20% share of rye within the mash invoice. Redemption’s flagship bourbon meets this metric with a composition of 21% rye, however Redemption Excessive Rye Bourbon stands out as one of many highest high-ryes in the marketplace, with a whopping 36% share.
“After we say ‘excessive rye,’ we imply it,” Carpenter says.
For those who’re placing that a lot rye into your bourbon it begs the query: why make it a bourbon in any respect? In keeping with Carpenter, it’s all about making a distinction inside the majority-corn whiskey.
“The additional rye provides a fancy mixture of daring, spicy flavors, which concurrently complement and distinction the candy corn profile of normal bourbons and helps to ship a warming bass be aware to the spirit.”
It’s additionally proved helpful in creating barrel-finished bourbons, equivalent to Redemption’s lately launched Cognac Cask End, which was made by ending Redemption Excessive Rye Bourbon in Cognac casks from Pierre Ferrand.
“Moreover, that additional persona in excessive rye helps to create an even bigger and extra resilient whiskey, one that may stand as much as further ending and getting older,” Carpenter says.
Are we approaching a high-rye renaissance? In Carpenter’s phrases, “sure.”
“Excessive-rye spirits are gaining favor due to their deep, daring, and sophisticated flavors that may rise up on their very own or in the most effective of cocktails,” he says. “In distinction with white spirits or conventional bourbons, high-rye spirits provide a extra distinctive and dynamic ingesting expertise.”
