My sister and B-I-L came down from CT for a visit last weekend. They brought a bottle of an unaged artisan rye whiskey from Elm City (New Haven, CT) Distillers called Nine Square. The first thing that caught my eye was that it is clear. Since it is unaged in uncharred oak barrels, I wasn't surprised. The first thing that caught my nose was a pleasant vanilla. As far as the palate, all I can say I detected was a spiced vodka taste. I can't drink this neat (I tried a couple of times!), but it is more than acceptable with Coke, almost like a spiced rum and Coke. Anybody else have experience with an unaged rye?
Elm City Nine Square Rye Whiskey (unaged)
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I have had St. Georges Spirits Dry Rye Gin, which I imagine is an essentially similar spirit; I have also had some white dogs ('shine) with high rye content. I agree they are tough to drink straight, and I found them sometimes difficult to pari up in a cocktail. I am curious how long the "white dog" frenzy will last. I live about 1 hour west of New Haven, havent seen this one in my shop yet;
Of the few that I have tried, the Dry Rye Gin I thought carried a little more than the "dogs"
Of the few that I have tried, the Dry Rye Gin I thought carried a little more than the "dogs"
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This is a 100% rye whiskey at 80 proof. I wondered how similar it would be to a moonshine. Seems like a quick way to turn a grain into some alcohol.
isnt that moonsine but watered down? really 100% rye, no corn? That's the same as the Dry Rye gin I mentioned except there's is 90 proof (45% abv)...I like spirts with a kick!
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Must taste a lot like moonshine, then!
100% rye.
100% rye.
Hopefully about 15 minutes. I don't know anybody who has bought a second bottle. That being said, it will probably last another 3-4 years.
I think it is a way for startup craft distillers to make some cash while they age their product. Yes the big boys are getting into the act, but there is essentially zero startup cost for them and they are getting a higher price for product that costs them less to make.
ETA - My wife and I recently toured the Buffalo Trace distillery. At the ends they offered white dog, Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace to taste. Nobody picked the white dog.
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O how I envy you folks in the mainland when it comes to spirits. We poor souls out here in the middle of the ocean are not allowed to acquire anything that is not on an approved list from the state... 
That being said... I have wanted to try Wigle Whiskey which has several offerings that are rather young. I would be interested to get in touch with them and see if the offerings are from the same batch that will be offered later as 5yr and older. I think that it would be neat to try the white whiskey vs yr old vs 5 year if it is from the same batch, which is what I presume to be the truth as these young upstarts try to keep afloat while aging a few barrels.
I've had moonshine (both legal and illegal) here in the states and also overseas in some remote villages that used rice in lieu of grain/corn. Some can be quite good once you get past the initial alcohol hit.
That being said... I have wanted to try Wigle Whiskey which has several offerings that are rather young. I would be interested to get in touch with them and see if the offerings are from the same batch that will be offered later as 5yr and older. I think that it would be neat to try the white whiskey vs yr old vs 5 year if it is from the same batch, which is what I presume to be the truth as these young upstarts try to keep afloat while aging a few barrels.
I've had moonshine (both legal and illegal) here in the states and also overseas in some remote villages that used rice in lieu of grain/corn. Some can be quite good once you get past the initial alcohol hit.
I completely agree with that assesment, however, I think we may be in for the long haul; I wonder if the Brandy/ Cognac folks said the same thing? "How long is this Grappa thing in italy going to last?" or in other parts of Europe with AquaVit etc...all unaged brothers and sisters of other spirits.
Good point. I can live with white dog on the shelf as long as what I want is there too. I just really don't understand its appeal when you can get the same stuff properly aged for less and sometimes for a lot less. I don't blame the distillers, charge what the market will bear and all that, I just don't get the demand.
O how I envy you folks in the mainland when it comes to spirits. We poor souls out here in the middle of the ocean are not allowed to acquire anything that is not on an approved list from the state...
Yours is not the only state that serves as the only legal distributed in its borders and decides what is sold and at what price. The only difference here is we can drive to a more freedom-loving state and it appears you have to fly. Most, but not all, states allow you to personally import a minimal quantity of booze, check your local laws.
maybe it was aging that came second?
Curious if anyone knows the history...is it like someone decided to store their distillate in a wine barrel one day forgot about it for 10 years and omg, look what I found!!
From what I have read, Elijah Craig was the first guy to put his whiskey in charred oak barrels. The reason for his decision is less than clear - there are multiple, equally plausible theories. The aging, I think, originally came from shipping product, in barrels, from Kentucky downriver to New Orleans prior to dams being placed in the river system. It took some time, months and sometimes almost a year, for the product to make it's way from Kentucky to New Orleans. During that time the product aged and became smoother. That was noticed and, I think, somebody, I'm not sure who, began to age their bourbon, probably is an experiment, and like what happened. The rest, as they say, is history.
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I agree. I don't really get the while clear liquor thing. I understand that this is nearer to how it comes out of the still, but I still like my rye a little more rounded and mellowed.
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Appreciate your discussion... Here's an article I found interesting...
http://www.economist.com/node/457125
http://www.economist.com/node/457125
Thanks for the article. It was interesting, but there are a few "issues" in that article.
The first is that the Irish would strongly contend, and possibly be right, that Scotland got their distilling ideas from Ireland. It is not clear that this is the case, but it is reasonably well documented that Ireland was distilling prior to Scotland. It is likely that the distilling arts were brought to both Ireland and Scotland by monks who used the available local grains - barley in both cases. Therefore, the following quote would be rightly disputed by the Irish.
https://whiskeyworldtour.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/whiskey-history-irish-and-scotch/
http://www.scottishwhiskystore.com/irish-whiskey/
The second issue is that while it is true that Maker's Mark moves its barrels around in the warehouse, it is the only major distillery known to do so. The article, while stated accurately, gives the impression that this is the industry norm. In fact, most distilleries use the location in the warehouse and the specific warehouse in some cases to produce different flavors that make their brands distinctive. Generally, the location in the warehouse is the inverse of the location at your local spirit purveyor, i.e., the top shelf (good) stuff ages under the more controlled conditions at or near the bottom of the warehouse. The stuff near your ankles in the store was at the top of the warehouse, and generally for a shorter to much shorter duration than the good stuff was at the bottom. Four Roses takes a different approach and uses one story warehouses. http://www.whisky.com/information/k...-bourbon-whiskey-is-made/bourbon-storage.html
Finally, the article appears to give credit to James Crow for figuring out how to turn white dog into bourbon. While Crow did much for the bourbon industry and bourbon in general and in fact was very much responsible for bringing the scientific approach to commercial distilling, he post dates Elijah Craig by about half a century and Craig is credited with being the first to use charred oak barrels in the production of bourbon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_whiskey
If unaged, what's it doing in any barrels? How much time in a barrel does it take to call something "aged?"
If it meets all the other criteria to be called bourbon, it's bourbon as soon as it touches the wood. However, it cannot be sold as straight Bourbon whiskey until it's been in the wood for at least two years.
forgot I had this. I thought I'd revisit.
