Catcher’s Rye Whiskey
49.4% ABV
$50
Website
What the Distillery Says
Distilled from 100% Michigan rye and pure water from the Great Lakes, Catcher’s Rye is a testament to the grain’s distinctive terroir. Each drop is artfully produced and aged for a minimum of two years in traditional, charred new American oak 53 gallon barrels. With delicious spice notes and a subtle fig finish, Catcher’s Rye proves there is no substitute for time or proportion. This is a labor of love, accept no phonies.
What Gary Says
Nose: Bright, intense rye spice with fresh mint, caraway seeds, blood oranges with a squeeze of lemon, dill, hints of tarragon and thyme with a wisp of smoke.
Palate: Rich mouthfeel, orange marmalade on rye toast, cinnamon sprinkles with allspice, hints of ginger, a bit of pepper and faint anise near the end.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with citrus spice.
Comments: This is a pretty intense rye. My first impression of the nose was that this was a young rye, as I find many young ryes have that intensity and pop on the nose – but when I sipped it; completely exceeded my expectations. I reached out to Two James distillery with some questions, and was delighted when David Landrum -the founder – took the time to provide a detailed response! Here’s a summary of what David shared:
Mashbill: 100% Michigan Rye (specifically a northern variety: Hazlet)
ABV at Still: Between 65-70% (note that this is lower than many larger distillers, who are coming off closer to the maximum allowed limit for bourbon at 80%)
Barrels: We only use large format (minimum 53 gallon) oak barrels with varying char levels, mostly #3 and #4
Age: We have no age statement on our rye at the moment but everything released is between 4-6 years.
Maturation: Barrels are aged in a rickhouse on the farm where we grow the grain, non temperature controlled
Many rye whiskies are what I’d call ‘barely legal ryes’, meaning that their mashbill is 51% rye with a fairly high corn content. Four Roses has a rye bourbon mashbill that has 35% rye, so these are closer to that than to a 100% rye mashbill. Corn brings a lot of sweetness to the party, and David was looking for to “create an assertive whiskey”. I’d say he certainly succeeded.
Frequent readers (all 6 of you) are aware that I’m not a fan of what is often referred to as ‘craft whisk(e)y’, because candidly too many of them cut corners with smaller barrels. I really appreciate Two James not taking this course, and more than that – for producing a delicious rye whisk(e)y. If someone had poured this for me blind and asked what I thought, the word ‘craft’ wouldn’t have entered my thought process. Sure, you’re paying a premium because of the smaller scale, but if I still lived in Michigan where this is easier to find, I’d have no problem keeping a bottle on hand. And if you’re a rye whiskey devotee, I’d strongly encourage you to seek this out!
Disclaimer: Being a native Michigander and living only about 25-minutes from the distillery, I may be a tad slanted toward this distillery. I’ve toured the place twice and want to again. It’s a fun place, and NOTHING like the large scale places run by all the ‘majors’.
That said, I had waited for the straight rye to mature with great anticipation after tasting the white dog from one of the first few batches waaaaay back when. All of us on that (I believe) first ever official tour arranged by our local blogger ‘Josh’ of Sipology renown (Thanx!) thought very highly of that taste. I wanted to be able enjoy it at 4-years or so. It really is a very good straight rye with nothing at all to give away to any of those ‘barely legal’ offerings from the big boys. It’s unique mashbill, as well as the hands on approach and lower still-proof gives Catcher’s Rye a character not available in any other whiskey I’ve tasted. I agree with Gary. Must Try!