Stands Out

Stoll & Wolfe Pennsylvania Pure Rye Whiskey Single Barrel Cask Strength

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey / ,

Stoll & Wolfe Pennsylvania Pure Rye Whiskey
Single Barrel Cask Strength

53.5% ABV
$70
Website
Stoll & Wolfe Pennsylvania Pure Rye Whiskey Single Barrel Cask Strength
We would like to thank Stoll & Wolfe Distillery and The Whiskey Bard for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Stoll & Wolfe recently released one of its most intriguing expressions to date: a single barrel Pure Rye Rye Whiskey that acts as the distillery’s unique interpretation of the historic Monongahela style. Crafted from a 100% rye mash bill of 80% Rosen rye and 20% malted rye, this whiskey is truly a must have offering for a number of reasons.

The all rye mash bill, rooted in historic, pre-Prohibition rye traditions, draws its locally grown Rosen rye from the Kline Family Farm, a 1741 heritage farm sharing direct family ties with the distillery team. Made through a sweet mash fermentation process, the art of crafting Pure Rye calls upon carefully considered production methods emphasizing spice, structure and grain character.

“Our Single Barrel Pure Rye is our homage to the historic Monongahela style,” said Erik Wolfe, co-founder and distiller at Stoll & Wolfe, “reflecting the methods and spirit of Pennsylvania rye, with a focus on bold spice, balance, and a distinctly regional character.”

Aged for approximately 34 months in a new, charred American oak barrel built from the finest in air-dried staves, this single barrel whiskey is bottled at a cask strength 107 proof. It showcases bold rye spice balanced by dark fruit on the nose, leading to a palate rich in black cherry, cocoa, marzipan and baking spices. The finish is dry and very well structured.

Priced at $70 per 750 ml bottle, the Stoll & Wolfe Pure Rye Whiskey is available now from the Stoll & Wolfe website, or available for pickup in the distillery’s tasting room. Future releases of this whiskey will be made available down the line when the distillery team feels they are ready to bottle.

What Gary Says

Nose: Figs, grilled peaches, mint, vanilla, a hint of tarragon and cloves.
Palate: Thick mouthfeel with figs, cherries, dark chocolate, pepper, cinnamon, mint, cloves, honey and vanilla.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with baking spices and cocoa.
Comments: I’ve long been a fan of 100% rye mashbills (and not a ton of them out there), but this is rather unique with 20% malted rye (not to mention the sweet mash; again – not a lot of that out in the market!) This is fruity, but not with the citrus lean that you often associate with rye. Only 34 months old, I enjoyed each sip and hope that they’re keeping some back to mature further. If you’re a rye fan, and looking for a unique pour – would recommend seeking a chance to try this!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Benriach The Thirty Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

/ / Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Benriach The Thirty
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Four Cask Matured

46% ABV
$800-$900
Website
Benriach The Thirty Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

This exquisite single malt has been crafted from peated spirit and four cask matured for at least thirty years in sherry casks, bourbon barrels, virgin oak casks and port casks from the Douro Valley. During long maturation Benriach’s sweet Speyside smoke mellows and integrates with the fruit, malt and oak. After thirty years, rich layering develops into sublime honeyed smoke, further enhanced through multi-layered cask maturation. The whisky from each cask type, imbued with particular flavour characteristics, is then expertly married together to create an exquisitely harmonious single malt, layered with dark fruits, rich walnut and velvety oak spice with a long, complex, smoked honey finish. All in perfect balance.

TASTING NOTES
COLOUR: Mahogany
NOSE: Stewed plum, baked orange, smoked walnut and cinnamon cocoa
PALATE: Dark fruit, manuka honey and chocolate raisin, with a long and complex smoked honey finish
SMOKE LEVEL: Complex

RACHEL BARRIE – MASTER BLENDER: “The Thirty has an incredible intensity of flavour but also exceptional refinement. The deepest, richest expression of Benriach on every level.”

What Gary Says

Nose: Fruit notes with figs, raisins, currants, orange, leather, hint of smoke with a nuttiness.
Palate: Dark fruit notes of raisins and plums, honey, chocolate, peaches, cinnamon and a bit of peat smoke.
Finish: Long and damp with fruity floral notes, faint spice and just a wisp of smoke.
Comments: This is a quite nice, mature, and elegant single malt. With this kind of age, you expect depth and nuance which this delivers. With a few drops of water, the nose brings forward more orange notes and a bit of cedar, while on the palate the mouthfeel thickens and becomes creamier. All that said, it isn’t intense with the flavor – and the price point is ridiculous. But if someone is offering a pour, nothing objectionable in the glass – this is a nice dram to sit and ponder with.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

51.4% ABV
$375-600
Website
Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

Aged 25 Years
The Best of Speyside
Cragganmore
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Natural Cask Strength
An elegant, sophisticated Speyside with the most complex aroma of any malt. Astonishingly fragrant with rich dried fruits and a finely scented finish.

[Additional details found on various other websites indicate this was released in 2014 as part of Diageo Special Releases; distilled in 1988 and matured in refill American and European oak casks, with only 3,372 bottles released; my sample was from bottle 2,765.]

What Gary Says

Nose: Light, heather, floral, vanilla, honey, grassy with a hint of earthy mineral note and nylon rope.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, warming with vanilla custard, orange blossom honey, baked apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and chili oil.
Finish: Moderate in length, drying with citrus and cracked pepper.
Comments: This is a nice, nuanced single malt. It definitely benefits from some time in the glass.  I also preferred it with a few drops of water, which brought out notes of tangerines on the nose and thickened the mouthfeel as it tamped the spicier edges (and brought more citrus to the party). I tried this alongside another Cragganmore offering of similar age (26 year old), and this was noticeably lighter in color.

Rating: Stands Out

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Longmorn 25 Year Limited Edition

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Longmorn 25 Year Limited Release
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

53% ABV
$440-$600 (700 mL)
Website
Longmorn 25 Year Limited Release Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle* Says

Limited Release
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Triple Cask Matured
American Oak Barrels, Hogsheads and Butts

Rich and fruity on the nose with notes of ripe plum, fresh peach, plump sultanas and a touch of cinnamon. Incredibly sweet on the palate with a hint of spice. Dry in character, the finish is long and smooth.

Non Chill-Filtered
Cask Strength

What Gary Says

Nose: Leather, stewed fruits, plums, raisins, tangerines, peaches, oak, cinnamon and sultanas.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, fruit with peaches, apples, pears and kiwi, cracked pepper, chili oil and oak.
Finish: Long and drying with pepper spice fading to fruit notes.
Comments: This is just delightful (as I hoped it might be, given some wonderful expressions of Longmorn I’ve had the pleasure to try. This has a bit more bite than some of those, and time in the glass helps this one quite a bit. A bit of water also helps tamp down those sharper edges, and brings a bit more of a citrus bent to the fruit notes on the nose (although this drinks really well at 53%)
* As is often the case with limited editions or private selections – in particular of Scotch whisky – the distillery makes no mention of this particular offering on their website – so the bottle (which has limited details) is all there is to go on.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

45.8% ABV
$920
Website
Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle* Says

From the rugged western shores of the Isle of Skye comes a richly flavoured, maritime malt, with a warming afterglow. So easy to enjoy yet, like Skye itself, so hard to leave.
Bottle 0516 of 2100
Distilled at Talisker
The Only Distillery On The Isle of Skye

What Gary Says

Nose: Peat, earthy, smoked meat with salty, briney sea air, citrus, oak and creosote.
Palate: Creamy and thick mouthfeel with honey, vanilla, nutmeg, toffee, caramel, milk chocolate and peat.
Finish: Long and damp with honey, chocolate orange and bit of peat smoke.
Comments: I love how the nose on this leans into the peaty/earthy/smokey goodness that you’d expect from Talisker. If you weren’t familiar, the palate might catch you off guard with the honeyed sweetness where the peat smoke steps back quite a bit. This is a really lovely expression from Talisker, although I can’t imagine paying retail for it.
* As is often the case with limited editions or private selections – in particular of Scotch whisky – the distillery makes no mention of this particular offering on their website – so the bottle (which has limited details) is all there is to go on.

Rating: Stands Out

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