Rye on the rise Bourbon is No. 1 in Ky., but another spirit getting sips in BY CHUCK MARTIN | snipped-for-privacy@ENQUIRER.COM Print | digg us! | del.icio.us!
FRANKFORT - The world will be awash in bourbon Saturday , as thousands sip frosty mint juleps to celebrate the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville. But while corn-centric bourbon may be the libation of the day, there is growing buzz in Kentucky and elsewhere over a whiskey based on another grain
- rye.
Rooted well north of the Mason-Dixon Line, rye whiskey is spicy and edgy compared to its mellow Southern cousin. If bourbon is soft and genteel, rye - the original mixer for the Manhattan, old-fashioned and other classic cocktails
- is assertive and brash. And it's turning heads.
But Kentuckians need not choke on their julep straws over this startling rye fascination. While rye whiskey was made first in Pennsylvania and Maryland and was popular in the bars and taverns of the Northeast, most rye is distilled in Kentucky.
"I'd say the volume of interest in rye whiskey has gone up exponentially in the last two years," says Larry Kass, communications director of Heaven Hill Distillery near Bardstown, which has made rye whiskey since the end of Prohibition.
This trend is so recent, bars in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky rarely hear a call for rye whiskey. So far, the rye rage is relegated to larger cities and fueled in part by demand from whiskey collectors and connoisseurs.
"Cincinnati bars are quite conservative," says Jay Erisman, fine spirits manager at the Party Source in Bellevue.
Erisman says he's also seen rye whiskey sales increase, but patrons may have to demand their rye before the bars begin stocking it.
Heaven Hill, which also makes Evan Williams and Elijah Craig bourbons, introduced a 21-year-old Rittenhouse Rye for $140 a bottle in September, even before the New York Times validated the rye resurgence in the fall. Since then, Heaven Hill doubled its production for rye whiskey - albeit from only two to four days of distilling a year.
Last year, Heaven Hill's Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye was named "Northern American Whiskey of the Year" at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This year, Buffalo Trace Distillery near Frankfort brought home the same prestigious award for its 6-year-old Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey.
"Our feeling, even 10 years ago, was that there was opportunity in rye," says Mark Brown, president and CEO of Buffalo Trace.
That was when a manager told him about a cache of fine rye whiskey aging in his sprawling brick warehouses. The next year - in 1998 - Brown directed his distiller to start making more rye.
In addition to the Sazerac Straight Rye, Buffalo Trace makes a 12-year-old Thomas H. Handy Rye for $53 per bottle, and an 18-year-old Sazerac at the same price. Scarcely available, these premium whiskeys often sell out before they hit the shelves.
'THE NEW FRONTIER'
Why rye? To explain its growing popularity, Brown and others compare the trend to the explosion of single malt Scotch whiskeys in the 1990s. As American consumers became more sophisticated, they wanted to sample different, often rare and pricey whiskeys - small batch and single-barrel bourbons, and now, rye.
"(Until then) there was a perception that all American whiskey was the same," says Brown.
For some, rye is the "new frontier for American whiskey," says Kass. Others perceive it as "retro" and "classic."
Considering rye's history, it may be more surprising the whiskey actually had to make a comeback. Rye was an American favorite long before bourbon was born. In fact, rye whiskey distillers, who left Pennsylvania after the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, are credited with creating bourbon before the turn of the 19th century. Upon arriving in Kentucky, these early craftsmen substituted corn for rye in their recipes simply because the yellow grain was more plentiful.
While bourbon soon became king in the South and much of the West, rye whiskey ruled the Northeast and upper Midwest until Prohibition. After 1933, Canadian rye whiskeys flooded the U.S. market. (Even today, some bartenders will pour a blended Canadian whiskey if a customer orders "rye.") Perhaps because corn was still cheaper after World War II, American rye whiskey largely disappeared from bar shelves and liquor cabinets.
NOT BETTER, 'DIFFERENT'
Even then, it was easy for Kentucky distilleries to make small
amounts of rye whiskey because they had the grain on hand. By law, bourbon must be made using at least 51 percent corn, but rye is usually an ingredient along with malted barley. Conversely, rye whiskey must be at least 51 percent rye. Corn and malted barley are also primary ingredients.
Distilling rye whiskey is much the same as bourbon, and like the corn-based whiskey, rye is aged in new, charred, oak barrels. This is why, at first look, sniff and taste, some might think bourbon and rye are identical. Their color is a golden amber, growing darker with age. The aroma and taste are similar, with nuances of vanilla and caramel notes from oak wood aging.
But side-by-side, experienced palates can spot the difference.
"There's a little bit of bite to (rye), a little bit of peppery taste," says Elmer T. Lee, master distiller emeritus of Buffalo Trace
Lee and other Kentucky whiskey experts usually qualify their opinion of rye by saying it is not better than bourbon - just "different."
Bourbon boosters have little reason to worry about rye overtaking their favorite whiskey in popularity. Since 1999, Kentucky bourbon production has more than doubled, from 455,000 to more than 1 million barrels a year, according to the Kentucky Distillers' Association. And while rye whiskey production has increased an impressive 30 percent the last three years, it's still a mere dram - about
10,000 barrels a year - compared with bourbon.Of course, there's another reason why bourbon will continue its reign: On the first Saturday in May, no one makes a mint julep with that Yankee rye whiskey.
Cincinnati.Com NKY.com Local News Rye on the rise
-------------------
Tasting notes Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye, $15
Showing plenty of spicy notes, this whiskey makes a nice Manhattan or Sazerac cocktail with rye flavors coming through.
Sazerac Straight Rye 6-Year-Old, $26
Displays interplay between grain, oak and spice, with notes of licorice, oak, cocoa and bit of smoke. Finish is long and satisfyingly spicy.
Van Winkle Family Reserve 13-Year-Old, $39
A real butt-kicker, this whiskey offers a dense salvo of rye spice while a raucous rye aroma greets the nose. There's a touch of caramel-toffee sweetness, but overall the dry spice dominates.
Black Maple Hill Rye 18-Year-Old, $74
Rye spice flavors are irrepressible, simmering below the surface of this cranked-up whiskey. Very spicy and complex, the flavors are long and compelling from nose to finish.
Source: Jay Erisman, fine spirits manager at the Party Source in Bellevue. Some of these rye whiskies are in limited supply, and may be only available in Kentucky liquor stores. Prices may vary.
Distillery visits For information on visiting Buffalo Trace and other Kentucky distilleries:
-------------------------------