Reservoir Distillery 100 Proof 2020 Virginia 100% Rye Whiskey

Description

Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, USA, which was founded in 2008.  All of their rye is sourced locally and of course it it is one of only a handful of American ryes with a 100% rye mash bill.  This is their 2020 bottling.

This rye is an absolute beauty.. On the nose it’s perfumed with a big dose of vanilla oak, white chocolate and rye grass spiciness.  It just smell so pretty. On the palate: Tight, rye spiciness/grassiness, good length, narrow and long, medium to  light body, but piercing spirit keeps it all alive. Lingering, clean as a whistle, classy, sweet oaky finish. Dry and intensive.

And my verdict? Ace!

An early review by Malt Review, “It’s a crowded old market for craft distilleries in America – even more so than it is over here in Europe – but Reservoir, for me, are right in the top tier. I’d put them with the likes of King’s County, and just a small notch down from Balcones, who I think are the craft whiskey lodestar. Needless to say, I reckon you should get this. Or, at the very least, indulge in a sample. If only to prove that I haven’t gone mad”.

In their words, “Sourced from just outside Richmond’s city limits, our rye provides an intense, sharply spiced profile that is not too sweet.  Oak, strawberry
and black pepper.  A subtle floral hint develops on the palate but remains firmly in the ‘cooking spice and caramel’ camp”.