Оценка: 86/100.
Sonoma rye whiskey
Anyway, I’m on American theme /in the previous article I reviewed John B. Stetson Kentucky straight bourbon/, so I decided in the following lines to present you an interesting whiskey from the state of California, which is not bourbon, but rye whiskey. Although it originates from US, it doesn’t bear the specifics of bourbon and if made in the right way, it can be quite tasty and interesting. And I think this one is a great example.
Sonoma County Distillery, as is the name of the company, was founded in 2010 and is quite young distillery. The owner, Adam Spiegel, is primarily involved with distillation process, as the stills used are made of copper and with small volume. Rye whiskey is made from 100% rye grain in a copper still with direct heating by fire /for many years this has been the technology for producing single malt scotch whisky, as some believe that this way of heating generates richer aromas in the final product in the still. Now this technology is rare and has been replaced by the so-called „indirect heating“, whereat the stills are not directly heated by flames/. And if the products of some distilleries could hardly be described as small batches, regardless of the existence of such an indication on their labels, then the Sonoma’ distillates are still hardly accessible, because of the limited production /this does not necessarily mean that they are so wonderful and miraculous/. They are available in 10 US states and 14 countries in Europe and worldwide. And now I finish my writings about the brand. The future is in front of it and I’ll keep an eye on its development. And now about the current rye whiskey.
Aroma – apricots, rather fermented, a smell that can be described as apricot marc, a great touch of burnt sugar, really strong and enjoyable. I imagine a huge pot with molten sugar, whose fragrance I inhale through a narrow slit. Further – cherries, buttery, strong spiciness and sweetness, honey and herbs. With water /the whiskey has an alcohol content of 48% and allows addition of water/ – more caramel, vanilla, weak lemon and chocolate. Taste – notes of apricots and burnt sugar again, sweetness and strong spiciness as of ginger, a memory of apricot rakiya, cherries. With water – slight bitterness, the apricots and spiciness are here once again. Finish – bitterness, spiciness, burnt notes, toasted butter cake and then an abundance of sweetness, chocolate. With water – herbs and honey.
Assessment: 86/100.
In summary: very interesting whiskey, in which the taste matched the aroma. They overlapped entirely. There is a potential in this small distillery.