Hemingway Rye Whiskey Signature Edition Review

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Produced by Heminway Whiskey with sourced whiskey from Indiana and Kentucky.
• MASH BILL: 95% Rye | 5% Malted Barley – 90% of the blend is an Indiana rye whiskey (MGP would be the distiller), and 10% is from a Kentucky distiller, which is most likely Green River, which is currently distilling a 95/5 rye whiskey.
• AGE: A blend of 90% 6-year-old Indiana Straight Rye and 10% 4-year-old Kentucky Straight Rye
• YEAR: 2022
• PROOF: 102 Proof
• MSRP: $79.99
• BUY ONLINE: Available for online purchase soon.

POPS’ NOTES

SHARE WITH: This is a great bottle to share with fans of MGP’s 95/5 mash bill (e.g., Bulleit Rye lovers).

WORTH THE PRICE: Not quite. It’s an excellent pour, but it’s missing the robustness I expect at the $79.99 price point.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle. Price aside, this is very much a bottle that I’d enjoy drinking on a regular basis.

OVERALL: MGP’s legendary rye mash bill is widely used in several brands that don’t have their own distillery (e.g., Bulleit Rye). So when a new brand expression is released using MGP’s rye whiskey, I’m usually not very excited. Unless the brand does something extraordinarily wrong, the bottled whiskey will be good, if not excellent.

Hemingway Whiskey’s Signature Edition rye whiskey is a perfect example of a great product made by sourcing rye whiskey from MGP. Once poured it provides an aroma full of rye grass – bright and clean mixed with spiced fruits. On the palate, there’s a medley of citrus, baking spices (cinnamon and clove in the spotlight) and dark fruit. The addition of Olorros Sherry cask finishing is a nice touch, adding some sweetness to round out the finish. The finish itself has hints of chocolate mint cookies and is surprisingly long. I even got a bit of a Kentucky hug from my first few sips. As tasty as it is, what makes this release exciting is using 95/5 rye sourced from Kentucky.

That’s right, a 95/5 rye from Kentucky. More specifically, Green River Distilling in Owensboro, KY. Hemingway Whiskey’s master distiller, Jacob Call, before joining the company, was the master distiller at Green River. And under his direction, they began distilling their own 95/5 rye mash bill. And it appears that rye whiskey is being used in this Hemingway rye whiskey. A unique pairing of old school and new school 95/5 rye whiskey. Goosebumps.

This is a sign of what’s to come from Hemingway Whiskey. They are currently working on building their own distillery. Hence, they have to rely on others for their whiskey, but it’s clear to me that once they are operational, they will more than likely distill their own 95/5 rye mash bill and, when ready, use it exclusively for their Signature Rye edition. We’re still 5-6 years away from that happening, but I’m looking forward to that day.

For now, Hemingway Whiskey’s Signature Rye is a delicious pour that gives us an exciting glimpse into the future of 95/5 rye whiskey. A future that doesn’t solely rely on the work of a single distillery.

BRAND NOTES

A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys finished in rum-seasoned Oloroso Sherry Casks.

Pour your story straight or on the rocks and have Hemingway at your home bar with our Signature Edition Rye.

Nose: Ryegrass, vanilla, raspberry raisins, baking spices and oak wood.

Palate: Big bold notes of orange and other assorted dark fruits balanced perfectly with hints of chocolate and caramel all balanced perfectly with plenty of spices like clove and nutmeg.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.