Rye Times Volume II

I’ve always regretted that I have never read Catcher in the Rye.  I don’t even really know much about the plot of the book at all.  Stuff happens.  I’m betting bad stuff.  Somehow I got through 12 years of primary education and eight years of college without it being required reading.  If you know much about me, I don’t usually read stuff that isn’t required.  I can write all day long, but reading has always been a struggle.  So I have read very few books that were not in some way required.  Well the recent death of JD Salinger has again brought this gap in my literary knowledge to the fore.  A literary master is gone, and somehow I feel like I have slighted myself by not reading his masterpiece while he was still alive.

While I may have not been able to read The Catcher in a timely manner, there is another master of rye that I haven’t missed.  While Pappy Van Winkle has passed his grandson Julian is still in the family business making great whiskeys.  I have recently had a masterful whiskey that the Van Winkles have crafted and it is all rye…

The Van Winkles Family Reserve Rye is a 95.6 proof offering from the Van Winkle line of whiskeys that has been aged for 13 years in charred oak barrels.  The extra aging that this whiskey goes through gives it a completely mellow and smooth character.   This is a big whiskey in every way, nose, flavor, mouthfeel, and finish.

The nose on the rye is delightful.  Vanilla and cloves are up front with a touch of honey and alcohol along with a very pleasing floral tone.  It is an intoxicating smell and one that I could sniff all day.  I actually find myself sniffing before each drink just for the sheer beauty of this fragrance.  The mouthfeel is equally impressive with lots of legs in the glass and a smooth coating all over my palate that was almost syrupy.

The flavor is amazing.  It begins with a sweet honeysuckle flavor that gives way to cherry and pear.  Then a very earthy flavor is in the middle of your palate that anchors the flavors and begins the finish.  That earthiness is the rye itself.  You can definitely taste the grain but it doesn’t overpower the flavor like other ryes.  The finish is big and long with a substantial smoldering burn in the middle of your chest that lasts for about a minute or longer.  Very pleasing and satisfying.

Neat

Drinks great this way.  I could drink it all day long.

On the Rocks

This is not cold filtered in the production process so adding ice clouds the rye a little bit, but no worries.  It opens up the flavor and tames the burn a little.  It gets very sweet and caramel flavored when cooled.

With a Splash

This gives the rye a very floral tone on the nose and flavor.  It is amazing all three ways!

Well I may have done JD Salinger wrong by not reading his masterpiece, but I’m doing Pappy’s spirit proud, this is one masterpiece that I haven’t missed out on, and I can always read the Catcher one of these days…

-Don