The Four Gate Whiskey Company has launched River Kelvin Rye, the independent Whiskey bottler’s first Rye Whiskey. This is the seventh offering from Four Gate, who had previously only released Bourbons.
“We’ve always been on the lookout for barrels of great rye,” stated Four Gate Chief Barrel Officer, Bob D’Antoni. “We tried all sorts of barrels that weren’t quite up to our standards before we found these.”
The River Kelvin Rye was distilled in Indiana to a mash bill of 95% rye, 5% malted barley. It is age-stated at 7 years old. It is non-chill filtered and bottled at its full cask strength of 113.2 proof. And the company didn’t barrel age it for a reason, as it plans to offer the same base whiskey in at least two different finishing styles over the next 12 months.
“That’s something I was interested in doing from the start,” noted Four Gate Chief Blending Officer Bill Straub. “I wanted to show a progression, or a before-and-after. We pride ourselves on only using the highest quality whiskey we can find to barrel finish rather than taking a flawed spirit and trying to cover up its flaws with barrel finishes. This way, our customers can buy this first bottle of rye and then the finished releases over the next year or so and compare them side-by-side.”
The River Kelvin Rye will be limited to just 1,484 bottles and will have a price tag of around $175 per 750 ml bottle.
Tasting notes from Straub are as follows:
Nose: Mint, candied citrus, lemon zest, black pepper, dill.
Taste: A splash of refreshing mint hits the tip of the tongue and is followed by candied oranges and lemon zest on the mid palate. The rear palate is greeted with spicy black pepper and sweet citrus.
Finish: Medium in length, the black pepper, spice, and lemon zest coat the mouth with a pleasingly refreshing finish.