Tasting notes

nose

Rye spice and oak open, with light mint, floral grain, cocoa and a faint note of plum

palate

Buttery in texture, carrying a strong hit of dark chocolate, then hazelnut, rye bread, leather and damp earth, turning to tobacco and clove over oak

finish

Very long and gently spiced; dark chocolate, walnut and clove stay with tobacco leaf and leather, settling into oak as it fades

Mash bill

70% rye, 15% corn, 15% malted barley. Shady Knoll grows its own rye and corn on its family farm south of Millbrook, New York, and grinds the grain in a hammer mill in its own granary before cooking it in its mash tun. The fermented mash is double distilled on the grain, solids and all, which the distillery says keeps more of the grain's flavor in the spirit.

Awards

• Double Gold — ADI International Spirits Competition 2024
• Best in Class — ADI International Spirits Competition 2024
• Gold — San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023

Why it's craft

This is Shady Knoll's flagship rye, made from rye and corn the Kneipper and Richards families grow on their farm south of Millbrook, New York. The family mills, mashes, ferments, distills, ages and bottles everything on the farm, distilling twice on the grain in an 850-liter alembic Charentais pot still from the French maker Chalvignac Prulho. The whiskey ages at least four years in new charred American oak and then spends several months in used Portuguese Port barrels. Shady Knoll is New York State Grown & Certified.