While I would kill for a bottle, the Bitter Truth Rye would be impossible to find. The 240 bottles were never released in the States - 700ml bottles for the German market.
http://the-bitter-truth.com/liqueurs/rye-whiskey
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While I would kill for a bottle, the Bitter Truth Rye would be impossible to find. The 240 bottles were never released in the States - 700ml bottles for the German market.
http://the-bitter-truth.com/liqueurs/rye-whiskey
Just last week I had the pleasure of having a pour of the Rathskellar Rye at Bourbon in the Adams Morgan Section of DC (See pics below). There appeared to be about an ounce left in their lone bottle, but they had both the Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove in plenty. The Rathskellar Rye blew my mind, and added the Hotel Seelbach to my list of immediate must-visit locations, and the Rathskellar presently sits a hair above the BMH23 as the best I've ever had.
The most interesting thing about these two Willett bottlings is the fact that they are from the same barrel, with a difference of .1 proof, or .05 percent ABV, and yet they exhibit almost polar opposite extremes of the rye grain and its dynamics. The names are truly apt: The Iron Fist rocks with spice and heat, pepper and smoky wood slapping the senses raw, The Velvet Glove soft and smooth, spice, wood and caramel sweet perfectly integrated and going for days. The pairing of these two bottles is in my mind one of the best testaments to the dynamic depth of well-aged rye.
A random aside, but since well-aged rye is the topic, is there truth to the rumor that this last release of Saz18 is the final one?
Very interesting, but they don't appear to be from the same barrel....different ricks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wryguy
This rye is so good that I am willing to fly to Louisville to drink it before opening one of my bottles. It really is that good in my opinion. If you fly into Louisville you have no reason not to stop by and have a pour while coming or going.
I thought the same thing, but both bottles listed barrel 11 of the front label, though the rick number thing did make me pause.Quote:
Originally Posted by c2walker
Anyone out there have a definitive answer on whether these two are from the same barrel?
They're not: like c2walker said, two different ricks means two different barrels. And the proof is similar but not the same... Again, two different barrels. Also, 400+ bottles is too many to have come from one barrel.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wryguy
Gotcha, I just guessed since that they are both labeled as being from barrel 11 and had ABVs of 68.5 and 68.55 that they were probably from the same barrel. Amazing that two different barrels yielded almost identical proofs. Thank you both for the correction and the information. I should have put two and two together with the number of bottles produced of each.Quote:
Originally Posted by HighInTheMtns
IIRC, when KBD bought this rye, all the barrels were dumped together and hauled to Bardstown. The rye was then put back into the original barrels (filled completely) and received additional ageing at KBD before various parties had KBD bottle it for them. So each barrel produced a lot of bottles and it's not surprising that their proofs can be very similar.
A couple of liquor stores carried the Rathskeller Rye for a period of time and sold it for about $110 per bottle (before the SB.com discount they gave). I grabbed a couple over my varios trips to Bardstown and remain unopened. I've got some Red Hooks and those early Willets bottled for Ledger's/Doug/Neal out in Cali. Would be interesting to do some side-by-sides someday, but I'm guessing there will definitely be a "family" resemblance.
Here's a trivia question for you long time members ..... what's the story behind the name "The Bitter Truth" on the bottles sent to Germany?
A quick call to KBD confirmed that the bottlings are from two different barrels. Thank you doubleblank for the info, I for one think you should do that side-by-side, because these two Willetts couldn't be more different, even if they are from the same 'family' of barrels, so there might be some interesting findings there.
Big thanks and props to KBD for their helpfulness and amazing products!
Randy - I'll drive to Houston to sample all the mentioned Ryes, just tell me when!!
BTW - Are you still planning on passing through Tally this spring ?:cool: