LDI Rye Running Out.

[cowdery]

I just assumed that LDI has been making rye all along and had more in the pipeline for folks like Templeton, High West, Redemption and others. I heard today that they don't. The supply is drying up.

My source suggested High West may have created Bourye to stretch its limited stock of rye. Templeton has been struggling with supply issues for a year, to the point where even the head of the Iowa liquor control authority complained publicly about it. As my source suggested, maybe if they made whiskey instead of just buying it they wouldn't have this problem.

Redemption, of course, is a two-year old and maybe that tells us something. When Templeton and Rendezvous started to take off a couple years ago maybe LDI started to make rye again, so now they have two, maybe three year old whiskey to sell but nothing older.

And as much as LDI's business is struggling, maybe they can't afford to age it any longer than that. I have heard that Templeton has whiskey in barrels in Iowa. Maybe they're buying two-year-old rye from LDI and aging it themselves. Maybe it's not even two years old. Either way, they are a couple of years away from having a more robust supply. That's plenty of time for them to kill the brand.

Obviously I woud prefer it if these producers would just tell us what they're doing, but the detective work is kind of fun too.

[White Dog]

So Chuck, you've said in the recent past that the Rye boom is more hype than reality, but this post seems to say otherwise. Maybe it's really happening, but it does not extend to products like Beam Rye? Could we be living in the age of LDI Rye revival?

[p_elliott]

So Chuck, you've said in the recent past that the Rye boom is more hype than reality, but this post seems to say otherwise. Maybe it's really happening, but it does not extend to products like Beam Rye? Could we be living in the age of LDI Rye revival?

I don't ever remember Chuck saying that, rye has been on steady increase for several years.

[wadewood]

Rye sales may be increasing, but in the big scheme of things - total Rye sales are still just a drop in the bucket compared to bourbon.

[barturtle]

Rye sales may be increasing, but in the big scheme of things - total Rye sales are still just a drop in the bucket compared to bourbon.

This may be true, but moving from a single day's production in an entire year, to 2 or 3, and from the $10 shelf to the $30 shelf is a massive increase in profits.

[White Dog]

I don't ever remember Chuck saying that, rye has been on steady increase for several years.

Cowdery blog June 5, 2010.

[silverfish]

Cowdery blog June 5, 2010.

The Rye Revival is a Mirage with sales numbers - some accurate & some estimates.

[squire]

There is plenty of good rye out there so I see no need to experiment with underage stuff especially at a higher than average price.

[DeanSheen]

There is plenty of good rye out there so I see no need to experiment with underage stuff especially at a higher than average price.

There is?

I don't think there is by volume or by bottling. We could definitely use more, much more.

[squire]

Oh yes Robert, I can't speak for other areas but locally I can get rye expressions from Beam, Turkey and Saz, Rittenhouse requires a bit more of a drive. I found that in Florida about 16 years ago and bought a case.

By volume or bottling I cannot say, my point was with good rye available from houses who sell nationally our Forum members should be able to get a good product without paying twice as much for a craft supplier who may not in fact actually made the whisky.