Hochstadter's "Slow and Low" Rock and Rye.

[ethangsmith]

This new product hit the shelves of the state stores a few months ago here in PA, and d*** is it good! 6 year old rye, horehound, honey, rock candy, and citrus peels all at a good 98 proof. This is TOTALLY different than the Jacquin's or Mr. Boston stuff. It's very lightly sweetened and it reminds me almost of some of the herbal teas I've had over the years. When my seasonal flu or cold comes around, I will use this as medication! This product is supposedly a reenactment of a pre-pro product from Philly and it is very unlike anything else out there. I would suggest getting a bottle for those times you want something sweet, yet out-of-the-ordinary to sip.

Check out the website here: http://drinkslowandlow.com/

[Gillman]

Sounds great. We get in the British candy shops here something called horehound candy, I'll bet you could infuse that in rye whiskey and add honey, citrus peel and more sugar if needed.

A good rock and rye is great on its own as a specific or mixed with regular whiskey 50/50. Will watch for this one.

Gary

[T Comp]

They have a track record, Cooper Spirits, same folks who bring us St. Germain. I'll certainly buy a bottle to try. So, another LDI rye out in the wild ?

[awachatz]

I finally cracked my bottle. To me it is pure liquid candy, a cross between tutti frutti and bubblegum ice cream. Very unique. Not an everyday pour, but glad I picked up a bottle. The mint from the rye, citrus, and honey flavors fit well together. Its good to sip, but would likely be dynamite in a mixed drink.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

[Tony]

I am guessing this is not for sale in Michigan. Sounds tasty.

Best regards, Tony

[Josh]

I am guessing this is not for sale in Michigan. Sounds tasty.

Best regards, Tony

I think it is, actually. A month or so ago I was perusing the rye shelf at a local grocery store and some distributor-type person raved about it and then pretended to buy one in front of me.

[awachatz]

I bought mine in Livonia.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

[Tony]

Well all righty then, guess I am heading to Livonia today. Thanks.

Best regards, Tony

[Tony]

Got a bottle this week, good stuff.

When I look at their crazy website it talks about 84 proof. Have they lowered from the 98 I got or do they have two offerings?

Best regards, Tony

[ethangsmith]

Interesting website. It's totally different than the one they had even a few months ago. I'm trying to figure out what's going on. It may be dropping in proof though. I think you may be right on that.

[ethangsmith]

Ok, I finally got the website to work- Apparently they changed their business plan or something. It's still Cooper Spirits, but instead of going after the historical aspects of Rock and Rye, they turned it into some nudie hipster stuff and watered it down to 84 proof. Sad, sad, sad. Another good product ruined!

[tanstaafl2]

Ok, I finally got the website to work- Apparently they changed their business plan or something. It's still Cooper Spirits, but instead of going after the historical aspects of Rock and Rye, they turned it into some nudie hipster stuff and watered it down to 84 proof. Sad, sad, sad. Another good product ruined!

Have never looked for this before (and wasn't really looking this past weekend) but stumbled upon it while looking for other stuff.

Unfortunately it was the lower proof nudie hipster stuff so I passed!

[joen]

Greetings all, first time here. Full disclosure, I'm the VP Marketing at Cooper Spirits, and I wanted to tell you a bit more about Slow & Low (if you'll forgive me).

We are big rye whiskey enthusiasts here, and we often bemoaned the lack of product integrity in the so-called "flavored whiskey" category. As I'm sure you're aware, there is plenty of caramel color and dubious neutral grain spirits with 'whiskey flavoring' out there. We wanted to create a bottled whiskey cocktail that people who actually love whiskey could enjoy on its own - something to just open and pour.

In the summer of 2011, we introduced a prototype of Slow & Low to our friends in the bar trade at Tales of the Cocktail, down in New Orleans. It was indeed a 98 proof product that used a six year straight rye as its foundation. While it was warmly received, even this hardcore crew of drinkers were getting absolutely floored after a couple of drinks. We wanted to create a serious product for whiskey drinkers, but this had professionals rolling around on the sidewalks. In addition to turning well-meaning adults into threats to public decency, the extremely high proof also had consequences for the flavor profile. We wanted real rye whiskey spice and character, but we wanted a balanced drink that you could enjoy sipping as much as shooting. Because we feel that most of the products currently available are too syrupy and sweet, there was no way we were going to add more honey or sugar to achieve that balance. We determined the ideal sugar content by crafting our ideal Old Fashioned (with a bar spoon of sugar) and using a hydrometer - they came out to right around 5% sugar by volume, which is what we use in Slow & Low.

The new Slow & Low now stands at a humane 84 proof. The foundation is still straight rye whiskey, and we are using a blend of straight ryes aged from 2 years to 10 years. It is still predominantly six year straight rye, but the younger and older whiskies allow us to achieve that balance. We now feel we have a much better drinking product, balancing the spicy rye whiskey, the citrus peel (we use air-dried navel oranges from Florida - good enough to chew on their own, even better soaked in whiskey), a touch of honey (100% raw honey, sourced locally from Western Pennsylvania), and horehound (an herb commonly found in bitters, as well as vintage candies and drops).

I wanted to be fully transparent here, no marketing hocus pocus, because we admire and respect the serious whiskey drinker. It's why we created the product in the first place, and I would hate for you to dismiss it outright because of the lower proof or because of a packaging refresh. We are a very small, family-owned company and we are driven by a passion to create integrity-driven products. Thanks for hearing me out!

---

Have never looked for this before (and wasn't really looking this past weekend) but stumbled upon it while looking for other stuff.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]16003[/ATTACH]

Unfortunately it was the lower proof nudie hipster stuff so I passed!

[squire]

Thanks for taking the time to post.

[tanstaafl2]

As one of the recent posters in this thread no need to ask for forgiveness on my account. I for one welcome the opportunity for open discourse with the people behind the products. Thanks for stopping in to provide your insight!

While the new website marketing probably isn't really aimed at me (a 50+ "non-hipster" in just about every way possible!) I appreciate the willingness to reach out to us. As a member of a group that routinely drinks straight whiskey at proofs well above 100 I kind of have to wonder a bit about those hardcore drinkers getting bombed on this (I am guessing maybe other things were also consumed given what I have heard about TOTC!) but I am willing to consider putting both that and the interesting marketing approach aside and consider the merit of this product based on the contents in the bottle.

Can you share whether you part of the contingent of producers who acquires their rye whiskey from our friends in Lawrenceburg, IN? Can't recall what, if anything, the bottle indicated.

I should note that, as a big fan of AE rum cask rye (who have acknowledged that their rye came from MGPI), I have no problems at all with that distiller as a source and am curious to know primarily in the pursuit of honesty in marketing.

[joen]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I look forward to learning a lot from everyone!

We use a proprietary blend of aged straight rye whiskies from across the US and Canada, including some (but certainly not exclusive to) MGPI.

As one of the recent posters in this thread no need to ask for forgiveness on my account. I for one welcome the opportunity for open discourse with the people behind the products. Thanks for stopping in to provide your insight!

While the new website marketing probably isn't really aimed at me (a 50+ "non-hipster" in just about every way possible!) I appreciate the willingness to reach out to us. As a member of a group that routinely drinks straight whiskey at proofs well above 100 I kind of have to wonder a bit about those hardcore drinkers getting bombed on this (I am guessing maybe other things were also consumed given what I have heard about TOTC!) but I am willing to consider putting both that and the interesting marketing approach aside and consider the merit of this product based on the contents in the bottle.

Can you share whether you part of the contingent of producers who acquires their rye whiskey from our friends in Lawrenceburg, IN? Can't recall what, if anything, the bottle indicated.

I should note that, as a big fan of AE rum cask rye (who have acknowledged that their rye came from MGPI), I have no problems at all with that distiller as a source and am curious to know primarily in the pursuit of honesty in marketing.

[ethangsmith]

Well this certainly changes my outlook on the product. While I really love the high proof of the original, I will be sure to buy a new lower proof one and I hope it's as excellent as the 98 proof version. It's not often we get someone on here taking the time to answer questions! Thank you! My only concern is the hipster look the product has taken. I understand this is the new whiskey crowd, but are you risking alienating the traditional Eastern Pennsylvania Rock and Rye drinkers? It's too bad you can't keep both versions (The 98 and 84 proof) as I buy the 98 proof in quantity during the winter months. My wife and I kill colds and flus with the stuff. It Rocks! (Pun intended...)

[Josh]

Thanks for posting Joen! Very enlightening.

[MyOldKyDram]

Eh I kinda like the look of the product. Will certainly give it a go if I ever see it around. Thanks for taking the time to share with us!

[squire]

Not my cup of tea I'm afraid but I like the approach.

[p_elliott]

Welcome to the site! I'm not a fan of flavored whiskies so I probably won't be a customer but I sure do appreciate your openness with us. I hope you stick around and become a regular member of the site and lend your insights and opinions.

[Restaurant man]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I look forward to learning a lot from everyone!

We use a proprietary blend of aged straight rye whiskies from across the US and Canada, including some (but certainly not exclusive to) MGPI.

Thanks for the post. Always glad to have someone knowledgeable representing a product Offer info. Let me ask you, is there any truth to the rumor that you guys bought up all the Alberta 10 year old rye? I noticed that Jefferson's is moving their rye source to Indiana and heard that whistle pig is having to negotiate with you guys for access to their source of rye.

[squire]

Oh that's a good rumor, let's start that.

[Restaurant man]

Oh that's a good rumor, let's start that.

Hoping to confirm or dispel it actually. Rumor has already been started beyond my control.

[joen]

Interesting rumor

Our founder, Rob Cooper, has always been a huge rye whiskey enthusiast - far before it came back into vogue. Several years ago, we did acquire a healthy stock of straight rye whiskey, including some of the best aged straight rye we've ever come across. No hyperbole here - we've tasted it with some of the most notable folks in the whiskey world and many people say it's the best straight rye they've ever had.

The slight inaccuracy in the rumor is the age of the straight rye. The stock we acquired is not the same liquid in Whistlepig, but in fact an older and rarer stock. We will be releasing the product this Fall, and I will be sure to share the news with you here as soon as I'm able.

Hoping to confirm or dispel it actually. Rumor has already been started beyond my control.