ThomasH Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 An article in todays Des Moines Register states that Tepleton Rye is currently made in Indiana but that the company plans to start distilling later this year in a newly expanded 12,000 sq. ft. facilicty in Iowa. It also says the rye is aged at least 4 years. Elsewhere in the article it also says that the rye is currently available in Iowa and Illinois!Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Indiana, so that Lawrenceburg plant..?Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Seagram's had owned the Lawrenceburg distillery (making gin I know), sold it to Pernod Ricard, which in turn sold the plant to CL Financial, the principal of Angostura distillery of Trinidad and Tobago.It sounds as if Seagram or PR may have run a batch of rye whiskey for the Templeton concern and possibly this is continuing. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasH Posted June 6, 2008 Author Share Posted June 6, 2008 I had read quite a while back that Lawrenceburg made quite good rye that was never bottled on its own but rather was produced as one of the component whiskeys that was blended into Seagrams 7!Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Ah, well that would explain it further. There is another distillery in Indiana, Starlight Distillery, which is an outgrowth of Huber Winery in Borden. The Starlight has distilled brandy from wines made at Huber. See www.starlight.com, I'd like to try that brandy. However I'd guess that the Templeton rye was sourced from the plant in Lawrenceburg Seagram had owned.That rye is a nice product (mild, flavorful, balanced), so nice I am surprised that Seagram wouldn't have sold it on its own. One of my relations has a handle of circa-1980 Seagram 7 in a Florida condo. It is an excellent drink of whiskey and certainly must contain a proportion of rye whiskey made in Lawrenceburg.Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barturtle Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Suddenly, I'm much more interested in geting my hands on some of this...I had always guessed it to be one of the usual bulks...but this is much more interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I'm quite certain Huber's didn't produce the Templeton rye. I spent some time there recently and their distilling operation is not that far along. If Seagram's produced it at Lawrenceburg, and I'm not convinced, it was not produced "for" Templeton. It would have been existing straight rye that Templeton merely acquired.That Seagram's produced it at Lawrenceburg is possible, but I am still skeptical. It's possible the product is being bottled...hence technically "produced" there...but wasn't distilled there.Who made it is an interesting question because it's a good straight rye. Scott Bush (Templeton's owner) could simply tell us.The Des Moines Register story is here. It's the head of the Iowa ABC, not Bush, who says "Indiana." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barturtle Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I once ran across a bottling called Seagram's 5 Star Rye Whiskey on a online liquor store...I was quite interested in procuring a bottle, but when I was in the area the physical store was closed that day......so that at least provides some evidence that Seagram's makes/made such a product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillman Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 That would be a Canadian blend though, Tim, it is sold here as such. It may well use straight rye made at Lawrenceburg although I'd have thought all the distillery inputs are made in Canada, except maybe for aged S-W apparently going into Crown Royal, but it is a typical Canadian blended whisky.I guess it is possible Templeton rye was only bottled in Lawrenceburg, but I believe it was distilled there too. Not in the sense of being made to order, but broadly in the sense that Seagram made some surplus rye available for the new venture in Iowa. This is indeed an inference from what the Iowa official was quoted as saying.In my view, the Russell's Reserve rye is similar in style to this Templeton rye, i.e., mild and soft in palate, albeit apparently different in origin.Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozilla Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 From the information I have looked at.....Iowa is the only listed place of origin for the operation. They list in their label applications some information....being they make three different products. 1. straight rye 2. rye 3. other (not described).That is about all the info that is listed on the TTB website from 06 to present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 The TTB tells us very little as the locations listed, except in the case of bonds, can be any place-of-business the company chooses. Back when Seagrams was Seagrams, the straight whiskey component of Seagram's Seven was made at Four Roses. Even after Four Roses was sold, they were contracted to sell half of their output to Diageo.I have heard that there is a small whiskey distillery inside the Indiana facility, but I believe they have only used it to make corn whiskey and other spirits for their blends that would be used green or aged in used cooperage, but not straight whiskey of any kind. It's possible the Templeton Rye was distilled and aged at Lawrenceburg, Indiana, but unlikely.As has been suggested, Pernod may have had some straight rye in Indiana for blending, then decided it was surplus and sold it to Templeton. It could even have been rye made at Pernod's Wild Turkey plant. Remember, nobody sells bulk whiskey except when they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Not having tasted it ....does Templeton have a distinctive flavor or is it similar to another Rye that may point to its origin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILLfarmboy Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Not having tasted it ....does Templeton have a distinctive flavor or is it similar to another Rye that may point to its origin?I haven't had a wide variety of ryes to compare it to, but Templeton has a very soft cotton candy quality. It is the sweetest rye I have ever had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callmeox Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 It is definitely different than the RR or Baby Saz. Along with the cotton candy-ish sweetness that Brad mentions, I get strong dried fruit (figs/plums) on the nose and lots of clove and pepper throughout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 It's about $39 at Sams. For that price is it worth a try?Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cigarnv Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 That seems like a pricey rye if it is not exceptional, IMO.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILLfarmboy Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 It's around 26 dollars here. 39 dollars? ouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILLfarmboy Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 It's around 26 dollars here. 39 dollars? ouchMy mistake. After going back and re-reading this thread I realized cas's statement was about Templeton. Somehow, I thought he was referring to Baby Saz. Templeton is 36 dollars around these parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Well, I passed. I realized it was 80 proof which is a bit light for my taste. I did get a bottle of the baby Saz though - I think it was in the low $20s less than it costs me in MI.Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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