SEPTEMBER'S SPIRIT OF THE MONTH- RYE & SONS STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY

September’s Spirit of the Month is Rye & Sons Straight Rye Whiskey, made by Andre Mack. Most of you probably know Andre Hueston Mack from his work on YouTube or Bon Appetite helping make wine more relatable to people who are new to the topic. The wines he makes under the label Maison Noir Wines were created to be introductions to people learning about wine. Andre’s goal of making approachable libations for newcomers has expanded into whiskey with his newest project Rye & Sons Straight Rye Whiskey. Floral rye spice up front leads to notes of fennel and soft apple. Shortbread cookie, more rye spice and hints of brown sugar on the finish. This is an approachable Rye for people wanting to explore that world of whiskey. And if you’re a fan of Rye like me, this is an awesome Rye to have in your collection for something to drink on a weekday or put into cocktails.

Andre is getting his rye whiskey by sourcing from two distilleries in Kentucky, one in Danville and one in Frankfort. If I was to guess which facilities were helping Mr. Mack with sourcing his Whiskey, safe bets would be Lawrenceburg Bourbon Company and Castle & Key. Rye & Sons Straight Rye Whiskey is also a good example of showing that not all sourced whiskeys are the same. Around 10 years ago, a brand that I will not name got into a lot of trouble for claiming that their rye whiskey was from a recipe the founder stumbled upon in their grandfather’s attic. Turns out that wasn’t true at all, they were buying, or sourcing, their rye from a distillery in Indiana where a lot of big brand whiskeys are made. When news broke out about this, it turned a lot of folks off source whiskey.

While the anti-sourced wave has settled, there are still people out there that think all sourced whiskeys are the same. I would challenge those people to try Andre Mack’s Rye & Sons Straight Rye Whiskey and tell me that it taste the same as some of those big brands. Because anyone can just buy aged whiskey and put their label on it. But a true artist of the blend like Andre Mack is taking whiskey from two different sources, masterfully blending them together to bring a product that is approachable for newcomers but familiar to the ones who have been there before.