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image courtesy JW Kelly
750mL bottle
- ~$50
- Gifted by a friend
Background
Does being there at the start count? Probably not. But I was able to taste a couple pre-release versions of J.W. Kelly’s Melrose Rye due to the fact that I know the brand owners and they were testing out various barrel aging times and proofs. The first taste I had was of a 110 proof version that had about two weeks in the extra-aging barrels and it was astounding. Despite being a very high alcohol content AND being a rye whiskey, neither heat nor spice came through strongly.
But let’s back up a bit. J.W. Kelly was an Irish immigrant who moved to Tennessee during the Civil War, selling whiskey to the troops in Nashville. After the war, he intended to go back to New York City, but went by way of Chattanooga…and he never left. He became one of Chattanooga’s top purveyors of whiskey blends and tobacco products before starting his own distillery, which continued until around the time of Prohibition. A couple years back a group of Chattanoogans revived the label and started producing new whiskies inspired by their namesake.
Melrose Rye Whiskey is a rather unique product. It begins with a fully-aged Kentucky rye whiskey, that is brought to Chattanooga and paired with Amarone wine barrels brought from Italy. After just a few weeks in the barrels, the rye is proofed, bottled and distributed. Distribution is currently about 40 states, but supplies are somewhat limited. I’ve seen Melrose Rye around my neck of the woods for about $60 a bottle, but I saw it online for $45 and $55, so price will vary wildly depending on your state’s laws and taxes. I do have it on good authority that the company is actively trying to reduce the prices of their products. They have already lowered the price of Old Milford Bourbon once and it could happen again. Anything they can do to get these products in more hands would be very welcome.
Notes
Melrose Rye is a medium amber color in the glass, not nearly as dark as the Old Milford Bourbon, but more like the color of an average Bourbon. Putting it to my nose, the first aroma I pick up is the rich red wine. Honestly, it’s almost like nosing a glass of wine or sticking your head inside a used wine barrel. Sniff harder, though, and you’ll start to pick up some vanilla and oak floating up from underneath.
Taking a sip and holding it at the front of my mouth, I immediately got the beautiful, sweet and floral wine notes. That was followed by honey and vanilla, then finally the rye spice as I let the whiskey go down my throat. The spice lingered a long time. The balance is just right, with the sweetness up front unlike anything else I’ve ever had in a rye whiskey, but the peppery character of the grain coming back into prominence before the sip goes away.
I decided to pair the Melrose with a cigar that was also sweet and spicy, Tatuaje’s Pork Tenderloin. Sadly, I only had two of these left…and now I only have one. I really wish Pete Johnson would just go ahead and make this a regular release. Take my money! If you’re not familiar with this one, it’s a Nicaraguan blend for filler and binder, along with a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. It delivers tons of chocolatey sweetness as well as a tremendous amount of pepper spice riding on a medium-to-full-bodied smoke.
This pairing worked very well. If you can’t get your hands on a Pork Tenderloin, try pairing the Melrose Rye with any a Tatuaje Brown Label Broadleaf or Avion 13, a Padron 1964 Maduro, or an A.J. Fernandez New World.
No big surprise…I loved the JW Kelly Melrose Rye. I’ve always enjoyed rye whiskies (not referring to the Canadian rye varieties), although not as much as Bourbons. This unique rye expression is eye-opening and fantastic, taking the flavor profile in a totally new direction, while not losing out completely on what rye is supposed to be.
