TN Spirits: Ryemageddon by Corsair Distillery

Price: approx. $45 for a 750mL bottle
Purchased at Corsair Distillery

Background

In late April this year I was in Nashville for the day. Along with doing the first video in our “10 Minute Tours” series (said video to premiere soon!), I was given a private tasting session with one of the founders of Corsair Distiller, Andrew Webber. Andrew walked me through the whiskies that Corsair currently makes and one stood out enough to me that I decided to immediately buy a bottle and make sure to put it in the rotation for the “Tennessee Spirits” series. That whiskey was Ryemageddon.

Corsair opened the doors of their Nashville distillery just over 5 years ago, having established themselves in neighboring Kentucky while working to change the laws in the Volunteer State. In order to create a truly unique identity in the whiskey world, they concentrated on unusual and experimental mash bills (and continue to do so). One of their early successes was Wry Moon. Originally created for bartenders as a cocktail base, this rye-heavy moonshine soon garnered a following that practically forced Webber to bottle and sell the product in local stores. It continued to grow in popularity until he finally had to put a halt to sales in order to get some in barrels for aging, which was always the intention.

Made from a mash bill that is an impressive 88% rye (80% malted rye and 8% chocolate rye), Ryemageddon won a silver medal at the 2012 American Distillers Institute Awards. It is bottled at 46% ABV (92 proof).

Notes

I don’t know exactly how long Ryemageddon is aged in oak, but the color is deep and rich. I had it sitting on my desk next to a bottle of W. L. Weller Antique and the color was very similar, with the Weller perhaps having a touch more red to it.

I poured about two fingers of whiskey into the “Corsair Distillery” glass Andrew gave me when I did the tour…I guess you’d have to call this an “official tasting glass.” The funneled shape is large enough for all but the biggest of noses to get into. I noted a yeasty, bready aroma right up front, along with lesser notes of oak and vanilla.

The first time I tried Ryemageddon I was surprised at how little spice it had, since “high rye” bourbons and most other rye whiskies are characterized by an elevated peppery note. It’s the same now. Mostly I got a grainy, cereal flavor at first, which melts into subtle coffee, unsweetened chocolate, and vanilla notes, before some pepper comes in to spice things up at the end.

In deciding what to pair with the Ryemageddon, I first had to throw out my “1st Rule of Bourbon and Cigar Pairing,” which is that nearly any Bourbon will pair decently with nearly any cigar. While that’s one thing I like about Bourbons and other corn-based whiskies, it is also something that limits their complexity a bit. This rye monster will need something medium to full in body, but probably not too full because it might stomp out the whiskey’s more subtle notes. Something with earthy and woody characteristics, but not a huge amount of sweetness. The day I wrote this, I opted for a Herrera Esteli (made by Drew Estate) Lonsdale and it turned out to be an excellent accompaniment. Other good possibilities would include Crowned Heads’ Headley Grange, Tatuaje’s Brown Label (not the Broadleaf-wrapped Reserva models, though) or 262’s Revere.