This one has Fleischmann and crew particularly excited. Rye whiskies tend to be bolder than other versions, but it's tough to find that particular grain growing in our fair state. Since Dry Fly uses only local ingredients, he was excited to discover that triticale, a hybrid of wheat and rye, can grow here naturally, even if it isn't indigenous.
The distillery team tried a sample batch and pronounced the results "amazing." That was nearly three years ago, and about 60 barrels have been ageing this whiskey since then. Fellow cofounder Don Poffenroth said that this might be the first time triticale whiskey has been produced commercially.
Triticale – Hybrid grain which is a cross between wheat and rye. First bred in Scotland and Sweden in the 1880's, originally for food products.
Nose: A far bigger and far richer nose than the Wheat whisky. Offering up ginger bread, cinnamon and dried fruit, you have all the subtlety of the wheat with the harder rye character fighting back.
Palate: Plenty of oak and spice, ginger nut biscuits, apple strudel and a distinctive flavor that I only get with well, Rye. Not quite as refined as the wheat whiskey, the rye is dominating the overall character with the subtle wheat charm losing out. The extra strength gives the mouth feel some real oomph.
Finish: The gingerbread comes back into the picture and a big hit of oak, spice and vanilla.
Overall: An interesting dram and would appeal to the whisk(e)y drinkers in pursuit of stronger flavor. Those of you who read these posts will know I'm very much of a peaty persuasion and although there's been no peat anywhere near this whiskey I really like it. Maybe it's not quite as refined as the wheat whiskey before, but it's got more guts and that ticks the boxes for me, whiskey you know you're drinking.
Gold Medal - 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Peggy Noe Stevens – 8.4
Nose: Delicate granola and vanilla. Cardamon spice that rounds out quickly to engage the peach and golden apple notes. Some oak and toasty crouton.
Palate: Apples and almonds with some toffee overlay and slight caramel. Grits and cereal tones that balances the earthiness.
Finish: A sense refinement without overdoing the spice.
Comments: Easy to drink really, and nice silky frame that is enhanced by that handsome spice flavor.Susan Reigler – 8.3
Nose. Vanilla cupcake with light caramel icing. A second noising reveals notes of rye grass.
Palate: The flavors in the mouth emerge in the same pattern as on the nose with the vanilla and sweet notes (icing) followed by the spices. There's something floral here, too.
Finish: The spices play around the tongue for quite a while before giving way to some rye grass and a dry ending.
Comments: The proof point seems just right for the balance of flavors.
- American Whiskey (June 2019)
"This hybrid of wheat and rye aged four years shows a surge of white pepper and stone fruit on the nose with echoing aromatics of caramel-coated ripe red apple and peanut. Unctuous and generous, this 90-proof spirit coats the palate with wheat bread, coffee-cedar, and bright tones of tangerine and new leather. With a textural dreaminess on the finish, it lengthens with a lean note of minerality that’s similar to the sensation of sipping black tea. - Meridith May"
- The Tasting Panel (November 2018), 96 pts
Dry Fly Distilling is a farm-to-bottle distillery in Spokane, Washington. They are a complete grain-to-glass operation, making vodka, gin and whiskey using only locally grown grains and botanicals. Their two ...
Read More
