The other day we took a look at Templeton’s four-year single barrel product, which was one of their first bottles distilled onsite in Iowa that we’ve gotten our hands on. Templeton began distilling in their own whiskey in 2018 after a renovation of their Iowa distillery, which we generally consider a good thing — but sadly that window is not quite enough to get my hands on a six-year bottle from Iowa just yet. Which means that the bottle we have before us is actually from the MGP facility in the Hoosier State, but is still one of the highest age statements we’ve seen from this producer.
History
Prohibition in the United States wasn’t exactly universally beloved (to put it mildly). While it may have been the law of the land, a significant chunk of the country felt that it was an unjust imposition — and decided that if they weren’t allowed to buy whiskey, they would just make it themselves.
That feeling extended to Templeton, Iowa, where a group of citizens in the small town of only 350 residents decided to start distilling their own whiskey. During prohibition, the town would produce a rye whiskey that would come to be known as “The Good Stuff”, which helped lubricate not only their small town but also others far and wide.
With the end of prohibition, the demand for illegal whiskey saw a sharp decline and not long after the distilling operations there ceased.
The tradition would be resurrected in 2002, when Meryl Kerkhoff (son of one of the distillers in that original group from Templeton) joined with Scott Bush and California based spirits production company Infinitum Spirits to restart production on the famous rye whiskey brand. (Infinitum Spirits is the same company behind Skrewball, by the way).
Product
When Templeton was originally revived as a brand, despite being “produced and bottled” by the new Templeton Rye Spirits, LLC based in Templeton, Iowa, their whiskey was actually distilled and aged by the mass production facility MGP in Indiana. That fact wasn’t originally clear enough, though, and as the result of a class action lawsuit brought against them, Templeton Rye was forced to add the clarifying statement “distilled in Indiana” to their bottles. This bottle is another product that seems to have not been actually made by Templeton, but instead distilled by MGP and only finished by Templeton.
As a rye whiskey, this starts with a mixture of grains that is required to be at least 51% rye. As to what the other portion of grains are…. well, that’s a mystery known only to MGP. Once cooked and fermented, the resulting slightly-alcoholic-beer is distilled and then placed into charred new oak barrels for a period of time. In this case, the bottle claims that the whiskey has been aged a minimum of six years prior to bottling. Once finished, the whiskey is reportedly blended with other flavors to make it taste as close to prohibition era whiskey as possible.
When it’s time for bottling, the whiskey takes a road trip through Illinois from Indiana to Iowa. (It’s a shame that Idaho is not on the route – it would have been I-state-name bingo!) When it arrives in Iowa, Templeton bottles the whiskey in a bottle with their name on it and sends it to market.
Packaging
Templeton seems to have taken the opportunity over the last few years to completely redesign the bottle. After the lackluster effort to design a decent bottle for The Good Stuff rye, the design team really stepped up to the challenge.
The bottle is a medium height and round with an extra thick bottom that functions like the base of a classical pillar with “Templeton Distillery” embossed at the front. The bottle has a very slight outward flare moving from the bottom to the top, and a gently curving shoulder to a medium length neck. There is some additional detail at the mouth of the bottle in the form of two slightly thicker rings, rather than the usual single bump. I’m not sure if this is intentionally engineered for a smoother pour or not — but either way, the rye does pour very smoothly over the rings. The entire thing is topped with a dark wood and synthetic cork.
The labeling is minimal, but well done. At the bottom is a green label with gold and white printing with the name of the distillery and highlighting the age of the whiskey. There is another similarly colored label around the neck, once again reminding you that every drop in this bottle is at least six years old.
The Templeton logo in a stylized font and a shaft of grain (rye, I assume) are also embossed on the middle of the bottle. The fact that the bottle utilizes higher-cost embossing over a label not only classes up the product but also allows much of the dark amber whiskey to shine through, which I really enjoy.
Neat
The whiskey is a light golden color and has very little aroma. The most notable scent is mild oak, followed by some notes of black pepper and plum. There are no sweet notes coming off of this whiskey — it’s just spicy and, honestly, slightly off-putting to me.
As for the actual flavor, this is rather disappointing for a whiskey that has spent six years in a barrel. All I’m getting is a strong flavor reminding me of wet oak boards coming from the charred new American oak barrel. There are not any of the other common flavors that you get in a whiskey — notably absent are any sweet notes you might expect from something with a good bit of corn content.
Most of the flavors are in the strong, savory category. There are hints of black pepper and something with some heat that reminds me of a spicy serrano pepper, which persists through to the finish as you would expect with a rye — but the lingering flavor has a slightly sour note. It reminds me of a similar sour note that you get from a beer brewed with Brettanomyces yeast.
I am honestly disappointed, especially considering the fact that Templeton uses artificial additives to get their desired flavor from the whiskey coming from MGP. If this is the desired flavor, I have some serious questions about whoever is tasked with finding the right flavor.
On Ice
Apparently, ice is the key to opening up this whiskey. What was dull, spicy, and generally flat when sipped neat really opens up on a couple of rocks.
The first thing I notice are some fruity notes finally giving this whiskey some depth. It mostly comes across as a darker plum, but there is also some tart cherry. The cherry in particular gives me hints of the sour Brett yeast.
The strong spicy finish is more mellow now, as is the black pepper. However, the spice seems to be amped up just a bit — it reminds me of jalapeno beers, where you get that kick of capsaicin heat. I don’t think they put actual peppers in here, but it’s an interesting flavor to have in a whiskey.
Without a doubt, this is better on ice… but it’s still not a great rye whiskey.
Cocktail (Old Fashioned)
Just like drinking this on the rocks, the flavor is more complex than when drinking it neat. However, the cocktail falls disappointingly flat.
There were some glimmers of hope in those fruity notes that we saw on the rocks, but they are all but hidden behind the bitters. Not even the added sugar is doing much to save this cocktail.
You still get some minor flavors from the oak and rye spice, but just a very small amount. The best flavor in this cocktail is from the orange peel garnish. It’s not exactly praise when the best thing you can say about this old fashioned is that the garnish stands out.
Fizz (Mule)
I did not have high expectations for this cocktail, and well… at least it met those very low expectations.
All I taste in this cocktail is the ginger beer and lime. I’m struggling to find at least one flavor that comes from the whiskey, and I can’t find a drop of it. You can’t even taste the oakiness nor the spice that was clearly present before, it seems to have simply gotten lost in the sauce.
I could have just poured myself a glass of ginger beer and it would taste exactly the same as this cocktail.
Overall Rating
After tasting both the four-year product made in Iowa and this six-year product from Indiana, the difference is unmistakable. The four-year Iowa whiskey embraces the craftsmanship that comes from distilling and aging your product, while the six-year Indiana bottle feels like a missed opportunity. The depth and richness you expect from spending six years in a charred cask simply aren’t there. Where are the bold flavors that six years of seasonal cycles should have imparted?
When choosing a Templeton product, make sure to check the label for its origin. If you’re stuck between the six-year Hoosier bottle and the four-year Hawkeye bottle, trust me: go for Iowa’s short game. It’s got more flavor, more character, and worth savings a few dollars on your purchase.
| Templeton Rye Rye 6 Year Production Location: Indiana, United States Classification: Rye Whiskey Aging: 6 Years Proof: 45.75% ABV Price: $54.99 / 750 ml Overall Rating:   |
All reviews are evaluated within the context of their specific spirit classification as specified above. Click here to check out similar spirits we have reviewed.
Overall Rating: 1/5
Sometimes, quality over age truly makes all the difference.