ORIGIN: U.S.A
95% Rye, 5% Barley
116.2 Proof
SWEET REDEMPTION
Redemption Whiskey was originally launched by Bardstown Barrel Selections in 2010 with an explicit purpose: “To bring back rye whiskey to its rightful place.” Industry veterans Dave Schmier and Michael Kanbar created the brand after serendipitously coming across a collection of choice rye whiskey barrels they felt were the ideal representation of the classic American spirit. Schmier explained where they were coming from in a company statement in 2010: “Michael and I both have a passion for Rye, as the inspiration for so many classic cocktails, it is natural that Rye is experiencing a resurgence in interest from the mixology community given today’s cocktail culture. For us, the renewed popularity of rye represents a ‘Redemption’ of sorts, for this segment.” Their initial release was a straight rye with a blend of six- to ten-year-old whiskeys sourced from the Midwest Grain Products distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
YOU DOWN WITH MGP?
Midwest Grain Products or MGP for short is the largest supplier of rye whiskey in the United States. In addition to rye, they are also a leading supplier of bourbons, gins, and vodkas. You may be thinking, “How come I’ve never heard of MGP if they’re the largest supplier?” The overwhelming majority of the spirits they produce are sold to other distillers, bottlers, and wholesalers who either bottle the MGP product as is and sell it under their own brand or barrel age it to give the whiskey their own additional characteristics before bottling.
Regardless of how you feel about this practice, it is reality and it isn’t new or exclusive to the spirits world. The only problems that arise are when companies market their product as something that it is not. If you take pleasure in this sort of legal wrangling look up the Templeton Rye class-action lawsuit. That isn’t the case with Redemption who states plainly on their website that, “Redemption Whiskey is carefully hand-crafted in the river town of Lawrenceburg, Indiana at the 172-year-old MGP Distillery – Whisky Advocate’s 2015 Distiller of the Year.”
FROM WINE TO WHISKEY
In mid-2015, after five years of impressive growth, Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits acquired the Redemption Whiskey portfolio, including Redemption Straight Rye Whiskey, Redemption High Rye Bourbon, Redemption Bourbon, Riverboat Rye, White Whiskey and Limited Edition Barrel Selections. You know Deutsch mostly for their impressive stable of popular wines like Josh Cellars, Joseph Carr, Ramón Bilbao, Yellowtail, and Layer Cake among others.
Since the acquisition Deutsch released ten-year, barrel proof expressions of the Rye, High-Rye Bourbon, and a nine-year Bourbon with the help of master blender Dave Carpenter who Deutsch Family brought on board in 2018 after stints at Jim Beam and craft distiller Jeptha Creed. Carpenter’s expertise in aging and batching the whiskeys is what sets Redemption apart from other bottlers and his work has not gone unnoticed. Redemption has hauled in an impressive amount of gold medals and high marks in spirit competitions and challenges. Most recently their barrel proof bourbon captured double-gold in the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Regardless of how you feel about this practice, it is reality and it isn’t new or exclusive to the spirits world. The only problems that arise are when companies market their product as something that it is not. If you take pleasure in this sort of legal wrangling look up the Templeton Rye class-action lawsuit. That isn’t the case with Redemption who states plainly on their website that, “Redemption Whiskey is carefully hand-crafted in the river town of Lawrenceburg, Indiana at the 172-year-old MGP Distillery – Whisky Advocate’s 2015 Distiller of the Year.”
FROM WINE TO WHISKEY
In mid-2015, after five years of impressive growth, Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits acquired the Redemption Whiskey portfolio, including Redemption Straight Rye Whiskey, Redemption High Rye Bourbon, Redemption Bourbon, Riverboat Rye, White Whiskey and Limited Edition Barrel Selections. You know Deutsch mostly for their impressive stable of popular wines like Josh Cellars, Joseph Carr, Ramón Bilbao, Yellowtail, and Layer Cake among others.
Since the acquisition Deutsch released ten-year, barrel proof expressions of the Rye, High-Rye Bourbon, and a nine-year Bourbon with the help of master blender Dave Carpenter who Deutsch Family brought on board in 2018 after stints at Jim Beam and craft distiller Jeptha Creed. Carpenter’s expertise in aging and batching the whiskeys is what sets Redemption apart from other bottlers and his work has not gone unnoticed. Redemption has hauled in an impressive amount of gold medals and high marks in spirit competitions and challenges. Most recently their barrel proof bourbon captured double-gold in the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
TASTING NOTES
This ten-year-old, barrel proof rye whiskey opens with a rich, buttery nose that shows the extra time in the barrel has imparted tons of bourbon-like notes of caramel, butterscotch, and oak along with the minty rye spice and green apple in the background. The ten years in the barrel go a long way towards softening up the rye spiciness; there are times where it tastes closer to a high-rye bourbon than a straight rye. To me this characteristic makes it an ideal crossover whiskey for bourbon lovers to set off on their journey into rye. On the palate you get much more of the rye spice and heat but it’s coated with green apple and even more caramel. Surprisingly you don’t get a lot of oak flavors but you do feel the tannins from it.
Cigar Pairing: Undercrown Maduro
PAIRING NOTES
Finding the right pairing for the Redemption 10 Year Rye felt like trying to open a door with a stranger’s set of keys. After falling on attempt after attempt I gave up trying to think about it and just lit cigar after cigar until I came to the Undercrown. The cigar on its own is loaded with dark chocolate, earth and ripe fruit sweetness but with the Redemption a surprising and absolutely delicious note of chocolate covers, buttery popcorn emerges on the finish. There’s no other way I know to describe that flavor but it was unique and made me almost finish the bottle.
