Dark Northern Reserve Rye and Whiskey Labels

One of my favorite things here at The Vintage Gentlemen is reviewing whiskey from around the world, especially areas where I rarely get to travel to.  The whiskey we’re going to talk about in this review is from the far Northwest corner of the United States in Seattle, Washington.  They’ve produced a brand called Dark Northern Reserve Rye Whiskey.  This rye whiskey is distilled, barreled, and bottled at the Fremont Mischief Distillery in Seattle.

This particular distillery  falls among the craft distilleries/brands that we’ve talked about in the past with Koval and Amador Whiskey Co.  Much like Koval, they are using organic grains for their mash bill and sourcing the grains locally.  In regards to their Dark Northern Reserve Rye, what I really liked about the whiskey is how informative the label was.  It clearly listed the source of the grains, which were from Pacific NW Farms in Skagit Valley, WA and Willamette Valley, OR.  It also listed the barreled date of 02/13/2012 and the bottled date of 04/29/2-16, making this a four year rye.  As mentioned earlier, the whiskey was distilled, barreled, and bottled at the Fremont Mischief Distillery.  The whiskey was under the supervision of master distiller Mike Sherlock.  Typically, this information is not in clear sight and can sometimes be difficult to find out.  For an excellent post on some of the issues with labels within the in whiskey industry, read this excellent article “Taking Back Bourbon Labels” from a friend and whiskey expert at Bourbonr.

Most of you know I’m more of a bourbon guy than a rye, but I had to keep in mind I’m drinking a rye whiskey and need to compare it relative to other rye’s I’ve had.  With that mindset, I was genuinely pleased with the taste.  I found a complex flavor profile that any rye lover will enjoy.  If you have any plans for a trip out to Seattle, I would give these guys a visit and check out what they’re doing.