Alberta Rye Whisky Dark Batch is made from a mingling of 12 year old rye and 6 year old small pot rye, which together comprise 91% of the whisky. The remaining 9% is split between 8% Bourbon and 1% Sherry. The Bourbon used for the blend is Jim Beam’s high-rye Old Grand-Dad.

Alberta Distillers Ltd. is North America’s largest producer of Rye. The distillery, which has been in operation since 1946, was built in southern Alberta because the area’s dry climate and high altitude are ideal for rye crop growth, according to Beam Suntory.

Company: Beam Suntory

Distillery: Alberta Distillers, LTD

Location: Canada, bottled in Deerfield, IL

Mash bill: 91% Rye, 8% Bourbon, 1% Sherry

Age: NAS.

ABV: 45% (90 proof)

Released: Ongoing

Price: $26

Color: Strawberry Blonde, Ginger girl.

Nose: Sweet nose with rye spice (shocking, I know.) Definitely getting some dark brown sugar, cherry, and vanilla.

Taste: Rye spice, but also has some sweetness, this has a good balance of the two.  Also, has a bit of bitterness sort of coffee/dark chocolate-like, that I rather enjoy in this whisky.

Finish: Slow sweet burn with a slightly bitter end.

Overall: We signed up for one of those whisk(e)y of the month club deals, and this was one of the bottles we received. It’s not something I would probably gravitate towards naturally, but ended up being a pretty interesting whisky. The sherry adds some sweetness on top of the Bourbon to mellow the rye out a bit, and it’s done very nicely.

Another note: Alberta Rye has some really awesome looking cocktails listed on their site, here, which I will definitely be testing out soon. I’m eyeballing that Rye Squeeze and that Rye & Chai. ? Watch out, meow.

Rating: 3/5