A. D Laws Secale Straight Rye Whisky

A.D. Laws Whiskey House is a grain to glass distillery in Denver Colorado, using sour-mash, open fermentation and locally grown grains. Secale Straight Rye is a 95% Heritage rye mash, with barley rounding out the grain bill, of the rye grains, only half are malted. Column distilled, and aged for at least 24 months on charred oak, it is bottled at 100 proof.

It pours a lovely, light blonde copper, with some rosy highlights. The nose brings a bitter, cosmic-brownie chocolate, with a buttery, oily texture over a background of classic rye dill and a hint of vanilla. The palate follows on the herbal, spicy aromas, with a very slight oak presence; the vanilla and chocolate are all but vanished until after the swallow. Quite a bit of perceived heat for the proof, with a lingering reminder of that cosmic brownie.

Like snack food on a long bus trip, with a nagging scent of industrial cleaner and not quite enough room to breathe; it's toothsome in a way, but overall somewhat unsatisfying.

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