“ Surprisingly , the female portion of whiskey ’ s consumer base is growing much faster than the male . Women want bold flavors , and are not looking for girly whiskey .”
WHISKEY | AMERICAN MADE
idly gaining enthusiasts . And producers are rushing to supply quality ryes to the market .
For example , Anchor Distilling recently introduced Hirsch Small Batch 8-Year-Old High Rye Straight Bourbon Whiskey , which marries together two mash bills – one with 21 % rye and another with 36 % rye , resulting in a high rye content that adds spiced character while balancing the sweet notes of corn sourced from Indiana and Ohio , according to Carr . ( An historic note : Anchor ’ s iconic Old Potrero was the first pot-distilled rye whiskey released after Prohibition .)
Building on the success of Bulleit Bourbon , the company added a rye expression . “ Bulleit Rye is the best-selling rye in the U . S .,” Kelly says .
“ Rye has been hot for a while now ; the growth rates have been staggering ,” Wahl says . Heaven Hill ’ s Rittenhouse Rye brand has long been a favorite of bartenders . “ That brand really caught fire and led some of the growth in rye whiskey ,” notes Wahl . The company ’ s Pikesville Rye brand has been reformulated and repackaged and is now available nationally , albeit in limited amounts .
“ This summer , we will offer three different expressions of rye whiskey through the Distillery Series and we look to expand our popular Double Double Oaked Distillery Series bottlings with the potential for wider distribution ,” says Bacon at Woodford .
“ Surprisingly , the female portion of whiskey ’ s consumer base is growing much faster than the male . Women want bold flavors , and are not looking for girly whiskey .”
— TOM STEFFANCI , PRESIDENT OF DEUTSCH FAMILY WINE & SPIRITS
36 StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2017