Distillery: ASW Distillery - Atlanta, GA
Proof: 125
Age: NAS
Mashbill: 100% Malted Rye (Including 4% Chocolate Malted Rye)
DISTILLERY'S BACKGROUND: ASW Distillery is a craft spirit distillery nestled in Atlanta, GA. The distillery was founded by Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson who met while at The University of Georgia. They both shared a love for whiskey and had family lineages tracing back to the 1700s in Ireland, England, and France where their ancestors dabbled in the spirit industry. Jim and Charlie went on to meet Justin Manglitz, a self-taught brewer, and after graduation, they launched American Spirit Whiskey in the heart of Atlanta, GA. The brand has flourished since its' inception winning many awards from renowned spirits competitions and even opened a location inside of the Atlanta Braves stadium where they got to celebrate their first year at the stadium by winning the world series! ASW has a unique production method combines traditional, Scottish-style double copper pot distillation (the method used to distill single malt whiskey for centuries) with innovative, Southern-style grain-in distillation (the grain treatment used in bourbon for centuries). ASW has many delicious spirits from their brand that we have reviewed and continue to review! If you have a chance, we strongly encourage checking them out at their distillery in ATL or get yourself a bottle to try!
WHISKEY'S BACKGROUND: ASW's Resurgens Rye is double copper pot distilled rye malt whiskey made with 100% malted rye aged in new American white oak barrels at a level 3 and 4 char. Resurgens Rye is a revival of the Appalachian-style Ryes of yore, where they distill from 100% malted rye (rather than the unmalted rye of most ryes). Sweeter & more chocolate-forward than a traditional rye, it maintains the stone fruit and spice you’d expect. Resurgens Rye is barreled at 110 - 115 proof before being bottled down to the usual 86 proof with he exception of their limited, cask strength release like this one. Resurgence Rye is non chill filtered and has no artificial flavoring or coloring added.
NOSE: Resurgence Rye has a wonderfully bold nose with scents of ginger, cinnamon, roasted chocolate, and dates. There is an undertone of snickerdoodle cookie, freshly baked rye bread, and oak. Overall, this was a wonderful surprise as we expected sharp and spicy rye notes to dominate with some ethanol burn, but, instead we were delighted by a nose that reminds us of walking into a bakery. (22/25)
PALATE: Like the nose, we were shocked by the flavors on this whiskey! Immediately noticable is the chewy, sweetness that coats your whole mouth. The feeling is then transformed into rich and chewy flavors of dark chocolate covered caramel, with hints of dark cherry, roasted candied nuts, and graham cracker crust right out of the oven. As the whiskey sits on the tongue your senses will begin to pick up on the proof but this goes down dangerously smooth! (37/40)
FINISH: The finish is very long and warm with delicious flavors of dark chocolate, toasted graham cracker, oak sugars, and freshly baked rye bread. The proof never burns but provides a very full and chewy feel. (22/25)
VALUE: Most ASW limited releases carry an SRP of around $85, we were unable to find the SRP of this limited release but assuming it is near the other limited releases this is a STEAL! We would pay up to $100 for this delicious whiskey. (9/10)
Overall: 90/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: ASW's Resurgens Rye Cask Strength whiskey is one of the best rye whiskeys we have ever had. This whiskey is smooth, incredibly flavorful, unique, and at a great price. If you get the chance to grab yourself a bottle, do so, you won't regret it! Be sure to check out ASW Distillery and try any of their whiskeys!
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: TBD, not many whiskeys have a similar flavor profile
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Little Book Ch 4
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Chocolate Malted Rye
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
Comments