Frey Ranch Bottled-In-Bond Rye Whiskey
I tend to go through phases of whiskey - drink mostly single malts for a month, then bourbons, then ryes - it’s kind of like a never-ending buffet with a slowly changing theme.
Looking back, rye phases tend to be some of my most persistent, especially ones that are heavy on the richness (not sweetness) or are particularly unique. A blast of black licorice that rivals an absinthe? I’m in. Coating and full-bodied, caramel-covered herbs? Done.
Especially that black licorice…it must be a family thing. My grandmother and my dad both love the flavor, and we can all eat soft black licorice by the handful. I know it’s a divisive profile, but I just love it. My friend John tells me it’s a sign of a black, bitter soul.
Worth it.
I think you can see where I’m going here: Frey Ranch’s Bottled-in-Bond Rye Whiskey, made from a 100% rye mashbill grown entirely on their farmlands in Fallon, Nevada, is a licorice bomb. It’s not one-note: there’s plenty of richness and baking spice, too, but it won’t be mistaken for either a 95/5 or a sweeter Maryland/Kentucky-style rye.
Why 100% rye? Well, you’ll have to take a listen to my episode with Colby and Ashley Frey of Frey Ranch Distillery on the Whiskey Ring Podcast.
Thankfully, their rye is an all-year product. Situated in that beautiful growing area where it seems anything is arable, rye grows abundantly on the Frey’s farm. They choose to use winter cereal rye, the strain they determined would thrive the best (they tested it, too, through drought-stressing, irrigation comparisons, and crop rotation experiments). Just like the corn and other grains found in their Four-Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey, they had to find and grow the varietal that gave the best ratio of starch (high) and protein (low).
From there, the Freys experienced a typical rye progression, including the “explosion” it seems all distillers have to go through in a bizarre rite-of-passage. They pitched both enzymes and anti-foaming agents until finding the right balance: fill the fermenters half way. The foaming from CO2 trapped beneath the beta-glucans will expand to around the top, then will drop once the CO2 is released.
From there, the rye went through a double distillation and was barreled for maturation. All of the Frey’s rye is at least five years old, yet none of it tastes woody. It has a balance of oak and liquid where it lends mouthwatering astringency and body without sucking the life out of your palate.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of this rye is that Frey Ranch let the rye be on its own. It’s one thing to claim grain-to-glass or field-to-glass or whatever else, but another to allow your rye to be put under a microscope in all its glory. There’s no “oh this might be from the barley” or “that corn oil note is stronger than expected.” It’s just rye. Yes, enzymes could affect flavor (cough Dickel cough) as could the multiple yeasts used, but none of them are going to give that unmistakably black licorice profile you only get from a good rye.
Circling back to my original story, yes - this rye might be a little divisive based on whether you like Good & Plenty’s or think they’re the devil’s candy. If you have any inclination to anise, though, this is a complex rye you will enjoy as a sipper and also in an unusual Old Fashioned, where it cuts the sweetness quite well.
Frey Ranch Bottled-In-Bond Rye Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Straight Rye Whiskey
Origin: Frey Ranch Distillery
Mashbill: 100% Winter Rye
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Age: 5+ Years Old
Location: Nevada
Frey Ranch Bottled-In-Bond Rye Whiskey Price: $60.00
Frey Ranch Bottled-In-Bond Rye Whiskey: Tasting Notes
Eye: Reddish-amber - a great color. Thin rims slough off to medium legs.
Nose: Paint and chalky soil at first, odd but not off-putting, a thickness that builds into richness and darkness like the edges of a sticky toffee pudding. The rye isn’t spicy, but it is clearly rye. Bordering on umami.
Palate: Warm, baked rye bread, sweet with a front-tongue burn. Tons of black licorice, anisette, ouzo, your drink of choice here. Like rye and anise candies, just delicious. Mouthfeel is creamy and peppery. Medium-bodied with a quick-spreading proof and pepper burn over the whole tongue. White pepper in particular hits under and on the sides of my tongue, mildly coating in flavor but heavily coating in feeling.
Finish: Hangs on for a medium-length finish. Reminds me in feeling of a Gold Rush, the honey thickening the whiskey just a bit to become viscous without out-sweetening the pepper bite.
Overall: That black licorice is delightful. This is a great rye that holds up at 100º by itself, letting the grain shine through in all its glory.
Final Rating: 7.2
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
More Rye Reviews
