Notes and Reviews for Whiskey Ring Podcast Episode 166: J. Rieger & Co. with Co-Founder Ryan Maybee

Kansas City, MO - land of barbecue, the Royals (yes, as a Mets fan it’s hard to type that), and, as it turns out, whiskey. LOTS of whiskey. And a hell of a lot of it came from J. Rieger.

For Episode 166 of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, I sat down with J. Rieger & Co. co-founder Ryan Maybee. Well, kind of co-founder - of the modern iteration, at least, starting in 2014.

The original J. Rieger & Co. was started in Kansas City in 1887 by Jacob Rieger, whose son Alexander turned out to be a master marketer. By including what we today would call memorabilia or swag with the catalogs of products, Alexander enticed people to buy whiskey through J. Rieger all across the country. The demand was particularly high heading west, as KC was a major starting point for those seeking a new life and new riches in the new states and territories towards the Pacific.

The Rieger name soon became widespread, and at its height it was the largest mail order purveyor of whiskey in the world. Rieger - and Kansas City as a whole - was able to capitalize on events such as Kansas’ state prohibition in 1881, transforming a state boundary into a division between where you could drink and where you couldn’t.

And yet, only a few escaped Prohibition - and none unscathed - and once 1919 rolled around, J. Rieger & Co. was out of business. It’s worth noting that Missouri itself never adopted the 18th Amendment, but when your business is so dependent on mail order, crossing state lines is a big no-no. Thus ended the tale of Kansas City whiskey for 95 years.

Then, Ryan, with a strong bartending and restaurant background, decided to step in. From this step came the first and now largest distillery in Kansas City since Prohibition, honoring the old while ushering in the new.

Below, you’ll find my tasting notes for each of the whiskies talked about on the episode.

Want to hear more of J. Rieger & Co.’s story? Listen to the Whiskey Ring Podcast at whiskeyringpodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts!

Thank you to J. Rieger & Co. for providing these bottles free of charge. All opinions are my own.

Whiskeyinmyweddingring.com is proudly sponsored by BAXUS, the global marketplace for the world’s most collectible spirits

J. Rieger & Co Sweet Mash Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Specs

Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Producer: J. Rieger & Co. Distillery

Mashbill: 56% Corn, 30% Rye, 14% Malted Barley

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Age: 4+ Years

Location: Kansas City, Missourt

J. Rieger & Co Sweet Mash Straight Bourbon Whiskey Price: $45

Official Website

J. Rieger & Co Sweet Mash Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Tasting Notes

Eye: Cream soda. Thin rims, thin legs with loose teardrops.

Nose: Corn-forward, especially for the relatively low corn content. Barrel char and drying tamales, mild astringency. Orange peel, very mild as well, straddling a sweet and savory line rather than being fruity. Corn warming in the oven with light spearmint in the back.

Palate: Caramel corn fresh from the kettle, much sweeter than the nose would suggest. Caramelizing stone fruit and warming whole grain bread, not grainy, more like the grains are being heated. Touch of orange oil. Mouthfeel is cooling, more filling than 90 proof would indicate. A bit piquant on the first half of my tongue as herbaceous rye opens late.

Finish: Tobacco (cigar wrappers in particular), Sunmaid raisins out of the small boxes. The rye starts to shine late, bringing astringency, some creaminess, and Assam black tea giving length and body on a medium length finish.

Overall: An enjoyable entry point. Flavors take a few minutes to reach their potential, and for 90 proof it is pleasantly mouthfilling. Curious what a few more proof points will do to open this up. Good for a summer/fall pour or in a classic cocktail.

Final Rating: 6.6

J. Rieger & Co Sweet Mash Straight Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey: Specs

Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Producer: J. Rieger & Co. Distillery

Mashbill: 56% Corn, 30% Rye, 14% Malted Barley

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: 4+ Years

Location: Kansas City, Missourt

J. Rieger & Co Sweet Mash Straight Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey Price: $60

Official Website

J. Rieger & Co Sweet Mash Straight Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey: Tasting Notes

Eye: Black tea. Thin rims, medium teardrops fall slowly and meld.

Nose: Very fruity, like opening a Sunmaid raisins box. Dark red fruits, a touch of astringency. Dark honey is there in those single serve plastic tubes (specific, I know, but there we are). Wheat bread and shoe leather freshly opened. Mild proof up the nose.

Palate: Dried red fruits and raisins continue with clove and allspice joining the mix. Lights the tongue up on the middle-to-front, more so than expected for the proof. Freshly oiled leather. Mouthfeel is mildly coating and creamy, sneaking around the sides of my tongue and even the back half. Dried orange peel, barely-there astringency, settling on the middle and sides of my tongue for the long haul.

Finish: A bit of cigar humidor emerges as a backdrop to the raisins, more astringent than on the nose or palate. Lacquers nicely on the mid palate and lingers for several minutes.

Overall: Significant upgrade on mouthfeel and complexity from the regular release, adding dried fruits and dark honey. The flavor is a clear departure from the classic KY bourbon profile while retaining just enough familiarity to keep you knowing it’s bourbon. The cask influence is also quite restrained, letting the liquid shine.

Final Rating: 7.2

J. Rieger Monogram Whiskey 2024 Edition: Specs

Classification: Kansas City Whiskey

Producer: J. Rieger & Co. Distillery

Mashbill: 56% Corn, 30% Rye, 14% Malted Barley

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: 4+ Years

Location: Kansas City, Missourt

J. Rieger Monogram Whiskey 2024 Edition Price: $130

Official Website

J. Rieger Monogram Whiskey 2024 Edition: Tasting Notes

Eye: Dark grade maple syrup. Medium rims, medium drops beading and falling slowly.

Nose: Whoa sherry! Strong right out of the gate, oloroso bomb with dark red fruit, dark pretzel crusts, toasted grains. Hard to pull the whiskey out from underneath, but keep in mind this is a style, not a sherry finishing. That pretzel crust note is as strong as the oloroso itself.

Palate: Whiskey-like astringency coats the front third of my tongue, the sherry still dominating the flavor profile. Something feels held back, like it was proofed too much or too fast. Oloroso-led nuts and red fruit. Pepper spice emerges late as the pour sits on my tongue. The whiskey just ekes out under the sherry as a nutty, toasted grain and corn caramelizing.

Finish: Caramel corn on the edge of burning with dried cranberries peppered throughout. Here, finally, the whiskey starts to balance out, but the sherry ultimately wins out. Medium length.

Overall: The primary key here is to remember this isn’t a bourbon. There might be that mashbill at the core, but the whole point of this “category” or “type” is to be infused with sherry, not even finished with it but truly blended with it. Without this caveat, the sherry easily will be seen as overwhelming the corn distillate.

Final Rating: 6.4

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