JK Williams Stormy River Rye
If Kentucky is synonymous with bourbon, an argument could be made that the area around the Great Lakes is synonymous with rye. As you get to those higher latitudes, corn gives way to more hardy crops like rye, barley, and others. More specifically to whiskey, you also start hitting Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois, all rye producing states.
Continuing with the association, when most people think rye they immediately go to their favorite rye style, whether it be the MGP 95/5, the Pennsylvania/Monongahela 100%, the Maryland barely-legal, or the middle-ground Kentucky Rye.
But what if there was an Illinois-style rye?
JK Williams Distilling’s Stormy River Rye uses a 90% rye, 10% malted barley mashbill. Arguably closer to the Indiana style and more rye-forward than either Maryland or Kentucky styles, it is distinct from both. JK Williams uses its namesake’s own recipe (as they do for their Gold Zephyr Bourbon). I asked Andy Faris (President) and Jeff Murphy (Head Distiller and Operations Manager) if theirs was a new style of rye - the Illinois-style rye - and you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out their thoughts.
As with their bourbon, JK Williams is open about their mashbills. Andy and Jeff have nothing to hide - they’re open about how the bourbon and rye they have on hand were distilled by the previous owners (who were Williams' descendants) and aged in 30-gallon barrels, smaller than the industry standard 53-gallon barrels. Both guys were also open about their plans for the future and, where plans weren’t set, where they’d like to bring the brand going forward.
You know how much I love transparency in whiskey, and they feel the same way. Want to know something? Ask! Visit (when the visitor’s center is open). Listen to them on the podcast. I asked an obvious if somewhat throw-away question: those Hiram Walker rickhouses are standing unused…would JK Williams consider buying one if the opportunity arose? These guys have thought about that already. They’re thinking ahead of the curve, and frankly their whiskey is right alongside them. At four years old, the rye is fantastic. It doesn’t need to be 115 proof. At 90 proof, it’s got a mouthfeel that matches anything twice or three times as old and at 20-30 proof points higher.
Bottom line? This is a rye you want to try. If you end up not liking the style, that’s fine, nothing is liked by everyone. But this is unequivocally different from any rye you’ll find on the market. Is it the mashbill? Is it the different limestone shelf? Is it the local climate? It could be and probably is all of these. I really enjoyed this and I think you will, too.
JK Williams Stormy River Rye: Specs
Classification: Straight Rye
Origin: JK Williams Distillery
Mashbill: 90% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
Age: 4 Years Old
Location: Peoria, Illinois
JK Williams Stormy River Rye Price: $70
JK Williams Stormy River Rye Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Burnt sienna, a beautiful color. Medium rims bleed large drops.
Nose: Not noticeably rye-forward at first - if anything, smells more like the bourbon, but no funky notes. Wintergreen and peppermint candies. The rye is gentle, herbal, and sweet, rolling in slowly if firmly as I sniff. Menthol sticks around in the background, with a grain note opening with air.
Palate: Sweet rye, oak, and rye spice build slowly and consistently through the first sip. This is different for sure. The rye is there, but not in an MGP, PA, or MD style. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, oily, mildly coating, and carries dried figs and wintergreen across the tongue. Youthful fermentation note sneaks in at the end, but it’s neither powerful nor distracting.
Finish: Leaves coating all over the palate, sweet and a little tingly.
Overall: Different - this is a different type of rye. I like it a lot. I do think another year or two would take this from very good to great, but right where it is now is a pleasant sipping rye and would probably make a great cocktail. Watch out for that mouthfeel - it’ll stand up to anything else near it.
Final Rating: 6.7
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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