Leopold Bros. Three-Chamber Rye
A funny thing happened a few weeks ago: I was in San Diego, and wasn’t particularly looking for a bottle to buy. If anything, I was looking to not buy a bottle of something. The night before, I had (very stupidly) passed on a bottle of Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection Boxergrail Rye at just over MSRP, and I had buyer’s remorse.
I went out to grab a latte from Better Buzz, and saw a liquor store across the street - Chip’s. I said, “what the hell, I’ll step in”, and I took a look around. They had a great selection, though not much I couldn’t find at home aside from San Diego-local products.
Then, I looked up, and saw this bottle. I asked the guy behind the counter how much it was, and I made a split second decision to grab it. He turned out to be the owner’s son - his family had owned Chip’s for ~30 years. We started chatting it up - turns out he’s got some awesome Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Labels (and you know how much I love those!), but alas, all at home and not for sale. Still, worth checking out if you’re in the area!
So, what is this? It’s an old style of rye not seen for over 50 years. The three chamber still used to be the preferred method for rye production, especially pre-Prohibition, but as rye fell out of favor so did its production methods. There’s so much to write about this still and how it works, but you’re better off taking the time to watch this video from Leopold Bros. explaining the still, how they reconstructed it, and most importantly, WHY!
I am going to ask Todd to come on the podcast to talk more about this. Fortunately, I had the chance to join an ABV Network Zoom with Todd and hear more about it. So, let’s get the elephant out of the room first.
Yes, the MSRP is $249.99. It’s a lot, and objectively speaking, I would rarely buy a bottle at that price that I hadn’t tasted (or felt I needed in my collection for some reason). He knows it’s a lot, too, and said he hopes that in future batches (yes, there will be more!) the price will be lower. But let’s consider the following:
Uniqueness: This is the first time this style of rye has been produced since just after World War II
Exclusivity: There are 5,280 bottles in this initial batch (all hand-signed, no less)
Production Costs: Re-creating an extinct still style, fabricating it (likely with multiple iterations to get it right), and testing it, all prior to starting for-consumer production with a rye strain that’s three times as expensive as commercial-grade rye
Honestly, with all of those factors and especially the production costs, I’m ok with the price. Yes, it’s a lot, but I don’t feel cheated or overcharged.
Then again, that’s not even the reason I did or didn’t buy it. Simply put, good, bad, or middling, every single review of this bottle said the same thing: heavy/viscous/oily/great mouthfeel. If this is the first review you’re reading, surprise! I love a good mouthfeel more than almost anything, and it’s been pointed out to me that the mouthfeel is the best indicator of whether I like something or not.
It did not disappoint.
It’s not perfect, but I am genuinely excited for the subsequent batches because there’s so much promise in an already super solid product. I wish there were something else to compare it to, so if anyone’s got a pre-Prohibition bottle made on this kind of still hit me up. In the meantime, I’m sharing this with friends every chance I get. Score aside, that’s as good a recommendation as you’ll get.
Leopold Bros. Three-Chamber Rye: Specs
Classification: Rye
Origin: Leopold Bros. Distillery
Mashbill: 80% Abruzzi Rye, 20% Leopold Floor Malt
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Age: 4 Years Old (4.5 unofficially)
Location: Colorado
Leopold Bros. Three-Chamber Rye Price: $250
Leopold Bros. Three-Chamber Rye Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Golden apple juice. Medium rims bleed short legs.
Nose: Damn that’s delicious - dill, sweet, sweet rye, mixed berry gummies, zero proof. Peach rings and fresh peach nectar. Sugary and viscous nose.
Palate: The peach nectar is joined by a solid proof heat on the tip of my tongue and underneath. Peppery oak hits on the back, joined by the sweet herbs. Mouthfeel is oily and viscous, coating, all without being syrupy. Dark chocolate with pink peppercorns, slightly drying oak rolling in at the end.
Finish: Finish brings out more rye grain and dark chocolate as the oak fades away. Medium length, hands onto the peaches till the end.
Overall: Mouthfeel delivers on the nose’s promise. The flavor of sweet peaches, fresh and canned, driving the sweet herbs. There’s just enough oak and proof to keep it going syrupy. A bit much at $250, but a damn good pour that’s unique.
Final Rating: 7.7
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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