Lock Stock & Barrel 18 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey
This was a damn fine rye, and that should come as no surprise. Produced by the same brand from which Hochstadter’s 16 Year Old Rye comes, it’s a double-distilled Canadian rye aged for 18 years in new charred American oak barrels.
The producer, R.J. Cooper & Sons, sourced both from the same place: Alberta Distillers. And yet, they are distinctly different ryes. Both excellent - but distinct.
The Hochstadter’s is a 16 Year Old barrel proof rye, released at over 120 proof. The Lock Stock & Barrel series is proofed down a bit first - this one at 109 proof - but loses nothing in flavor or mouthfeel.
More promisingly, while the Hochstadter’s was limited to 7500 bottles, there’s no known limit on the Lock Stock & Barrel series as long as the whiskey can continue to be sourced. Some reviewers have noted it as a limited release, but I’ve seen nothing from Cooper itself or from confirmed sources that it is a final or one-time-only release.
There are two notes I want to point out that also set this whiskey apart, both coming from the whiskey’s website in a single sentence:
“A “robust cut” is selected by master distillers, then the unfiltered spirit is aged in new charred American oak barrels in cold weather.”
A “robust cut” suggests that the heads and tails cuts are farther apart than usual. Put another way, this rye has a broad hearts cut. It’s unlikely the distillers shortened the heads, since that’s where the more volatile and more dangerous compounds are found (think methanol, for example), making me think that the heart cut was allowed to go much longer into the tails. The tails of a whiskey - speaking broadly - are less dangerous and hold the heavier alcohols, oils, and compounds that remain in the still after the heads and hearts are removed. These can include some off-flavored fusel oils, but can also give a thicker mouthfeel thanks to the fats and heavy compounds that remain. I’ve reached out to R. J. Cooper to confirm this suspicion.
The second is more difficult to qualify: that the barrels were aged in “cold weather”, semantically implying that the barrels were aged farther north and away from warmer temperature swings. In a suspicious twist, R. J. Cooper & Sons (also called The Cooper Spirits Company sometimes) doesn’t exist on a map. I looked through multiple sites, multiple maps, and a dozen reviews, and besides having Pennsylvania on the label and knowing this is sourced from Canada, I have zero idea where in Pennsylvania this company is, let alone where or in what kind of structure the whiskey was aged.
I’ll have to get back to you on those items.
The last point is more of a fun fact for me. This whiskey - distilled at Alberta - is koji-fermented. If you’ve read some of my Japanese whisky reviews, particularly the Takamine 8 Year Old from Honkaku Spirits, koji fermentation (a type of black mold native to Japan that can convert starches into sugar much like malt enzymes) fascinates me. Now, I’m going to go back and try this against the Takamine and some whiskies from Fukano and Ohishi. I wonder if there will be any similar notes from the koji?
Lock Stock & Barrel 18 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Straight Rye Whiskey
Origin: Alberta Distillers, Bottled by R. J. Cooper and Sons
Mashbill: 100% Rye
Proof: 109 (54.5% ABV)
Age: 18 Years Old
Location: Canada (Distilled) and Pennsylvania (Aged)
Lock Stock & Barrel 18 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey Price: $229
Lock Stock & Barrel 18 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Bright copper, slightly orange. Thin rims, medium drops on the legs.
Nose: Bright and herbal, dilly and dry. There is an unusual tartness, like a blood orange or exotic citrus rind. A dark, Pennsylvania-style rye. Love this nose.
Palate: Tannic English Breakfast tea with a splash of lemon. Solid rye spice on the front tongue, black licorice and a pleasant spice drop or clove flavor. Mouthfeel opens dark, warm honey, light-to-medium bodied, velvety, and oily. The mouthfeel grows to a full medium on the chew as more black licorice and star anise pop out.
Finish: Coating and slightly drying, minimal sweetness. Wormwood and a clear high rye finish. Not much oak for an 18 year old rye, just enough to give the flavors a backbone.
Overall: Beautifully constructed. Proof that an 18 year old rye (or any whiskey, for that matter), doesn’t have to be $600 or overly wooded. Deliciously savory, dark honey, and butterscotch.
Final Rating: 7.6
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, 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 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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