Van Brunt Stillhouse White Rye Whiskey
Van Brunt Stillhouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn, doesn’t get nearly the attention it should.
Seated in the industrial crescent that reaches from Red Hook to the Navy Yards to Industry City, Van Brunt takes a back seat sometimes to its neighbors, including Kings County Distillery, Fort Hamilton Distillery, New York Distilling Co., and others. For the life of me, I don’t understand why.
In speaking with Daric Schlesselman, founder and head distiller, he takes that lack of visibility in stride. While his compatriots have the press and the appearances, Daric has quitely been producing some of the most interesting - and different - whiskies and spirits in New York City.
Daric, like so many distillers, started at home. He brewed first, graduating slowly to distilling on a small scale (we’re talking a pint at a time) then to a larger CARL still, chosen for its flexibility. The first commercially available spirit from Van Brunt wasn’t a whiskey at all, but a rum.
In the decade since Daric founded Van Brunt Stillhouse, the spirit portfolio has expanded to a dozen-plus (including limited editions), and he’s now incorporating slightly larger barrels, having moved from 15-gallon barrels to 30-gallon barrels. The whiskies I tried while there were unique, notable for their flavor profiles, and had a different barrel influence than I’m used to.
That’s why I wanted to start off with this review rather than one of their whiskies.
Made from 100% New York rye, Van Brunt Stillhouse White Rye is fresh, grassy, and floral. Daric (and Brooks, who he entrusted to walk me through the lineup) call this a Rye Reposado in the style of an agave spirit. Due to legal constraints around tequila and agave spirits, Van Brunt can’t call this a “reposado” officially. That being said, it might be the best descriptor for this product.
I’m still not a fan of agave, so I was curious to see what would happen if someone effectively put a rye into an agave process, minimally aging it so the fresh flavor of the rye is front-and-center. A reposado (meaning “rested”) tequila would age from between two months to a year in barrels, taking on a slight golden hue and a softer, more rounded flavor than a silver or white (unaged) tequila would have.
This “White Rye” is aged for four months in Van Brunt’s own used Empire Rye barrels, keeping the rye flavor prominent. I talked on EmbellishPod recently about intentionality and how that affects my notes and ratings, and this is a perfect example. Yes, this is grain-forward, and yes, this is young, but that’s what the distiller wants. If I’m evaluating this against a 7-year-old MGP rye apple-to-apple, the White Rye would likely rate quite low since it’s barely aged. I could say positive things about the rye’s flavor but ultimately, it’s an unfair comparison to both entries.
Evaluating the Van Brunt White Rye by what the distiller - Daric - intends it to be, however, is about questioning whether they have achieved their aims. This isn’t meant to be an aged rye, whether you consider aged to be a year, a decade, or longer. It’s meant to be a rye that appeals to tequila and mezcal drinkers as well as those who want to try Van Brunt’s rye as close to off the still as you can get. Van Brunt uses Danko rye, the same as Black Button Distilling in Rochester and Dancing Goat in Wisconsin.
This is how you taste what a lesser-used rye strain tastes like before it gets hidden behind a barrel. Measuring against what Daric was intending this product to be, it’s a clear achievement. He got a whiskey drinker who loves rye but doesn’t drink agave spirits to enjoy an agave spirit-like rye. I hope this encourages other people to try a new style of whiskey.
Van Brunt Stillhouse White Rye Whiskey: Specs
Classification: New York Rye Whiskey
Origin: Van Brunt Stillhouse
Mashbill: 100% New York Rye
Proof: 92 (46% ABV)
Age: 4 Months
Location: Red Hook, New York
Van Brunt Stillhouse White Rye Whiskey Price: $99.99
Van Brunt Stillhouse White Rye Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Clear, barest straw hue. No rims and splotchy droplets.
Nose: Grassy and floral, rye fresh off the still but with the sharp edges rounded off. One for the tequila/mezcal lovers for sure. No smoke, but piquant green and pink peppercorns emerge.
Palate: Called a “rye reposado” for good reason - it’s the perfect descriptor, despite the legal issues preventing Van Brunt from calling it so. Has the fresh, grassy, floral profile of an agave spirit plus the pepper and spice of a rye. It’s not white dog, and there is the barest barrel influence for creaminess and a slightly oaky backbone. Intriguing and different. Fresh apricot and white sangrias. Mouthfeel is oily yet not too heavy, the peppercorn building on the front of my tongue.
Finish: Long and coating, still reminds me of a tequila with more pepper spice.
Overall: I quite like this, despite not usually liking agave-type spirits. Granted, this is 100% rye, not agave, so that is probably the difference. A great bridge between the two categories and an innovative use of the grain and barrel relationship.
Final Rating: 6.6
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
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