Dad's Hat Single Barrel Cask Strength Pennsylvania Straight Rye

Right before the pandemic, February 29th, 2020, local FW&GS stores had a one-day flash sale. Knob Creek 9 Year was $19.99 for 750 mL; Maker's 46 was $29.99 and Dad's Hat PA Straight Rye was $35.99. You probably understand what a deal those first two were, but have little sense that the Dad's Hat is usually $54.99, so that was $20 off, which was really the only way I was going to try an unknown quantity of unknown quality that usually goes for +50. And the first sips of Dad's Hat Straight Rye were rough. I like rye but up until then my experience was Rittenhouse and Overholt. Dad's Hat is among the rye-ist ryes I've ever had in that it tastes a lot like a deli sandwich with a punch of rye and dill hitting you hard with a vanilla sweetness and cinnamon tang buried underneath. For this reason, Dad's Hat is going to be divisive. I liked it a lot by the middle of the bottle, and by the end, I meant to try more Dad's Hat products, but never got around to it. I discovered Sagamore, and as far as small rye distiller's go, they grabbed my heart with their tequila-finished rye. From there I rushed out to pick up another bottle of that as well as a single barrel cask strength and the 8 year. Now Dad's Hat isn't too far from me and I also keep meaning to visit the Distillery, but it's just far enough that I have also never gotten around to it. But I follow them on social media, and they posted a picture of their Cask Strength product a few weeks ago nothing that it was only available at their Distillery or at a certain shop in the Reading Terminal Market off Jefferson Station in Philly. Given that Reading Terminal Market is easier to get to than Bristol for me, I figured this was the solution to the fact that I coveted the Cask Strength, and on a recent trip to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, I took the opportunity to pop into the market and nab this, and it's a real treat. Though like I've said, it's divisive. What this most reminds me of is Alberta Premium Cask Strength, so if you've had that, you can get a sense of the flavor profile here. From my review of that, you also know that when the proof gets this high, I like to drop an ice cube in it as opposed to knocking it back straight. In fact, that's my preference for anything once the proof passes 120. I always try it straight first to get a sense of what the product is like in its uncut state, then I usually finish the rest of the bottle with cubes. Building upon the standard product (or at least my memory of it), this is strong with the rye spice and dill, the caramel and vanilla creaminess undergirding it, a cinnamon punch coming in at the finish. The mouthfeel is what makes it a treat. It's extremely creamy, so combing with those tastes, it's like a melted down candy of an alcoholic variety. Now this isn't for the faint of heart. I see one review here already where the guy couldn't stand it, and that's actually understandable, as I don't think this is going to be up everyone's alley. It's the anchovy pizza of rye whisky, but if you have a taste for really rye profiles, this is a treat. And if you find yourself at Reading Terminal, it's worth the $70 your gonna drop on it if this sounds good to you.

Spicy but horrifically sour.

Not for me - a bit harsh and sour

Never got the dill pickle reference to ryes until tasting this one. Nose is all dill pickles. Different but quite tasty.

Rating: 19/23 I tried this a bit over a year ago and was taken aback by how good it was. It wasn't the best thing I'd ever had by any means, but it was easily one of the best ryes. I wanted to run out and get one, but they're not so easy to come by. Fast forward to now and I've finally gotten my hands on a bottle. Hopefully it's as good as the sample I tried previously. N: It's actually kind of floral with passionfruit at first. That's surprising. Some rich woody maturity grows out of that, bringing occasionally hints of rose water with it. What is going on here? Finally, I start getting a rye bitterness, with kind of a bitter root character to it. It fits in with the other scents though. Gradually, I get some dry woody spiciness, but it doesn't take over. This isn't terribly complex, but it's surprisingly balanced and quite interesting. I'm enjoying it. P: This is much bolder and more fiery than the nose suggested. I do get some floral vanilla with passionfruit and hints of rose water though. Very interesting. Of course, I also get a big woody tannic flavor with bitter chocolate and beets. The alcohol doesn't really show that much. There are spices, of course. They just come right out of the dry wood. Licorice is here too. Possibly a touch of leather. It's a bold profile with a decadent character. There's some complexity, but it isn't blowing me away. F: Licorice, bitter vanilla, some woody tannins and spice. - Conclusion - There's a nice boldness to this that brings with it a decadence and a sense of maturity. I really wouldn't have guessed that this is only 4 years old, though I'm not sure how old I would have guessed. Certainly more than 6. I find this to be at least competitive with Wild Turkey Rare Breed bourbon (18/23). This is probably better. It's also definitely competitive with Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve (19/23). I can imagine this being a little better, but not a whole lot better. Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye (17/23) is mellower and more approachable. Honestly, it's easier to sip. Still, I like the profile that this has better. It's intensely bitter, but it kind of tastes like what a rye should be. I feel like this and Whistlepig PiggyBack (16/23) have kind of nailed the two "true rye" profiles, whereas a lot of others end up more in the bourye vicinity. That said, tasting this next to the Russell's, I do quite like the Russell's. Moving on to Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23)... I seem to be out. Cracking a new bottle, I get some of those usual decadent flavors, but also a meatiness that I hope will work itself out with time. Aside from the meatiness, the bottle is delicious. I'll give it a while so that I can find out if what I have is a bad bottle or a bottle that just needs to be left alone for a while. Right now, I would definitely say that the Dad's Hat is better. This is highly competitive with (though quite different from) my Total Wine pick of Balcones True Blue Cask Strength (19/23). They're very similar in quality. The Balcones is more of a flawed masterpiece, whereas this is more of a brilliant execution of something that is a bit rough in concept. I'm looking at a 19 for the Dad's Hat. It's just so big and bold and decadent. It's not perfect, but wow it sure is a find.

Nose - rye and light pickle Taste - strong , rye foward with a light pickle after. This one grows on you. Its nice to try a Pennsylvania rye. Total wine pick 119.6 proof

Dad’s Hat uses a farm to bottle approach that is crafted using local ingredients and rye grain grown in Pennsylvania. I’d never heard of this one until @ctbeck11 gave me a bottle of their single barrel that was picked out by Total Wine with a minimum age of 3 years and bottled at 61.9%. The nose starts with a rye flavored Coke then fresh baked pumpernickel bread slathered with honey butter followed by fruits of peach cobbler, sour apple candy and tangerine orange that transition to toasted caraway seeds, pine needles and forest floors with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich and creamy mouthfeel starting with a rye flavored Coke then fresh baked pumpernickel bread slathered with honey butter followed by a high drying spice that slowly fades to dark chocolate and fruits of caramelized brown sugar coated peach, apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top and candied orange peel that transition to toasted caraway seeds, spearmint, leather and polished oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with orange flavored dark chocolate, moderate ashy rye spices, leather and polished oak that lingers for minutes. This is a rich and creamy rye that really packs the flavors in with the main flaw of the high spice on the mid-palate that throws it off for me. If you’re a fan of spicy high proof ryes, this would be incredible and I’m really impressed with how great this one is for such a young whiskey. I decided to do a side by side with a Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel and they were really close to each other but the Russell’s was the winner for me due to the lower spice. The Russell’s also had an advantage of an additional 5 years of aging, so it’d be really interesting when Dad’s Hat comes out with some older stock to compare them then. For $60, this is an incredible VFM and one to look out for.