Wight's Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey

This 5 year old rye is from the Frank L. Wight Distilling Co. which was founded in Lorely, Maryland, after prohibition ended and ran by Frank and his grandfather John until 1943 when they sold the distillery as tastes shifted away from rye. Hiram Walker purchased the distillery and shut it in down 1950 as they moved production to their facility in Peoria, Illinois. The color of this rye is a very dark and deep ruby, to the point where you can almost not see through it. It leaves heavy oils all around the glass with every movement that leaves endless legs running down the sides. The nose is very gentle and the same time very buttery right from the start. There is an excellent blend of rye spice and oak joining it, as floral notes gradually come out. You begin to feel as though you have walked into a bakery the more you smell it, making it rather hard to get to actually tasting it. On the palate it fills the mouth with rye and oak, which coat every corner of the mouth. The buttered bread follows closely behind delivering a very rich mouthfeel. Moving it around the mouth brings out some hints of cocoa, for an all in all simple palate, but an absolute delight to experience. The finish is medium, with a spiciness from the rye that keeps the mouth tingling while oak still coats the mouth. The rich buttered bread keeps letting you know that it is there while it fades all too quick. It is a whiskey you want to keep coming back to, and is sad this style has been lost to time. With a longer finish and stronger flavors this rye could be truly remarkable.