Four Gate Whiskey Company has announced the release of their 7th batch of limited edition whiskey, River Kelvin Rye.
While 6 previous batches of their bourbons and finished whiskeys have hit the shelves since the brand’s launch in 2019, this marks the first time Four Gate will release a rye whiskey. This 7-year straight Indiana rye has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted rye and will be bottled at a barrel strength 113.2 proof without chill filtration.
The rye will first be released in its uncut, unfinished state, with finished releases to follow in the coming months.
“That’s something I was interested in doing from the start,” said Chief Blending Officer Bill Straub. “I wanted to show a progression, or a before-and-after. We pride ourselves on only using the highest quality whiskey we can find to barrel finish rather than taking a flawed spirit and trying to cover up its flaws with barrel finishes. This way, our customers can buy this first bottle of rye and then the finished releases over the next year or so and compare them side-by-side.”
“We’ve always been on the lookout for barrels of great rye,” said Chief Barrel Officer Bob D’Antoni. “We tried all sorts of barrels that weren’t quite up to our standards before we found these.”
Tasting notes from Straub describe a nose of “mint, candied citrus, lemon zest, black pepper, dill. A splash of refreshing mint hits the tip of the tongue and is followed by candied oranges and lemon zest on the mid palate. The rear palate is greeted with spicy black pepper and sweet citrus.” We’re told the finale is “Medium in length, the black pepper, spice, and lemon zest coat the mouth with a pleasingly refreshing finish.”
While two other Four Gate batches have been named a Kelvin Collaboration to recognize Kelvin Cooperage’s help in barrel finishing, this particular unfinished batch is named for the river itself.
“River Kelvin is the river that flows through Glasgow, Scotland,” said D’Antoni. “Kelvin Cooperage was founded in Glasgow and took its name from the river. We named this batch after the same river as attribute to Kelvin.”
Just 1,484 bottles of Four Gate River Kelvin Rye will begin appearing on shelves in Kentucky and Tennessee in late June 2020 for a suggested retail price of around $175.
