Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/61075
No Story Here F REDEMPTION LETS ITS WHISKEY DO THE TALKING or the majority of my Small Batch columns, I fi nd a unique whiskey history to pair with the brand—from a moonshiner being avenged by his grandson to Mormons making whiskey. But today's column won't be a tale of yester- day's whiskey. This whiskey story begins in the bottle Tasting Notes and fi nishes with the honesty of Bardstown Barrel Selections, producer of Redemption Rye, Riverboat Rye, High-Rye Redemption Bourbon and Temptation Bourbon. No, this is not a story of how a riverboat was once used to haul whiskey from Kentucky to Ohio (although that's true). And it's not a story about a whiskey-maker being "redeemed" for his bootlegging crimes. Instead, it's about two long-time spirits professionals taking a chance and jumping on the rye bandwagon when the category was just catching some steam. Redemption High-Rye Bourbon Light amber color with yellow hues. Nose of French toast, vanilla and spice with hints of oak. Spicy and sweet balance on the palate with notes of caramel, mint, dried apricot and licorice, with a nice peppery fi nish. I prefer this whiskey neat, but it also makes a great Manhattan. If you were to replace rye with bourbon for a Sazerac, this would be the bourbon to use. www.redemptionrye.com 26 / the tasting panel / april 2012 Michael Kanbar and Dave Schmier both spent a great deal of time in the spirits business before starting their joint venture in March of 2010. "We've taken our lumps in this business," Schmier says. Schmier developed Orange V Vodka and ran a spir- its promotion agency; Kanbar produced 80 Strong brand bourbon and a canned sparkling wine called Floot and now oper- ates boutique spirits bottling facility Strong Spirits, Inc. in Bardstown, Kentucky, where the duo's whiskeys are bottled today. Both entrepreneurs also work with other spirits entrepreneurs, Schmier by producing the Indie Spirits Expos around the country, giving small brands a powerful showcase for their efforts, and Kanbar by special- izing in small bottling runs for aspiring spirits moguls. Shortly after release, Redemption Rye Whiskey earned a cult-like following with its mashbill of 95 percent rye (regulations specify a minimum of just 51 percent). Aged for more than two years in new charred oak barrels, the whiskey is bottled at 92 proof. Redemption is only available in 15 states, and fans have been known to smuggle the product to England, South America and Russia. Redemption Rye also quickly found a home with bartenders. "When we launched Redemption, people were really discovering rye," Schmier says. "Rye was hitting the edge of mainstream, with all the mixologists dusting off the old books from the 1800s and early 1900s and saying, 'Hey, all these great drinks were originally made with rye!'" At the same time, bourbon interest was still growing, and Schmier and Kanbar launched the Redemption High-Rye Bourbon, with a mashbill of 60 percent corn, 38.2 percent rye and 1.8 percent barley malt. The high rye content gives a nice dry spiciness, balancing the corn's sweetness. When Redemption High-Rye Bourbon hit the shelves, this little ole small-scale producer showed the competition that consumers like knowing the mashbill in their whiskey—and that educated consum- ers love the taste. Many considered the High-Rye Bourbon a landmark whiskey. "We didn't really think it was ground- breaking at the time," Schmier says. "Making a high-rye bourbon was just something that interested us, and we got great reaction both from educated consum- ers, who know what is going on with dif- ferent mashbills, and from new American whiskey enthusiasts." Kanbar and Schmier purchase whiskey from Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana (LDI) and age it in Bardstown. On the front of every bottle is the mashbill and distilling information. The fact is, a lot of whiskey, including major brands, is secretly made at LDI, but Schmier doesn't believe in hiding the fact that Redemption is distilled in Indiana: "We have been really upfront about what we do, and that has resonated with people on a lot of different levels." So Redemption is not about the story, like so many other whiskeys. As Schmier says, "We let the whiskey talk for itself."