I mentioned about a week ago that I'd come upon a rye that I'd never seen nor heard of previously while visiting Morgantown, WV. I gave Mark a call from the liquor store, Ashebrooke, and told him about it. He hadn't heard of it before either; we each got a bottle. I've held off posting about it cause I'd hoped Mark and I could try it toghether soon, but schedules have put that off for a few more weeks. So, today I told him about the mysterious new rye from WV, and now I'll share my impressions & I'd ask Dave & Linn to chime in now, since we had a taste last Sunday.
The label says West Virginia Grown, Isaiah Morgan Rye Whiskey; 80 Proof. On the side of the label it says "Southern West Virginia's first distillery founded in 2002 by Rodney Facemire. Produced and bottled by Kirkwood, LTD., Summersville, WV." The bottle is green glass. When I first poured a drink last week, I was immediately suprised by the complete lack of color. It is as clear as water, and clearer than some municipal water! I was immediately unimpressed by this rye, as was Mrs. BourbonCat. Today I'm having my 2nd experience and it hasn't gotten any darker during the past week. It has the aroma of diluted white dog. The taste is smooth, sweet & without any complexity. There's a bit of heat after swallowing. I'd have to say that my impression today is more favorable than after my initial tasting, but I think of this as more of a novelty rye whiskey than anything. Since its coming right off the still, the distillery is making some good money off this bottling...there's no barrel expense, no storage expense, no loss to the angels. I'd really like to see it made available after some time in a barrel. That would make for a nice comparison.
We'll get a picture posted in the Whiskey Review section soon.