It´s a way of preserving your grain stores. Alcohol does not deteriorate at the same rate as Grains. Same deal with Grapes and Wine. The distilled alcohol also takes up much less space than it´s counterpart of sugary grains or fruits. They do a similar thing with Unpasteurized Italian milk, make it into Parmesan cheese. Preserves and condenses the item of value. Less is More :)
Um, turning your food into booze isn't exactly storing it. People grew extra grain in order to make booze. It's usually a very profitable business (except in Ireland where it's rarely a profitable business...).
LIBERTY POLE distillery in Washington, PA recently released a Monongahela Rye that is getting good reviews, though I haven't tried it myself. Having said that, I did have a wonderful experience visiting their distillery in April of this year and bought a bottle of their Peated Rye, made with peated barley they imported from Scotland, which was incredible! Their whiskey is pot-distilled, rich, viscous and flavorful. And with the name Liberty Pole, they are fully embracing the Whiskey Rebellion theme of the area! If visiting Washington, PA, be sure to also check out the Whiskey Rebellion museum that they have there. Cheers! 🥃
Awesome to see you reping A Overholt from Jim Beam Old Overholt is the oldest and longest distilled whiskey in America.. This Mash is a homage to Abraham Overholts original mash with Rye and Barley although in his day would have been distilled by a 3 chamber still... Of course Old Overholt is the Oldest continuously distilled whiskey.... thank you to Jim Beam for continuing this great American Original...
Lew Bryson used to do good videos with Sam on RU-vid especially during COVID. Just straight forward good whiskey content. I do miss their videos. Helped me appreciate stuff like Dad's Hat.
So glad you're talking about the history of the three chamber still and Monongahela rye. Bringing it back to the early 2017/2018 vault days for sure. I need to let you try Stoll and Wolfe out of Lititz PA. The master distiller worked at the old Michter's distillery in Lancaster county. It's fully column still but the cuts go deep into the tails for that viscosity the three chamber brings. Thanks Daniel
I live in the Monongahela area and have explored the original and abandoned Overholt distillery. There was some very interesting history and relics that could still be seen there 10-12 years ago. Unfortunately I believe that is no longer the case these days.
I really enjoy this rye. The bonded even more so than the old overholt 114. When neat, I get a dusty, herbal, earthy, old bookstore on the nose and palate. Very unique and complex.
Used to get this for $10 off the bottom shelf of my local liquor store. I expected absolutely nothing out of it, but it was actually pretty damn good. I would drink it over some $40+ ryes.
I have to be honest, I am a shenanigan lover, but I truly love the nerding out on these videos. Definitely need to get on the Dad’s Hat train for sure. By the way, if we are going to nerd out, let’s go musical. The new Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats release Heartless was filmed about a mile and a half from my dad’s house where I grew up, well at least I got older, 😂
Hey Daniel, figured this was as good as any way to give you some kudos. Poured myself my first glass of my bottle of Hydra tonight. The nose for me is berries and dark mouth watering chocolate, vanilla crème and caramel. Palate is candied apples and peaches and a rollercoaster of bursting fruits with darkness lingering the background. Going to seriously nurse this bottle. And I tip my hat to you sir. Hope to meet you at this years Ball.
Even though it's not whiskey, if you really want to nerd out on history again, Laird & Company might be an interesting one to discuss as the oldest continuously operating distillery in the US (they were issued the very first distillery license by the Department of the Treasury) and are still owned by the original family. Most people don't realize how back in colonial times, moreso than whiskey, applejack was the most popular spirit in what became the United States.
Stoll & Wolf in southeast PA is growing their own heritage rye. Dick Stoll was the last master distiller at Michters when they were a PA distiller. This distillery makes excellent rye, bourbon, and American whisky. Whenever I crave a quality Manhattan, I swing by Stoll & Wolf in Lititz, PA.
I think we need to start calling them Old Michter's and New Michter's. The only similarity is the name. And the new brand only have that because the old company let the trademark lapse...
The Whiskey Rebellion AND what the Leopold Brothers are doing is AMAZING! I was fortunate enough to try their three chamber rye at one of the Bastard's Ball... three years ago? How time flies... anyway, IJUST checked their site and ordered a hip flask of their 3 chamber rye... $75 total. A punch in the gut, but having that unique whiskey to share with others will be worth it!
Doesn’t sound at all like a like for me - I love 100% or a 95/5 spicy herbal dill rye. Mostly I adore peated scotch and Speyside! I love nerdy so this is fascinating!! Thanks Daniel!!
I've yet to explore rye.. I just drink Rittenhouse, and I like it a lot. The proof holds up if you're making a classic cocktail with it, too. I feel like there's a lot fewer entry level Rye as compared to bourbon, or even Scotch
Sag double Oaked is a great pour! I agree. Anything Sag really is a good one. The A. Overholt Daniel mentioned in the video is definitely a different profile and mashbill but if you can find it it's worth the taste and the story
@@Shikai10 sag is my daily . Makers french oaked cask strength and bulleit barrel or cask strength , can't remember what it is labeled, are my favorite non ryes.
I actually have the sample bottle Leopold sent you! It was so good I ran out and bought a bottle for myself. Also, you can’t tell us there’s books and articles and not give us links Daniel. GIMME
That's funny that Todd Leopold just sent the book on it. 😂 This was such a Whiskey Nerd awesomeness. Love what Leopold Bros is doing for sure 😁. Thank you again for another great conversation.
The family name was Large, immigrants from a French Huguenot (Protestant) background who came to America when it was still a British colony. Among them were Samuel Large and his wife, Amy, who settled in New Jersey. Their son, John Large, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. After the end of the conflict in the early 1790s John moved to Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, bought a farm and built a distillery. This launched the Large family into three generations of making quality whiskey. They were followed by a non-family member who built on what the Larges had accomplished and made their name known throughout the United States. Western Pennsylvania at the time when John Large arrived was a hotbed of rebellion against the taxation imposed on whiskey by the newly created national government. Things boiled over in 1794 when President George Washington, in his role as Commander in Chief, rode out with troops to quell the rioting. Large does not seem to have been among the rebels, paid his whiskey taxes and, with wife, Nancy, raised a family of seven children.
Nerd away Daniel! Your nerd episodes are some of your best episodes. I'm not a rye guy yet but I'm trying so I'll look for some of the bottles you mentioned and I'll also check the comments. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Ive had the tour at Leopold Brothers and seen the 3-chamber still in person. Very cool to have learned about it that way! Todd used a high oil rye called Abruzzi (i believe) because the 3-chamber system is for higher oil content, not rhe high starch that most grains are chosen for these days to increase alcohol production.
Have you got links to the books and papers about the three chamber still? I managed to get my hands on a bottle of the Leopold brother three chamber rye last year after both reading around Monongahela from Imbibe!, and then trying Old Overholt, Old Potrero and Dads Hat to find something comparable. The true three chamber rye is unimaginably different and I’d love to try some of the age statement stuff too now I know it’s there! Given the hybrid between column and pot still, it’d be a really interesting experiment to see how this would effect an Irish single pot still or single malt style of whisky. Curious to see how it would also compare to triple pot distilled samples as well. While I’m definitely also a fan of weirder funkier ryes, three chamber stuff truly is special. There’s also a three chamber still rum available that must be worth a try!
Will have to pick up some Dad's Hat... Had Leopold Brothers at the Bash a few years back. Definitely interested in any other available Monnongahela ryes anyone can point out.
Hey Daniel, Sam Komlenic here. You pretty much nailed your nerdy description of Monongahela rye and the three-chamber still. Well done! Thanks very much for the shout out, too. Greatly appreciated! I live in SWPA these days, and am happy to let you know that Iron City Distilling in Pittsburgh has a three-chamber on the way, to be installed later this summer, so the parameters of the industrial age of Mon rye will all be in place, back where it all started. The masonry warehouses were indeed heated in winter. I've seen it described as the whiskey aging in an "eternal summer." The lack of corn was important too. I've seen a reference to a brand that claimed to contain"no corn, drugs, or other poison." The Monongahela distillers despised that grain. Also, keep in mind that Monongahela rye was popularized well before the advent of the three-chamber still, so its reputation was cemented by the quality product made by those early pot distillers. I'd be happy to speak with you sometime if you have any interest. Feel free to reach out and I'll provide contact info. All the best, Sam
1. I hope if you re-watch this video, you'll see you added about the same amount of water as there was whiskey in the glass. No wonder it lost its palate. 2. Also hope you get to try Old Overholt's 118 proof. Wonderful dram.
Speaking of cuts, I went to a local distillery and tried out there new make.. it tasted like "baby sick" is that a cuts problem? Or just a characteristic of new make? There two year old bourbon had the same note, but a bit less. Is it the kind of thing that would age out if the spirit had some real years under its belt? Thanks, Daniel. Keep up the nerdy stuff
I keep thinking that "Manongahela" is something that James Hetfield of Metallica would pronounce if he mixed up lyrics from some song off of Reload or maybe St. Anger :)))
You cannot talk about Monongahela Rye Whiskey and not mention "Large" Monongahela Rye Whiskey!!! "Large Distillery: Founded 1796, located in Large, PA. Produced Large Monongahela Pure Rye. At its end, also owned by National Distillers and also produced some whiskey for Old Overholt (founded 1810).
Not that I don’t enjoy your views on certain topics (I am not a huge fan of Rye either, though in fairness I have not tried that many Ryes) and this would mean a little more work on your end, but have you considered having sort of guest speakers for the areas you aren’t that familiar with? I was initially thinking about when you were talking about three chamber stills, but it might be beneficial to hear from someone who has different tastes than you in whiskey. Even if that “hearing from” is just you reading that other persons notes on the channel
Nerdy information?! I shudder at the thought of you giving such…it’s shocking 😂 You and the tall bearded Mooch reviewed Leopold forever ago and I’ve had bottles ever since 👍🏻 But, I’m a funky rye guy.
Smoke Wagon Malted Rye Uncle Nearest Copper Fox George Dickel Bare Knuckle Ezra Brooks WhistlePig Piggyback KO Distilling Ragged Branch Some of these are straight, the rest is with Barley but none have Corn.
I'm a Southern boy, and to me it's mah-non- ga-HEE-la. 🙂 All I've seen here is the regular Old Overholt, which is good, though I've had better. I'd love to find the other Old Overholt, but in some respects Albuquerque is a whisky dead zone.
1. That Leopold 3-Chamber Rye ain't cheap. 2. WTF is going on with Total Wine? They keep deleting good stuff and stocking trash. 3. Old Overholt is great for mixing.
