Whiskey Wednesday: Copper Fox Rye Whisky

Last week, I sampled Wasmund's Single Malt Whiskey from the Copper Fox distillery in Virginia. Wasmund's Single Malt has been out for a few years but Copper Fox has a new rye whiskey on the market, and given how much I like rye and how interesting I found the Wasmund's malt, I had to try it.

Like their single malt, the Copper Fox rye is different from any other rye on the market. It's not a straight rye whiskey as it is aged only 14 months (straight ryes must be aged at least two years). Copper Fox Rye is made from a grain recipe of two-thirds rye and one-third barley. Most straight ryes include a fair amount of corn, and while Anchor's Old Potrero is 100% malted rye, I'm not aware of any other whiskey with a pure rye-barley mash bill. As with the Wasmund's single malt, the rye is aged with applewood, cherrywood and oak chips. The whiskey is aged in used Bourbon barrels.

Tasting

Copper Fox Rye Whisky, 14 months old, 45% alcohol ($50)

The nose is similar to Wasmund's with the fruit wood in the forefront. There's also a fresh leather scent (new couch?). There's only the smallest hint of rye on the nose. I have to admit that I cringed a bit upon tasting this. There is a flat alcohol note that is unpleasant. It's not harshly alcoholic, more on the bitter side. It may be that the rye simply doesn't blend with the fruit woods as well as the malt, or at 14 months, it may just be too young, or both. The rye flavor doesn't arrive until mid-palate and then on the finish, but the bitterness stays on my tongue for longer than I'd like. You can feel the hints of rye and malt as if they are struggling to get out and be heard among the acridity, but sadly, they don't make it.

Note to Rick Wasmund: I'm afraid you should go back to the drawing board on this one.

Whiskey Wednesday: Wasmund's Rappahannock Single Malt

The second in our series of Virginia whiskies is a microdistillery single malt. Even with new microdistilleries opening every day, there are only a handful of microdistilled whiskies that are available on local liquor store shelves. Rick Wasmund's Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, Virginia, was one of the earlier micro start-ups and has been producing one of the more available and more unique American whiskies. Copper Fox's Wasmund's Rappahannock Single Malt (Rappahannock is the county where Sperryville is located) is a four month old, pot distilled, non-chill filtered malt aged with apple and cherrywood chips. The use of these alternative woods is unusual in whisky. But at four months old, can there really be any impact on the flavor? We'll see.

Tasting

Wasmund's Rappahannock Single Malt Whisky, 4 months old, 48% alcohol ($40-$50).

On the nose it actually smells a bit more Scotch-like than other American single malts I've had. There is sweetness, fruit and a bit of smoke, though not a peaty smoke that you would encounter in Scotch. The flavor is a bit harsh, moreso than it should be at this alcohol level. There is some interesting stuff going on in here though, with the continuing intertwined dance of the fruit and smoke, which make come from the use of fruit wood in the kiln which dries the malted barley. And in the back of the palate, there is still a clear malt that links it to Scotland.

This is a fascinating and unique malt with a lot of character for something so young. There is an intriguing flavor profile here that could really be amazing, perhaps with more time in the barrel.

Copper Fox is definitely a micro distillery to watch. In the coming weeks I'll try their new rye whiskey.