The American whiskey brand of Elijah Craig has announced the release of their rye expression into the UK market. We were invited to the launch event of the Elijah Craig Straight Rye. The spirits has a mash bill of 51% rye, 35% corn and 14% malted barley. This heavy reliance on corn as the secondary grain makes the spirit highly suited to long maturation, which has enabled this rye whiskey to reach eight years of age.
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When driving through Kentucky in May you could almost think you were in Scotland. Green rolling hills and farms zip by. But once you hit the town of Lawrenceburg, where the Wild Turkey distillery is located, this changes. Now you are definitely NOT in Scotland. The quaint main street is lined on either side with old colonial buildings, each adorned with a fluttering Stars & Stripes flag. Now you know that you are well and truly in Kentucky - the heartbeat of the American whiskey industry.
This whisky is the second single malt whisky that will form the core range from the English distillery of White Peak in Derbyshire. The Wire Works Bourbon Barrel is the first bottling to use 100% first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, which were sourced from the Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky, and features their oldest whisky to date. Some of this was from their very early spirit runs in 2018. The new whisky will join the Caduro as a permanent expression in the core range.
