Recreating a rye recipe

[Tallman]

I am new to this – see my welcome message – but thought I'd seek some advice about reverse-engineering an old rye (at least it's labeled rye). I found it in a relative’s closet, stored in an old gin bottle with a hand-written label. It was acquired in either the 1920s or the 1930s. The man who originally got it split time between Eastern Pennsylvania and South Carolina. It’s very rich, dark and complex – sort of like rye, tinged with aged buttery rum (molasses?) and cognac. It was apparently decanted into the gin bottle decades ago from a larger glass container -- don't know how much alcohol was lost, or what the long sit in bottles did.

Apologies if this has been covered already, but w

hat is the best way to go about recreating this? Any recommendations for expert noses/palates or chemical analysis places/methods? Thanks in advance. 

 

Tallman

[indyspirits]

Experiment, experiment, experiment.  Who knows what really went into the grain bill.  The end product is absolutely not important. What's important is the marketing story around it. Remember, you're not in the distilling business, you're in a marketing business whose product is a distilled beverage. You've got a great story. Go with it.

[ThomasM]

Howdy Tallman!

I definitely agree that you've got an interesting project ahead of you, but I would encourage you to continue to seek out opinions of folks in the industry around you to try to actually recreate the flavor profile of something that genuinely interests you.

To think of yourself as "not in the distilling business" might be a great way to sell whisky but it's no way to contribute to an industry that's already bombarded with marketing noise.

The end product is of the utmost importance.

Best of luck!

 

[captnKB]

the folks at wigle distillery have dug deep into rye production and history. They may be worth paying a visit to in your search for info

[Tallman]

Thanks all. I've looked into it more and it's definitely Pre-prohibition distilled and barreled (but not by much). It's a Maryland rye style, with some corn perhaps and a lower rye percentage than many current offerings. At that time they apparently blended ryes and "married" them with a little fruit extract which may account for some of the complexity.

I was told the Majestic Distillery in the '40s, '50s and '60s (?) put out a rye that was in this heavy, complex style. If anyone knows of someone who worked there before it closed (1972?) I'd love to talk to them.