The difference between this Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller’s Edition and the regular Roundstone Rye is barrel selection, age and proof. The head distiller at Catoctin, Becky Harris, sets aside 10% of her barrels to age further and go into making this whiskey. Hence the name.
Outside of that extra aging and higher proof, the whiskey is the same. Same 100% rye mash, still non-chill filtered and still wholly made by them in Virginia distillery and still aged in their small 30-gallon barrels. Which, as we’ll see in the rye whiskey review below, leaves a distinct signature.
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller’s Edition Review: Details and Tasting Notes
In Catoctin Creek Distilling’s Words:
Only one in every ten barrels gets selected to be in the Roundstone Rye “92 Proof” whisky.
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: Virginia, USA
Distiller: Catoctin Creek Distilling
Mash Bill: 100% Rye
Cask: New Charred Oak (30 gallon barrel)
Age: NAS
ABV: 46%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: J8G22
Price: $53*
Tasting Notes
EYE
Dark Amber
NOSE
Young wood, pine, herbal spice, minerality olde candy sweetness and some anise.
PALATE
Young wood, cocoa, nuts, leather, citrus and herbal spice with a touch of vanilla.
FINISH
Medium -> Young oak with bits of cocoa, rye and spice that turn to pure wood and vanilla.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not fully balanced, medium feel and a bit dry turning to chalky.
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller’s Edition Review: Overall and Score
Getting better, but that craft profile still weighs heavy. Aroma is nice, and a bit better than the standard Roundstone Rye, with a deeper spice and herbal presence but it’s still laden with that small barrel “craft” essence; Palate is a bit less of that young saw dust/raw wood profile, but it’s still a big portion of the profile; Finish is a raw woody fade.
It seems that after a decade they’re still using those 30-gallon barrels, which is fine if that’s the profile you’re going for and want to infuse a bunch of wood notes quickly into some spirit. But if you want the grain and distillate to show more then bigger barrels which give less surface area which helps balance oak and spirit.
That’s a long way to say I think larger barrels would give even more depth to this Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller’s Edition. Some people seem to enjoy when that profile rides high, I’m not one of those folks and for me it’s coming in at a distracting level.
SCORE: 79/100 (C+)
*Disclosure: This Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller’s Edition was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller's Edition Review 53
- Nose - 80
- Palate - 79
- Finish - 79
- Balance, Body & Feel - 79
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller's Edition Review Summary
Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye Distiller’s Edition is just ok. I love that everything they do is non-chill filtered, I just wish they’d use 53-gallon barrels to reduce the raw wood and showcase the mature spirit more.
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