This bottle of Mount Vernon Rye Whiskey is sandwiched between two pieces of American history. Distilled in 1934 it came into existence right after prohibition and bottled in 1939 it was sent out into the world to be consumed the same year WW2 started. My grandfather wasn’t even a teenager when it hit the shelf and it’s fascinating to think about it surviving from that time period till now.
It sat on liquor store shelves, was purchased, sat in someone’s house unopened, probably traded hands more than a few times and then found its way to an auction where it was purchased many years ago and then once again sat in someone’s collection till we did a LAWS meeting and drank it. It’s almost surreal to sit and think about how something I didn’t even know about till recently came into this world, destined to cross my path, 16 years before my dad was born and 47 years before I was born. I wonder what the Maryland based distillers at Hannis would think if they knew a 34 year old guy in Los Angeles would be drinking their whiskey 81 years after they distilled it.
Mount Vernon Rye Whiskey Info
Region: Maryland, USA
Distiller: National Distillers (Hannis Distillery)
Cask: New charred oak
Age: 5 years
ABV: 50%
Distilled: 1934
Bottled: 1939
Price: NA – Dusty
Mount Vernon Rye Whiskey Review
EYE
Light caramel
NOSE
Caramel, rye spice, wood and vanilla work their way through the nasal passages followed by notes of Necco wafers, toffee heavy dark sweets, baklava and a touch of fruit. A nice, rich aroma that, when tasting blind, I thought was a high rye bourbon.
PALATE
Fruit, caramel and a syrupy sweetness that’s accompanied by nice notes of spice, dark fruit, dark sweets, oak, dusty grains and a light herbal underpinning. A great flavor that coates the palate.
FINISH
Long, oaky and caramel sweet with notes of grain, nuts and spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Nicely balanced with a medium body and a slick syrupy texture.
OVERALL
Mount Vernon Rye Whiskey is a great whiskey with a lot to offer across every aspects of itself and it’s one that I’m looking forward to trying again in the near future after it’s had a chance to open up a bit more in the bottle. Sometimes these old whiskeys need time to open up and fully unfold, especially if they’ve been in the bottle since 1939. This was a lovely piece of distilling history and should you get the chance to try it jump on it immediately.
SCORE: 87-89/100 (Range due to a single glass & not tasting at home)
