Rye Whiskey 11 Years Old

Rye Whisky aged eleven years in three types of casks

The rye whisky from Brennerei Ehringhausen matured for eleven years in oak casks and was finished in former cognac, calvados, and cherry brandy casks. Rye spice meets apple, dark cherry, and vanilla. Unfiltered, 45% vol, 486 bottles.

A rye whisky is a grain whisky with a characteristic that sets it apart from all others: rye provides a peppery spice that no cask can ever fully mask. Brennerei Ehringhausen let it age for eleven years, using three different types of casks. Bottled unfiltered, made from organically grown grain.

Spicy, fruity, complex

On the nose, there are ripe apples and dark cherries, backed by dried fruits and a delicate vanilla.

On the palate, the typical rye spice takes over first, that dry sharpness reminiscent of freshly ground pepper. Then the fruit comes through and layers over it, and this contrast creates the tension for which rye whisky is prized. Powerful, complex, and full-bodied, it lingers long on the finish.

The fruit sweetness is finely balanced, derived from the wood rather than a sugar bowl. A complex whisky for connoisseurs and explorers alike, as Theres and Georg describe it themselves, and both groups will certainly get their money's worth here.

Cognac, Calvados, and cherry brandy

Three types of casks worked on this whisky, and all three come from the world of fruit and wine spirits.

This is unusual. Most whiskies mature in bourbon or sherry casks, but here, cognac, calvados, and cherry brandy define the profile. The cognac cask brings dried fruit and warmth, the calvados cask contributes ripe apple, and the cherry brandy cask provides the dark cherry notes that are so clearly found in the glass.

Eleven years is a long time, nearly four times the legal minimum aging requirement. During this period, a cask loses liquid to the environment every year, which reduces the yield and concentrates what remains. Anyone who waits that long must have been convinced from the very beginning.

Bottled unfiltered means that chill filtration was avoided. While it makes a whisky look clear, it removes fatty acids and esters that contribute to body and mouthfeel. By omitting it, one accepts potential cloudiness when cold in exchange for retaining more aroma.

486 bottles from Werne

This bottling is strictly limited, because once the eleven-year-old stock is gone, there is no way to produce more.

It resulted in 486 bottles, significantly fewer than the corn whisky with its 738. This is in the nature of things: the longer a whisky stays in the cask, the less remains in the end.

It is distilled in Werne, where the family has worked since 1962 and where Theres and Georg have been running the business in the third generation since 2012. Here, eleven years also means that this cask was already resting before they took over. A whisky of this maturity is always a legacy from the previous generation to the next.

At 16 to 20 degrees, in a tumbler or nosing glass

The distillery recommends a tasting glass or a whisky tumbler at about 16 to 20 degrees.

It should be tasted neat first, as an unfiltered whisky reveals its mouthfeel most clearly without additives. A single drop of water subsequently opens up the fruit, whereas ice cubes close it off, leaving only the spice.

If you chill it and it turns slightly cloudy, that is not a defect, but proof that it was not chill-filtered. It clears up on its own at room temperature.

It pairs well with robust accompaniments, such as dark chocolate, aged hard cheese, or dried fruits, and the calvados note pairs immediately with apple pie. Further bottles of this kind can be found in our whisky selection, and everything else from the distillery in the Brennerei Ehringhausen range.

Eleven years for one bottle. You can taste every single one of them.

Organic control body DE-ÖKO-005 – German Agriculture