You don’t have to chose between local, organic, and excellent, this is all three!
Notes: This distillery is a little over 2 years old now and producing even more products.The distillery located in Ovid, New York ( north of Ithaca, New York if that helps anyone) has been producing a number of excellent products over the past couple of years and now with stocks of spirits reaching maturity they are releasing more aged products such as this Their Four Grain Whiskey.
Myers Farm Distillery is an organic farm to flask distillery that grows, harvests and distills and bottles their own organic distillates right on their own farm. You can’t get much more organic, low carbon footprint than that. Their products include their Meyer Farm Wheat Spirit White Dog, Myer Farm Corn Whiskey White Dog, Myer Farm Gin, Cayuga Gold Barrel Aged Gin, John Myer Four Grain Whiskey, Myer Farm Wheat Vodka, and their Myer Farm Ginger Flavored Vodka . An Aged Wheat Vodka has been laid down and currently aging for sale at a later point to be determined. Established in 1868 the farm is a family farm of roughly 1000 acres that grows organic grains and 2 years ago they caught the distilling bug after selling their grain to a number of other distillers .
Appearance: Clear, inspiring and promising shade of golden red amber, lovely thick coating on the glass when you swirl it,coating the glass with an oily coat with thin legs forming fairly quickly.
First Impression: Wonderful spicy grain scent, a sweet sour spice melange of butterscotch, cinnamon orange, honey nutmeg, mace,apples with tarragon, and a touch of absinthe aromatics, persimmons
Taste: Nicely oily full entry with grain,dash of sweetness giving way to a profession of grain,leather,apple,orange honey, drying slightly and leaving you with a lingering spicy finish with a whisper of heat to let you know you are drinking whiskey.
Drinks: Makes an outstanding Manhattan (which was of course made with rye, bourbon being substituted when real rye – not that Canadian stuff was almost extinct), whiskey sour, old fashioned or any other cocktail calling for rye or where you want something drier than bourbon but not the smoke of a Scotch or quite the malt of an Irish Whiskey.
Bottle: Heavy clear bell or apothecary shaped bottle with heavy decanter bottom. Simple but tasteful graphics on a dark brown colored paper label ( in this case it has a graphic of four rye stalks and heads) and a black synthetic cork with a nicely ridged top make it easy to open. Overall a nicely done if not overly distinctive package.
Other: 100 % organic grain (70% rye with organic corn and organic barley for the balance) and grown on the property – Field to Flask !
Final Thoughts: Not only one of the best ryes out there but local and field to flask. Very impressive quality for a young rye whiskey at an attractive price – especially if you consider craft made, local, field to flask, organic – that elevates this whiskey to a steal for the price.
Website: http://myerfarmdistillers.com
Website has some information as to the farm and history, product list ( with great tasting notes), list of where to find/buy but could be more informative. There is also a link to their Facebook page which contains much more current information and updates.