Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2020 Results

The results are in! Our team is proud to announce that, Azuñia Black Extra-Aged Añejo Tequila, and Hue-Hue Coffee Rum, were named Finalists with scores of 94 and 92, respectively, in the 10th Annual Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

Winners are divided across 15 different liquor categories, from amaro to whisk(e)y, evaluated blindly "by panels in multi-stages assessments to remove any inherent or individual bias." Hailed as one of the most "credible and relevant" competitions in the beverage industry by Forbes, Ultimate Spirits Challenge has set out to create a higher standard of evaluation for spirits that provides accurate, meaningful, and useful results in recognizing the quality of beverage alcohol products. The panel of judges, which selects the Ultimate Spirits Challenge Winners, is comprised of the most renowned names in the industry. Judges include "America's foremost spirits authority" F. Paul Pacult, Master Mixologist aka King Cocktail, Dale DeGroff, Liquid Productions Spirits Consultant Tyler Hudgens, New York Times Spirit Writer, and Editor Clay Risen, Wine and Spirits educator and journalist Tess Rose, along with other accomplished and respected beverage directors, bar managers, bartenders, consultants and restaurateurs in the industry.

A spirits competition with integrity

According to its mission statement, "Integrity is the cornerstone of the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Winning hard-won accolades and relevant scores awarded by the most respected and experienced authorities in the industry translates into . . . confidence from buyers and consumers that the results achieved are accurate and reliable."

Not the first award, and won't be the last

Over the past few years, Azuñia Tequila has received numerous awards and high scores for its entire lineup of estate-crafted, premium tequilas including top honors from the Ultimate Spirits Challenge's 'Great Value' for its Azuñia Blanco Organic Tequila and the highest possible score in its category, the 'Chairman's Trophy' for its Azuñia Añejo Tequila; in addition to being designated 'World's Best' tequila in the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for Azuñia Reposado Organic Tequila. Hue-Hue Coffee Rum (pronounced "way-way") is made with free-trade, single-origin coffee beans from Guatemala and roasted in Portland by Portland Coffee Roasters. It's proud to add the 'Finalist' award to its other 'Best of' awards, for both Rum and Flavored Rum categories, from the LA International Spirits Awards and American Distilling Institute (ADI) Awards.

"The Azuñia and Hue-Hue teams stay true to traditional processes and hold the rare talent of capturing flavors and place in a bottle. They are the epitome of craft."

"These wins mark a great leap in recognition of Eastside Distilling on a national scale. The Eastside team is determined to continually deliver high-quality, award-winning spirits in the years to come," reiterated Block.

Industry media, spirits enthusiasts, and fans can follow the #UltimateSpiritsChallenge on social to join the Internet Celebration. Find the full list of the Ultimate Spirits Challenge winners of 2020 and the past years at https://www.ultimate-beverage.com/.

More about our premium craft spirits Visit Azunia.com for more information about premium, estate-crafted Azuñia tequila, or CoffeeRum.com to learn why Hue-Hue Coffee Rum is "way-way" good.

Coffee Rum Cocktails - What’s for Brunch (plus, a menu!)

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Made from sugarcane and its byproducts, like molasses, rum has been making cocktails better, and pirate life worth singing about well before it’s first historical mention in 1654. Spanning cultures and countries, rum’s versatility and appeal make it the perfect foundation for your favorite rum cocktails, straight up, or chilled with a couple ice cubes. 

But take rum and add cold-brewed coffee, and now we’re talking about everyone’s favorite late morning meal (is it a late breakfast or early lunch?) None other than brunch. So, what does a brunch menu featuring coffee rum cocktails look like? Read on to find out.

But First, Coffee Rum

Collaborating with Portland Roasting Company, Hue-Hue Coffee Rum (pronounced way-way) showcases the single-origin, free-trade coffee from Guatemala and our signature silver rum. Smooth, velvety, and slightly sweet, this cold-brew coffee rum bridges the gap between bartenders and baristas, breakfast and lunch, morning and afternoon.

That’s why Hue-Hue can be the star of any stellar brunch menu, whether you enjoy it alone, in a rum cocktail or as an ingredient in your favorite dessert recipe.

Hue-Hue Tasty Brunch Menu Ideas

Made with only 3 simple ingredients, Hue-Hue and [insert your favorite brunch food here] always make one of the best alcohol and food combinations. Here’s how we do brunch:

Pastries + BOC (Breakfast of Champions) Coffee Rum Cocktail

Make with Hue-Hue, Averna Amaro, maple syrup, and egg whites, the BOC (Breakfast of Champions) would be a great way to kick of brunch. Fill your pastries spread with cinnabon buns to draw out Hue-Hue’s vanilla subtleties. Or for a more healthy-ish option, pair this coffee rum cocktail with a blueberry bran muffin with flaked sea salt. Tart berries and bread are great with Central American grown arabica beans.  Volcanic soil and earthy grains…mmmm.

Smoked Chicken Salad + The Portland Jet Set Cocktail

Savory and sweet are perfectly paired in this brunch food combo, and smoking the chicken elevates the roasted notes in the coffee. The Portland Jet Set is a boozy rum cocktail that will send you flying into take on whatever your day may bring. 

Prosciutto, Arugula Flatbread with Sunny Side Up Egg + Hue-Hue On the Rocks

This is one of our favorite flatbreads. Cream added to coffee introduces fat and cuts through acidity. Try this Prosciutto, Arugula Flatbread with Sunny Side Up Egg with pecorino or mozzarella, or try something truly surprising and top your pizza with a nice, sharp cheddar that rolls well with the light roast.

Coffee Rum Tiramisu

“Local stores don’t carry ladyfingers, so I substituted pound cake cut into “fingers…” - @stephstaley

We dare you to find us someone who doesn’t love tiramisu, let alone one made with pound cake, that soft, buttery, and perfectly dense confectionery that somehow improves daily, well into the week after it’s made. We’re grateful to you, Steph Staley, for being innovative and for stumbling across a perfect substitute. So, if you have room for dessert, we recommend ending on a high note with her tiramisu recipe. 

No Wrong Way-Way

Ready for more ways to enjoy Hue-Hue coffee rum? Visit CoffeeRum.com or follow Hue-Hue on Instagram to see how others are drinking it. There’s no wrong way-way to drink Hue-Hue!

Discovering Oregon Whiskey

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Sandwiched between our Canadian neighbors to the north and the towering California redwood trees to the south, the picturesque Pacific Northwest is making waves in the craft beverage world for all the right reasons. Wine and beer established Cascadia on the fermented map and Oregon whiskey has followed into the spotlight in a big way. 

The traditions and flavors of American whiskey have greatly evolved since the early Colonial settlers set up cottage stills in the late 1700’s.  American Whiskey really only matured into what we know to be the classic complex flavors we enjoy today in the last 60 years. Western whiskey emerged more recent than that while Oregon’s first distilled whiskey was bottled in the 1990’s!   

Bourbon made its way across the Mississippi to places like Colorado and Utah -  later venturing further through the Rocky Mountains to the temperate climate and douglas fir forests of the Western slopes. Bourbon here has become like the people:  mellow and mild tempered; trading in the wild spice and smoke of Appalachia country for decadent coffee and damp deciduous wood.

So what happens when these classic whiskeys are born in the South then reared in the West?  They adopt the terroir in which they’re nurtured. Rye whiskey calms its heat into subtly toasted spices.  Hints of candied orange peel and stone fruit expose themselves while the oak takes a back seat. Bourbon develops extra layers of dessert tannins like brown sugar and caramel on top of the woody earth notes we’ve become accustomed to. The Pacific Northwest breeds very unique whiskeys unlike any other and these Cascadian hallmarks reared the genesis of a new whiskey era.    

The beautiful thing about  producing brown spirits in the Pacific Northwest is that creativity is abound and distilleries and their distillers have the freedom to experiment without ruffling the feathers on an old guard. Take us, Eastside Distilling, who have been on the forefront of the West Coast Whiskey frontier for 8 years and who first produced a Bourbon in the state of Oregon in 2012.  Distiller/Blenders are exploring and exploiting the full potential of whiskey making in Portland, OR. Gleaning inspiration from bourbons, whiskeys and ryes produced around the country our blends are renowned for bridging tradition and innovation in a sophisticated way all the while incorporating flavors unique to the Pacific Northwest.

The wide range of Burnside Whiskey showcases a homegrown approach in a way that is innovative yet incredibly inviting to the novice and the whiskey connoisseur. The use of Quercus Garryana, or native Oregon oak, lovingly stamps each of the 5 Burnside Whiskey expressions with the state’s unique fingerprint. 

For instance, the Burnside Buckman RSV Bourbon bundles all of the elements of our production team’s talent and vision into one big ole’ bottle of woody goodness. 

“The Burnside Buckman RSV Bourbon is a celebration of our company’s 10-year anniversary and the newest member of our highly acclaimed Burnside Whiskey family. We’ve mellowed 10, 12 and 14 years aged bourbons in charred Quercus Garryana casks to manipulate the established provenance. Hand-picked barrels were charred to extrapolate toffee, maple and vanilla to mingle with the charcoal and clove.  It defies a blender’s intuition to double age in extra charred barrels but the Garryana is full of surprises.”


This single expression elevates Pacific Northwest whiskeys’ reputation as a formidable powerhouse in it’s elegant yet bold style. As the character of the region’s whiskey distilling and blending matures, spirits like the Burnside Buckman RSV Bourbon will continue to build momentum.  We’re thankful for the 220 days of rain in the Willamette Valley because without it, we would have had to harvest Hemlocks. 

It’s not all about bourbon though for Eastside.  Burnside Oregon Oaked Rye was launched in time to ryed (ok, ride, bad pun) the rye wave.  Rye Whiskey is blossoming into a tour-de-force spirit and unexpected foundation for classic whiskey-based cocktails and the Burnside Rye is a no-brainer with its Best in Class status.  

Burnside Buckman Reserve Anniversary Blend: 8, 10 and 14 year straight bourbons blended and rested in charred Quercus Garryana Casks for 10 months.

Burnside Buckman Reserve Anniversary Blend: 8, 10 and 14 year straight bourbons blended and rested in charred Quercus Garryana Casks for 10 months.

It is a new and exciting time to broaden your horizons. Find your Burnside.

A Guide to OREGON WHISKEY & CIGAR Pairings

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There are fewer things in life that go better together than a fine whiskey and a bold cigar. The oak and smoke flavor profiles are a match made in distiller’s heaven. The actual process of bringing the pairing to life revolves solely around preference, but when you start off with an expertly crafted whiskey, then you’re already on the right track. We’ve put together a list of cigar couplings that bring out the nuances of our Oregon oaked whiskeys while showcasing a truly delicious flavor profile. 

Grab your cutter, lighter, and a glass and let’s get started!

Burnside West End Blend

  • Burnside West End Blend is a meticulous blend of American whiskies ranging in age and mash bills with a kiss of toasted Oregon Oak to make a vibrant, earthy sipper at an accessible proof and price. 

Cigar Pairing: La Gloria Cubana

  • Created by the cigar guru E.P. Carillo, the La Gloria Cubana showcases an array of hand-chosen filters all brought together in a Connecticut Broadleaf or Ecuadorian wrapper. Packing a ton of flavor, cedar and leather notes bring out the honeyed sweetness and subtle citrus in the West End Blend. 

Burnside Oregon Oaked Bourbon 

  • Finished in Quercus garryana oak casks, our Burnside Oregon Oaked Bourbon showcases a hints of peach and allspice with a lingering finish of toasted oak. The Oregon Oaked is unique flavor experience like no other – spiced, sweet, balanced and full-bodied. 

Cigar Pairing: Alec Bradley Magic Toast 

  • Rich and smooth, the Magic Toast is jam-packed with layers of bitter chocolate and oak, making it a pure treat for every cigar lover. The bold flavors create a perfect accompaniment for our Oregon Oak blend; accentuating the depth of the whiskey and bringing out the caramel nuances supporting the overall prominent oak flavors. 

Burnside Oregon Oaked Rye

  • A delicious blend of straight rye and straight whiskies ranging in age, the Burnside Oregon Oaked Rye is a one-of-a-kind rye with finished in Quercus garryana casks. It's our first venture into rye and it was worth the wait.

Cigar Pairing: Camacho Nicaraguan Barrel Aged

  • Coming out of the gate swinging, the Camacho Barrel Aged is unapologetically bold, just like the Oregon Oaked Rye. The rye’s toffee sweetness cools down the Camacho’s potent flavors of black pepper, leather, and spice. This pairing is all about sweet and salty, bitter and creamy, and the opposites that bring out the best in each other. 

Burnside Goose Hollow Reserve

  • Burnside Goose Hollow Reserve is a small batch expression of straight bourbon whiskies that are expertly blended then aged for 70 days in Quercus garryana Casks for a South meets West Bourbon unlike any other.

Cigar Pairing: Padron 1926 Anniversary

  • There is a reason why the Padron 1926 is considered to be one of the perennial favorites to win cigar of the year. The expertly chosen Nicaraguan tobacco highlights the very best of cigar construction and flavor development. Elegant and sophisticated, the Padron is the ideal companion for the Goose Hollow Reserve, elevating the notes of oak, gourmet vanilla, and ripe summer plum. Do yourself a favor, and try this one for yourself. 

Burnside Buckman Reserve Bourbon 

  • Our Burnside Buckman expression is a celebration of our 10 year anniversary and the newest member of our highly acclaimed Burnside Whiskey family. We’ve sourced the best aged bourbons in the country and mellowed them in our Quercus Garryana casks to create a one-of-a-kind premium bourbon experience.

Cigar Pairing: Drew Estate Liga Privada #9

  • Bold, balanced, and beautiful, Drew Estate’s Liga Privada #9 is the apex of craftsmanship in the cigar world. Rich earthy tones brought out by the dark Oscuro wrapper round out into a slightly sweet finish. The wide range of enticing flavors creates the perfect canvas for the Buckman Reserve Bourbon to show off. The floral undertones and slightly sweet brown sugar profile of the Buckman mingles with the elegant cigar bringing together oak and smoke in a truly uniquely developed experience.

Did we miss one? Let us know what your favorite Oregon whiskey and cigar pairing is in the comments below.

It's Cold Brew Season: Mix Up the Brunch Line Cocktail with HUe-Hue Coffee Rum

The great poet Anonymous once said “Humanity runs on coffee,” and we couldn’t agree more. Coffee is a time-honored tradition that spans cultures, creeds, and borders, bringing friends together and ideas to life. So the question is, how do you take a nearly perfect liquid and highlight its best qualities with the addition of alcohol? Eastside did just that, fusing high-quality ingredients without over compensating. The resulting marriage is our slightly caffeinated Hue-Hue Cold Brewed Coffee Rum, or, the shortened Hue-Hue (pronounced way-way).

Hue-Hue is built on the foundation of free-trade, single-estate shade grown coffee beans grown at the Finca El Paternal Estate in Huehuetenango, Guatemala and imported to Portland Roasting Company for a signature light roast. Starting off with premium coffee allows for less interference from adjuncts that manipulate taste. This selected coffee is layered with slightly sweet nuances that complement our Puerto-Rican and Jamaican sourced rums.

Look, it’s happy beans.

Look, it’s happy beans.

First and foremost, Hue-Hue is an expression of high-quality small-batch cold brewed coffee backed by an award-winning blend of silver rums. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE COFFEE. Working closely with Portland Roasting Company allows Heim to harness the expertise of the local coffee gurus who seek and find the best varieties and farms. The nuttiness of the Arabic beans grown at the Finca El Paternal Estate are perfect for capturing rich and smooth complexity through the slow cold-brew process.


Eastside’s commitment to creating a truly unique coffee-forward spirit goes beyond just leaving out flavor and color fillers including but not limited to corn syrup, grain neutral spirit, extracts and additives; but also omitting harmless additions such as cane sugar as sweetener. Coffee spirits do not have to be liqueurs - that’s what’s revolutionary about this spirit. Choosing free-trade single-origin beans means that Eastside is also able to help preserve and nurture jobs for coffee growers in Guatemala. Building sustainable relationships not only serves to further quality and consistency with Hue-Hue, but also generates positive opportunities for global relations.  


The beauty of Hue-Hue translates into the cocktail world perfectly. Eastside worked with local bartenders to develop the Brunch Line Cocktail to showcase the monumentally awesome flavor of Hue-Hue. The bold cold-brew coffee is complemented by the sweetness of maple syrup and bitter earthiness of Italian Averna jiving with a spritz of bubbly water that is perfect for a Saturday or Sunday morning before a big brunch. Part coffee, part digestif and part breakfast (with the egg!), this mix is a weekend delight.

Here's how to make The Brunch Line cocktail.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Hue-Hue Coffee Rum

  • .75 oz Averna

  • .5 oz maple syrup

  • 1 egg white

  • 3 - 4 oz sparkling water

  • lemon twist

Combine Hue-Hue, Averna, maple syrup, and an egg white in an empty shaker. Shake hard without ice for 25-30 seconds to really froth up the egg white (this is called a dry shake). Toss in a few ice cubes and shake again for 10 - 15 seconds to chill the mix. Strain into a chilled Collins glass filled with ice, and top with sparkling water. If you're fancy you can even replace the sparkle water for Prosecco. Garnish with a lemon twist, and get your day started!

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Canned Cocktails Are More Than a Craze

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The beauty behind the ready-to-drink (RTD) Portland Mule is not just the four-times distilled award-winning vodka, but its portability! Best yet, Eastside Distilling’s Portland Mule is as delicious as it is portable. This canned cocktail has been designed to be enjoyed on-the-go as well as in the moment. Our interpretation of a Moscow Mule embodies our rustic Oregon roots and fuses the Pacific Northwest into the mixed drink. It’s not from Russia so why pretend it is?

Fads and trends are innovation incubators. The poor ones come and go and the best ones re-shape our thinking as to what is possible. We’ve taken the momentum of the canned cocktail craze to analyze what exactly is happening here and why. Looking at the category from 30,000 feet gives us a clear view of what is working and what is failing. Canning a cocktail is only one piece of the single-serve revolution; dissecting the details around scope of demand, ecological impact, functionality and yes, profitability is a task that we’re fully committed to understanding.

Let’s talk demand. The demand for quality is not going anywhere - it’s here to stay and therefore is a rule, not a trend. As demand for quality spreads through varying aspects of our lives it is pertinent that we, as distillers and beverage producers, understand our role in this evolving dynamic. Not everyone has a personal bar cart and not everyone can mix a cocktail (ironically our distiller included which she is happy to discuss at length). As a society we are more on the go than ever and opportunities to be leisure are not always planned weeks, days or even hours in advance. Sharing a cocktail is the most leisure activity we indulge in as social creatures so we’re working to alleviate the additional stresses involved in having a good time.

It’s not always economical or ecologically responsible to bring glass bottles to sacred outdoor spaces such as river beds, beach fronts, trails, pools or parks. You know and respect the concept of “pack it in, pack it out” as we do. It’s our responsibility as a guest of nature that we leave these places as we found them - or better! The small format, slim-style can that we sourced fits perfectly in picnic baskets and backpacks, lightning the load and allowing space for essentials such as food, water and gear. Limiting the amount of material brought in to a space is more manageable when we design products to fit these needs and drastically limit potential remnants. It’s functional and good for the planet!

Crafted in collaboration with Portland Syrups, the Portland Mule combines Eastside’s award-winning Portland Potato Vodka, spicy ginger syrup made from whole ingredients and a dash of fresh lime. We designed the Portland Mule to have a bold, balanced flavor with a refreshing fizzy finish. This Portland rendition is best enjoyed straight from the chilled can or poured over ice.

Now that you have less stress about what to carry around and if potentially tainting our natural habitat, you can finally live in the moments that matter most: times when friends can gather, enjoy an experience, and create a memory seamlessly without excess or waste. These moments and want for these moments was our inspiration for use of alternative packaging. If less is more then you can bask in your new ritual of opting for portable mixology where mahogany stools are replaced with stumps and straws are replaced with pop tops.

The Portland Mule canned cocktail fits perfectly into your life as a 250ml thin can. It’s 10.5% alcohol-by-volume which is the actual serving you would receive at a bar, and artfully crafted with local, whole ingredients from small businesses you’d be proud to support. Available year round you can sip in the summer or sulk in the rain, you won’t feel guilty wherever and whenever you crack a can.

Enjoying a cocktail in your happy place. { Mocks Crest Park, Portland OR }

Enjoying a cocktail in your happy place. { Mocks Crest Park, Portland OR }

Marionberry Love: Why Oregonians Love Marionberries

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The Pacific Northwest is known for a lot of things: Picture-perfect waterfalls, endless hiking trails, salmon, rain (of course), and a berry the rest of the world has never heard of. The Marionberry. Hailing from quaint mid-valley Marion County, this juicy cultivar is the result of some creative gene-splicing from scientists at Oregon State University; home of the Maraschino Cherry! The Marionberry family tree is a who’s who in berries. Generations of cross-breeding Logan, Dew, Young, Rasp and Blackberries culminated in the finale of marrying genes of Olallie and Chehalem blackberry crops. It’s a sordid history fueled by lust and madness all for the sake of perfected the purple produce.

Profile

The marionberry does not abide to tact. It’s a tart punch to the palate later succumbing to sweeter flesh and jammy notes. Once you get through the initial bombardment to your senses, the berry gives in to modest tannin, relatable nuances such as raspberry and blueberry with an zesty citrus essence. The Marionberry is as much of a melting pot of flavors as it is a culmination in a long line of berry lineage.

Birth of an Oregon Icon

“The marionberry was developed by U.S. Department of Agricultural researcher George F. Waldo at Oregon State University in Corvallis in the nineteen forties. It is a cross of the flavorful Olallie berry and the high-producing Chehalem berry, both of which are also caneberry hybrids. The Olallie berry is a cross between the youngberry and the loganberry, each of which is also a caneberry hybrid. The youngberry is a cross between the native pacific blackberry and dewberry, while the loganberry is a cross between the native blackberry and the raspberry.”

“On the other side of the marionberry family tree, the Chehalem berry is a cross between the noxious European Himalayan blackberry and the Santiam blackberry. The Santiam is a cross between a native pacific blackberry and the loganberry. Got all that? And yes, loganberry is marionberry’s grandpa on one side of the family and great-grandpa on the other.”

~ Bipartisan Cafe

Uses

The juicy, delicious berry has become a seasonal standard in our home state popping up in everything from pies and jams to BBQ marinades, scratch-it stickers and even beer. Lately, the marionberry has really began to shine in craft cocktails. Local distilleries, like Eastside Distilling, have pushed the whimsical berry into the spotlight with their infused Marionberry Vodka and Marionberry Whiskey.

Eastside Distilling’s Marionberry Vodka was a feat in exacting practices redefining expectations. To combine a tart, citric berry with neutral octane ethanol with the expectation that it will be a summer delight both smooth and sweet and swell is easier spoken than done. Finding a balance here without creating a liqueur (masking ‘off’ and undesirable flavors with sugar) took time, research and patience. However, we are experienced, talented individuals who executed the development heroically. We seriously surprised ourselves in the process. The final infused vodka is delicious and complex without additionally added colors, flavors, extracts or preservatives. The spirit is unlike any flavored vodka on the market with a wide range of possibilities.

"Portland Marionberry Vodka is a genuine venture into flavoring spirits.  The jammy, berry notes are lively and rich, unencumbered by added sugar and complemented by the water-like profile of our potato vodka.  Compared to other berry vodkas on the market I think we achieved the unbelievable and crafted a complex vodka out of a simple concept.”

~ Mel Heim, Master Distiller/Blender at Eastside Distilling

Not to be outdone by the vodka, Eastside Distilling has fused the humble marionberry with their award-winning whiskey to create a brand new dimension of the flavored whiskey world: Oregon Marionberry Whiskey. Prominent notes include wood spice, gooey pie filling, a sweep of baked dough and unctuous dessert wine.

"Oregon Marionberry Whiskey is rich in color like homemade strawberry jam. It has a bright, potent aroma of sweet mango, raspberry and blackberry that sweetens as the vapors disperse. Intense fresh marionberries hit the palate and quickly transform to spice and citrus; ultimately evolving into warm brandy and cherry essence. The finish lingers awhile with subtle young whiskey heat and baked tart dryness."

~ Mel Heim, Master Distiller/Blender at Eastside Distilling

Cocktail Recipe

NW Berry Sour

1.5 oz Marionberry Whiskey
1.5 oz Apple Juice/Cider
.5 oz Cranberry Juice
.5 oz Lemon Juice

Instructions:

Fill glass with ice and combine all the ingredients and garnish with lemon wheel.

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Defining Rye Whiskey as a Category

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The rise of craft bourbon over the last few decades has brought with it a whole slew of new terms and definitions into the average spirit drinker’s world. Chiefly among them, the wondrous and glorious category of Rye Whiskey.  So what sets rye apart from other whiskeys such as bourbon and single malts? What ingredients and characteristics make rye its own category? 

Breakdown 


The fundamental difference that shepherds rye into its own realm of the whiskey world is the mashbill. The regulations demand that an American “rye” whiskey be made with, at the very least, 51% rye and the remaining grain bill being comprised of various ratios of malted barley and corn. After being distilled to 80% (160 proof) the newborn rye is set to rest in new, charred, American White oak barrels at no higher than 62.5% (125 proof). 

To qualify as a straight rye whiskey the spirit must stay in that barrel for a minimum of two years. And to take the process one step further, producers can choose a mash-bill that is 100% rye grain to create the mythical Monongahela rye whiskey.  This is a rare spirit, indeed, as rye is one of the more temperamental grains, often being cursed at by distillers for its habit of frothing uncontrollably during fermentation.  

Our friends over the border up north have far fewer requirements for defining the label of a “rye” whiskey, but do require that the base blending spirit be aged for at least three years in barrels no larger than 180 gallons. 

Rye whiskey distilleries create their flavor profile based on the strategic blend of corn and malted barley they choose to complement the dominant rye overtones. 

Profile

Unlike sweeter, “juicer,” corn-based bourbon, rye brings a spicy, dryer style of whiskey to the table. The rye grass grain is a welcomed substitution in classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and Whiskey Sour. The recent wave of interest in simple whiskey cocktails and home bartending has launched rye into the forefront as the spirit of choice. 

Below are two examples of wildly different rye bottles worth noting for their differences and commonalities. Stylistically they are opposites, couldn’t be more different, but qualitatively they are both winners of prestigious double-gold medals from the most competitive spirit tasting in the country. It shows how vast the differences can be even when both are playing with the same set of rules.

Eastside’s Burnside Oregon Oaked Rye

Proudly producing Oregon’s finest whiskeys, Eastside Distilling’s Burnside Oregon Oaked Rye is brimming with notes that might be unfamiliar to the average rye imbiber and that was always a part of our vision and strategy. It is very rare for producers to highlight rye’s subtle, delicate notes such as mint and stone fruit.  “We know it’s spicy with cereal notes but when manipulated correctly you can extrapolate fruitiness and honeyed undertones.”  That’s why her blends incorporate purchased whiskey lots from the usual suspects such as MGPI and George Dickel but also some gems from craft distilleries such as her favorite 4 year pot-distilled unmalted rye produced ‘where the mountains meet the sky’. (It’s proprietary, she exclaims).  Once the masterful blend is complete it will spend time aging in toasted Quercus Garryana casks, glorious Oregon Oak, then be bottled at 92 proof. 

Eastside Distilling uses the indigenous Quercus Garryana Oregon white oak to put a truly unique and layered Pacific Northwest flair on rye whiskey. The oak imparts a pronounced nuance of vanilla because of the high density of the tannin vanillin present in the ultra-porous NW oak. Southern American oaks produce much less of this dessert tannin.  

Burnside Oregon Oaked Rye Whiskey embodies the adventurous spirit of the Northwest craft whiskey movement.  The grain ratios are unorthodox, the cool climate in which it ages stunts rapid evaporation and condenses flavor over time.  You can taste that the barrel was not exposed to excessive heat. There is no trace of burning sensations in the liquid. It’s calm, cool and pleasant like the terroir that surrounds it.  This expression has earned top honors at some of the most competitive and prestigious competitions, namely, double gold medals and Best of Category at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition and the New York World Spirits Competition where some of the most beloved big brands came in at second best.  

Big Bottom Delta Rye

Coming out of the gate at a whopping 111 proof, Big Bottom’s Delta Rye masterfully destroys the notion that bigger is harsher.  Completely abandoning the avenue travelled to create Burnside Oregon Oaked Rye, Delta Rye forged its own path as a blend of straight Indiana rye with softer three-year old Canadian rye that uses extra heat to its advantage.  Baked spice, smoke and cereal grains explode with added bursts of cinnamon, orange, banana and blackberry.  When you drink it you think, what the hell just happened in my mouth? I think I like it.   


The higher proof bolsters an uncomfortably comfortable singe on the palate.  You need another sip to tame the first. It’s a beast of a whiskey that tramps over delicate characters in a very satisfying way and is a prime example of how a rye can be engineered  with no particular style to create a very specific new style which is what the craft whiskey community is all about.   

The Takeaway

The roots of rye run deep, calling back to the late 1700s in the U.S.  American Whiskey’s popularity by style ebbs and flows, rising and falling with each new generation.  Present day craft spirits are known for bending and breaking rules with no hints of slowing down. These two rye whiskeys prove that the category has no confinements.   These ryes are completely different from each other and won over the hearts and minds of the most critical palates on Earth. It’s a profound revelation as to what can still be achieved if we search beyond the status quo.  


T

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