The Story

When Justin and I reviewed the cask strength version of Middle West Spirits’ Dark Pumpernickel Rye Whiskey, it was clear that it was a solid bottle. In fact, it was clear that Middle West Spirits was (and is still) a force to be reckoned with in the mid-sized distillery game. They certainly know their stuff.

But that’s certainly not good enough for us. At homebar.io, you don’t get a free pass just because you’ve made stuff that we liked previously.  We had tried the cask strength version (and for those who don’t know, it just means no water was added to what came out of the barrel – whiskeys usually have water added to meet a certain proof level) and really loved it. But how would this one fare after having some water added, and would it measure up to the best of the best that Middle West has to offer? We’re about to find out.

It’s important to call out that this is a pretty unique rye. The mashbill is actually a four-grain, meaning that they use four different grains to make this whiskey. One of those grains is dark pumpernickel rye, which is an interesting choice. Our first thought was: is it going to taste like pumpernickel bread? Well if this one is anything like its cask-strength big brother, then it very well may.

Nose

Dark brown sugar, caraway seed, clove, cinnamon and maple syrup are the welcome crew for this bottle.

Palate

Surprisingly, the first things to light up is the sweet parts of the tongue; pepper spice hits about mid-palate which transcends into a long finish.

Finish

The finish is the star of the show – all delegations are represented here: rich molasses sweetness, and yes, that pumpernickel rye bread note comes in heavy at the end to remind you why you picked it up off the shelf in the first place.

Verdict

It’s resoundingly sweet with a lovely spice backbone. We love everything about this bottle. From its rich sweetness to the pumpernickel bread note that it prominently showcases to earns its name, it’s got winner written all over it.

We’re glad to give Middle West Spirits’ Pumpernickel Rye an 8.0/10.

Update: We tried this in an Old Fashioned and it absolutely hits.

Cheers friends!