Seelbach’s Selection 14-Month French Oak Finish
Dancing Goat Distillery minces no words to describe the differences between their sourced rye and other brands. The process of the secondary finish, what they expect to obtain in the final product, and how that sets them apart. I love it! Clear and concise marketing without any wonder where and how this whiskey came to be.
There are a handful of french oak matured and finished American whiskies on the market, notably Makers 46. There are not many french oaked ryes, however, so this bottle was new territory for me.
Tasting Notes
This MGP 95/5 rye was aged for 6 years and 10 months before finishing in new Limousin French Oak for an additional 14 months. Tasted neat in a Glencairn with an initial 10 minutes of rest. Additional tasting with dilution and upwards of an hour of rest for comparison.
Sweet nose for rye and is not typical of the herbal quality 95/5 rye whiskies bring. Reminds me of a TDC rye I had some time ago. Candied apples and stewed fruit compote. Apples, raisins, and oranges. There’s a tart plum and cherry note as well bringing some acidity to the nose. Subtle spices hide behind a more prominent demerara and molasses aroma. Clove, peppercorn, cinnamon, and a touch of fresh ginger. Nilla wafers and vanilla buttercream. Water brought out more of that expressed orange oil giving this glass a pleasant, almost cocktail-like quality.
There’s no mistake that this is a rye. It might be more hidden on the nose but you get that bold and boisterous rye character like freshly baked pumpernickel bread. Carraway, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. After that initial alcohol heat dies down – there’s a thin coffee flavor that builds on the palate. Like a slightly watery iced coffee with french vanilla creamer. The french oak finish is really putting in work with a lot of vanilla bean pronounced flavors. Water surprisingly helped elevate some missing fruit notes. Dates, figs, and currants. The proof becomes evident as well.
The finish is just simply perfect. It encompasses some of my favorite flavors in whiskey. The richest, most decadent tobacco finish I have ever had. Cacao nibs and freshly pulled espresso shots. Tiramisù essentially with the lightly sweetened cream and pleasant bitterness. Orange zest with a tart cranberry note on its heels lightens the dram with its acidity. The finish lingers on your palate for a long while beckoning you to take another sip. It is the perfect balance of sweet dessert notes and a tannic oak finish.
Overall
I think this bottle can claim the sweetest rye title from me easily. However, I will not describe this as a ‘bourbon drinkers rye’ or even a ‘Bourye’ as I have recently with a Willett rye pick. This is distinctly its own dram and it’s still very much a rye.
There are none of the corn syrup flavors to hide those pleasant rye spices I enjoy. Instead, the finish brings an intense amount of toasted vanilla that I didn’t expect to excite me this much. I’m not one to buy a cask-finished whiskey typically. As this was just a “French Oak” finish, I was more willing to give it a shot.
It was a blind buy that turned out fantastic! Highly recommend this bottle if you’re looking for a rye and vanilla infusion. Something that’ll bring some heat, spice, and sweets all in a single glass.
