Copper Fox Rye

Rating: 14/23 Revisiting this peculiar rye that reminds me and others of an Islay scotch. Nose: A distinct smoky, coastal (salty, briny) scent is present. Malt richness combines with young rye tartness and spice, creating a sensation akin to a young Islay scotch with minimal peat. The rye's botanical notes enhance the smoke, making it seem more peaty. A faint apple note is detectable. The herbal layer is complex, blending into vegetal notes that are hard to pin down. A subtle minerality is present. Palate: It's smoky with sea spray, apple, saltiness, sweet water, herbaceousness, light vegetal notes, and some spice. It's not bad, but it tastes young, similar to a young Island (Islay?) scotch. My past descriptions of Islay might have implied more peat than was actually there; the herbal quality mixed with rye tartness and smoke could be mistaken for peat. It likely has more smoke with natural herbal flavor and minimal aging, so the smoke hasn't dissipated much. It's surprisingly sweet beneath the smoke and herbs, like sour candy masking its sugar content. This reminds me a bit of Los Vecinos Easpadin. The sweetness can even make my teeth ache. The barley's richness anchors the drink, though the barley itself is quite young. This contributes to the young, rugged, coastal character, but I feel the barley could be more complex and the whole spirit could benefit from better cohesion. Thankfully, there's no overpowering alcohol. I struggled to identify a lingering flavor, but eventually realized it was dill pickles. I'm unsure how I feel about this in the spirit, but I do enjoy dill pickles. This adds credibility as a rye and enhances its rugged, coastal feel. Finish: The smoke and herbal notes linger for a long time, with some apple. A touch of minerality appears and disappears, alongside some barley that is simultaneously rich, sweet, and youthful. I was puzzled by this for a while, but I think I finally grasp it. It has a lot of barley and was smoked twice—once with apple wood—and aged in two separate bourbon barrels. Given this, the strong scotch influence makes more sense, especially considering the rye's inherent herbal flavor. This is essentially a blended scotch creating the illusion of peat. The balance is definitely unconventional, but in a rugged, Scottish maritime way (like a young Islay scotch), so it works. It's decent, but now that I realize the distillery essentially applied cosmetic enhancements to very young spirit, I'm torn between admiration for the illusion and disappointment in the deception. So, strangely, this compares best to malts, not rye. It's a significant improvement over Kings County Peated Single Malt, but not as good as Corsair Wildfire. I now consider it closer to the 13 range, similar to George Dickel Rye. The Dickel actually has a fuller flavor, though this has more going on. This "rye" is worth trying, but I can't recommend buying a bottle for $40. I wouldn't regret the purchase, but I likely won't buy another one myself. This also evokes Los Vecinos Espadin with its herbal, slightly vegetal smoky funkiness and youth. Los Vecinos has a bolder, more assertive character with more smoke and less sweetness, but it's also less rich and rounded. As it should be, being joven mezcal. It's wild to even compare this to mezcal. I think I prefer Los Vecinos, but not by much—two points at most. Unfortunately, this clearly has a light, immature profile. Compared to spirits like Los Vecinos Espadin or Corsair Wildfire, this tastes weak. There's significant potential, but the 20 months of aging isn't enough for it to stand on its own. I'm quite sure a 12 would be unduly harsh, but I'm skeptical of a 15. A 14 seems quite possible, though. This strongly reminds me of Smokey Joe, so I wish I had some for comparison. Unlike George Dickel Rye (the closest rye I have in terms of general profile), this does a good job of hiding its youth. You know, I'm appreciating this more and more, and I think its quality is quite similar to Smokey Joe, which I rated 15. So I'm moving this up to a 14, and I now think a 15 is just as likely as a 13.

The aroma is full of herbaceous notes with a substantial amount of vegetal funk. There's also a touch of tartness present. Based on the smell alone, I might have taken it for tequila, or perhaps an Islay Scotch. The texture is rather thick. The taste is quite zesty, featuring a strong peppery sensation (including white pepper) mingled with herbaceous mint and a vegetal sweetness. This is truly a distinctive beverage. It also exhibits some of the malty character found in Westward Single Malt, adding more depth that complements the vegetal flavor. The bitter herbal notes are surprisingly mellow and integrate well with the other tastes. A salty element, reminiscent of the sea and kelp, contributes to its rugged quality. While pinpointing the individual herbs is difficult, it possesses considerable complexity nonetheless. It's a very engaging drink. There's a significant amount of smoke, and one could easily believe peat is present. It doesn't strike me as exceptionally aged; in fact, I would have guessed it wasn't even two years old! This is likely due to the wood chips, yet it's surprising they don't dominate the flavor or make it monotonous. Some of that rye tartness and minerality does come through, but it harmonizes well with the rugged profile, and the mineral notes don't weaken the whiskey's taste. There's certainly a subtle fruity richness, evoking ripe apples, but I'm surprised by how understated it is, considering apple wood and cherry wood were used in malting, and applewood was also added as chips during aging. This is a remarkably good whiskey, although rye enthusiasts might find its unusual profile off-putting. It's highly captivating and certainly a sipper. The sweetness is pleasant and, combined with the rich flavors, doesn't feel overwhelming at all. A grassy, grainy taste is present without being too assertive. The entire experience brings to mind Laphroaig 10 on a good day. An excellent application of wood chips to craft such a rich, smoky whiskey. In direct comparison, Laphroaig offers more smoke and peat, but has a lighter overall character with more floral notes and vanilla. Laphroaig presents its flavors more distinctly with a single sip, but is less rich overall. Honestly, this could easily pass for a 12-year-old Scotch, and perhaps even an 18 or 21-year-old. It would be harder to claim it's a 25-year-old, however. This isn't a groundbreaking whiskey in terms of quality, but it is still very enjoyable. It's a very pleasant drinking experience. It's less fruity and floral than Caol Ila 12, with less Pinot noir acidity and less toasty richness. Caol Ila 12 actually tastes quite nice after Copper Fox Rye. After tasting Caol Ila 12, this exhibits a greater sense of youthful immaturity, though it by no means tastes like a novice whiskey – it simply lacks the same integration and balance of flavors found in older spirits. It reminds me somewhat of Johnnie Walker Green in how the flavors meld together, creating a general sense of richness rather than distinct individual notes. There is undeniably substantially more Sherry flavor in the Caol Ila compared to the Laphroaig or Copper Fox. With its comparatively vibrant fruitiness, Laphroaig holds a slight edge over the Copper Fox. In truth, all three are distinct and enjoyable for their unique qualities. It's genuinely difficult to choose among them, though I might slightly prefer the Laphroaig and Copper Fox over the Caol Ila. There are even hints of butterscotch in its sweetness. What a delightfully surprising dram. It's not quite Johnnie Walker Green, and I suspect for the extra cost, I'd opt for the upgrade. On a subsequent tasting, I partially retract my earlier statement about this resembling an Islay Scotch. While it does possess some of the herbaceous character (e.g., band-aid notes) found in Laphroaig 10 and other Scotches, the herbaceous flavor here seems primarily like a much more potent, bitter rendition of what's present in Templeton 4. This whiskey displays a strong influence from flavorful grain rather than character derived from peat or the barrel. I would love to adore this whiskey, but despite its intrigue, richness, and distinctiveness, I find it hard to utilize, and there's a slightly unpleasant element in its flavor profile. Perhaps it's an acquired taste, similar to Islay Scotch. If it occupied its own category, its flavors might be common enough to taste excellent. Or it could be an average example of its class.

This isn't an actual tasting; I don't currently have this (or any other dram) available. I was merely reflecting and thought I could offer more clarity on my previous comments. Firstly, it genuinely tastes like an Islay Scotch. It's unusual, but this is due to Copper Fox's use of applewood smoke and a high proportion of barley. The flavor profile is somewhat tart with green apple notes. It's not as full and rich as most Islay drams, but it's too smoky to be associated with any other Scotch-producing region, with only a few exceptions like Longrow and Ballechin. What I truly wanted to add is that I've realized this tastes particularly like Kilchoman. Kilchoman has a somewhat thin mid-palate that lacks the funk found in most Islay Scotch, and it has a slightly more pronounced green apple and lemon fruitiness. It's also not quite as complex as most standard offerings (e.g., Laphroaig 10, Caol Ila 12). These specific characteristics make it quite unique among Islay distilleries. I suspect the reason for this is that Kilchoman is a new distillery, leading to: (1) A limited supply of aged distillate, resulting in brighter notes and less mature nuance. (2) A likely practice of barreling hearts-heavy cuts, reducing unusual notes that would require years to mellow, allowing for earlier release without producing undrinkable spirits like Ardbeg Wee Beastie.

It’s December 22nd, and I'm planning to sample a new rye whiskey daily this month. While my rye expertise isn't as limited as my Scotch knowledge was this time last year, I'm always open to recommendations for excellent rye whiskies. With specific objectives now in place (it's beneficial to have goals), there are several key types I need assistance locating. Please share your preferred, easily accessible rye. Objectives (condensed): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (3/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) I aim to distinguish between any bourbon and any rye. First attempt. One of these must be an Empire Rye. I'm looking for an intense rye. I want the one that evokes the feeling of walking into a bakery at 5 am with your overly critical mother-in-law. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An intense Rye Whiskey from Rick Wasmund, the founder of Copper Fox Sperryville Distillery in Sperryville, Virginia. It undergoes double pot distillation and is aged for 15-20 months using apple wood toasted chips within a used Bourbon barrel. The grain composition is 66% Virginia Rye and 33% Virginia Thoroughbred hand-malted barley, kiln-dried with apple wood and cherry wood smoke. It begins aromatically with hints of Sherry, plum wine, apple pie, cinnamon, raisin toast, and a touch of caramel; its rich and spicy character continues with notes of toasted almond, pepper, and floral hints; concluding with a medium-length spicy finish featuring notes of bitter apple, flour, and unbaked dough. May / October 2020 / February 20221 / February / August 2022 / January 2024

Aroma: Somewhat muted and flat, with notes of caramel, sour cherry, and a touch of walnut. Palate: Very thin peach tea, with cane sugar. Finish: White pepper, sour cherry and apple, with a hint of vanilla. Value: C- This is a typical craft distiller whiskey. It's a bit thin and muted, and the distilling process could likely be improved with slight adjustments by a master distiller for a much better outcome. The applewood and cherrywood smoke are noticeable but quite unbalanced and astringent. It's adequate, but it doesn't surpass the major distilling companies' ryes.