A trip to Total Wine: Rye not?

[Capn Jimbo]

Rye do I say "Rye not"?


By now our regular readers are well aware of what Chuck Cowdery has named the "Potemkin (invented) distillers". These are promoters who buy bulk, but then make up a clever brand name and market grand, historical stories about them. They imply that these are private and independent, small, batch-stilled, artisan products. These Potemkin spirits are then positioned as super duper premiums and natch, with super duper premium prices.

This is done with all manner of vodkas and gins, but especially with whiskey, and the new big thing: rye. Rye has recently taken off and its popularity is growing, ergo demand. The problem: except for a few giant factory distillers like LDI/MGP, there really isn't much. Ergo the "Potemkin distilleries". Giant LGI/MGP is the supplier, producing millions of gallons of all manner of spirits for these promoters.


A fascinating trip to Total Wine

Knowing this I decided to see fakery in action and visited the rye section (Sue Sea and I were actually there to pick up some Belgian beer and Barbancourt Five Star). What I found - side by side - told the whole story.

First I spotted the first rye I ever bought - Bulleit by Diageo (I know, I know). Made by LDI/MGP, but unlike all the others, Diageo makes no secret of this. MGP's bulk product is actually a well respected rye, made from 95% rye, and in the case of Bulleit, is bottled at 90 proof. Nice. Price? $23.99.

Now right next to it was a Potemkin product, whose label was covered with faux history and the words "small batch": Templeton Rye. Not only is this actually the very same MGP bulk product, but this time it was diluted to just 80 proof. So what do we now pay for the bottle, label and story? $42.99 - ouch!

And moving right along, and again right next to the Templeton? Our good friend Phil Prichard, whose rye is delivered in quite a solid and elegant bottle, and once again promoting the Prichard long family history of fine spirits. Better marketing, better bottle, apparently more believable story since Prichard actually is an artisan distiller - but not for this one. Nope it's listed by Sku as a likely MGP sourced rye, but Phil is smart enough to bottle it at healthy 86 proof. Still, his website copy implies he does distill the product?! And it's possible it gets a dunk in his small barrels, but that too isn't clear, as the legal label - where it counts - states only "barreled, aged and hand-bottled" (but not "distilled) by Prichard. So what's the real story and how much is the story worth now? $54.99 - double ouch!

And close to Phil's luscious looking bottle - I'm not kidding - Angel's Envy Rye at a stunning $74.99 (list $88.)! Yet the rye is - yup - sourced again, and again likely from MGP. There is no distillery (though one is planned). For this ridiculous price their super stunning bottle isn't enough, so they managed to get some really, really used barrels - originally and already well used sherry barrels, which were re-re-used again to make Plantation's XO (at least that's the story, prove it!), and then yet again recyled to "finish" MGP's rye for "up to 18 months" (which could be 18 months or 18 minutes, you decide). At least it's bottled at 100 proof and for $75 (list price $88.00) it had better be.

A quick dip in very tired multiple use barrels, and a super duper premium presentation is worth an additional $53 out of your pocket, for a total of up to $88? Who's kidding who?


I had to do it! I had to!

I then called over one of the many Total Wine roving experts, who've been taught to spew marketing copy on demand. I've gotten to the point where I expect to find a string with a handle on their backs, with a sign "Pull this for information". Made by Mattel.

I introduced myself and we then briefly discussed the rum selections to establish a rapport, then I brought him over to the adjacent rye section. I pointed out the four side-by-side bottles above and asked him what he thought.

Of course I got the usual spew, as he tried to highlight the Prichard product, "Fantastic, wonderful!" he said. Then I asked "Did Prichard distill this one?". He didn't know. Angel's Envy? Didn't know. How about Templeton and their "small batch" process? Silence. I then dropped the MGP source for all of these on him. His answer was honest "Wow, I didn't know that. What I like about this job is learning new things from educated customers, thanks!".

I ended by suggesting that I understood his job - higher sales - but that if a customer was value oriented that he might consider pointing them to Bulleit (I know, I know) at $23 and 90 proof. I ended by promoting Seales Ten and the other Foursquare products for their purity.

What a day!

[bearmark]

While I agree that the marketing hype is just that... hype... and it does nothing to improve the product, there is a lot of variance between MGP/LDI rye offerings.

Willett (an NDP in Kentucky) Single Barrel Rye is a great product sourced from MGP at 110° and aged for 3-5 years (I've had bottles of 3, 4 and 5 years and they're very similar). These are some of my favorite rye whiskeys at about $30-40 because they're loaded with fruit, spice and candy flavors and have a bold rye profile. If you can find these, then grab one!

Angel's Envy is actually a decent rye and very distinct from others that I've tried because of the rum finish, which is quite bold and interesting. I've never purchased a bottle at the $68 price that it's available for here because it's not as good as the Willett above at almost twice the price. Also, while the rum finish creates an interesting flavor, it's just not for me (almost sounds like sacrilege here on the Rum Project). The kicker is that AE doesn't reveal their source and creates the marketing illusion that they distill their own products... something they've never done. Lincoln Henderson (master distiller and founder) passed away last year, so this might result in some decline in their products. His last Cask Strength Bourbon selection was fantastic at $150 and his initial bourbon is a solid offering at $40 (subtle and complex), but it too is likely to decline (and may have already). But I digress, we're talking about rye....

High West is another NDP who offers a blend of 6 year MGP rye and 16 year Barton rye as their Rendezvous Rye, which is a fantastic 92° offering at $44. The age of the 16 year rye really adds another dimension. If you want a cheaper version, then try their $32 Double Rye, which blends a low rye content 16 year rye from Barton with MGP 2 year rye at the same proof. It's very good too. To their credit, High West is very open about the source of all of their blended whiskeys and you can find the details on their website (see technical details on any product page). They are an honest and talented bunch in Utah.

I've only had Bulleit Rye once, but I don't even consider it to be in the same league as those listed above. I know that it's from the same source (and appropriately labeled), but it's just not as good. For my money, I'll go for a Willett Single Barrel every time.

Like we've said in other threads, there is an art to blending (High West), barrel selection (Willett and Angel's Envy) and finishing (Angel's Envy) and these are valid ways to arrive at a unique and flavorful product. Marketing fluff (Angel's Envy) will never achieve anything but ridiculous prices, but don't think that the source is the only determining factor in the flavor of the whiskey.

[Capn Jimbo]

Agreed... the issue of sourcing is not the issue...

...rather it's the misleading copy (think Templeton and Angel's Envy among MANY others) which try to give every impression that these are artisan distilled, small batch whiskies, when in fact they are sourced from MGP alone.

Does anyone really believe that all or even most of these 60+ inventions are master blends?

All too many of these misleading and made up brands are indeed composed almost solely from LDI/MGP's two rye mash bills (95% and 51%), but never say so. Fact is the the MGP factory ryes are really quite decent, but misleading the customers to believe otherwise is just wrong. I'm glad that you pointed out High West - oddly enough I looked at a bottle earlier today) who has the cajones to be open and honest about their sourcing and blending, to wit:

High West regarding their 'Double Rye':
"
Marriage of two straight rye whiskies that combines the feisty properties of a high rye 2-year-old and the saddle smooth richness of a 16-year-old. The 2-year-old has a 95% rye 5% barley malt mashbill (LDI now MGP). The older rye has a "barely legal" rye mashbill of 53% rye and 37% corn (Barton Distillery). The extra age and corn provides some extra sweetness to calm the "bite" of the younger rye for a relationship that works."

Unlike the 60 or so Potemkin ryes that hide the source, High West does not mislead. Another producer is likewise quite open and honest and even pokes fun at themselves for doing so:

Knotter Bourbon (seriously!):

"This is not our bourbon, though we did meticulously select, mature and vat it so that it could be your bourbon. We could have misled you regarding who distilled this bourbon, but we feel that this level of deception is dumber than a bag of hammers. The truth has never tasted so good."

Mark, we are on the same page here. Great blending is an art that is actually quite rare, and requires many years of experience usually acquired by spending years of apprenticeship under one of the few masters, and working for one brand. It's not something a new producer with little history beyond his/her brand new marketed "brand" quickly achieves - for the few new blends that work, luck and happenstance cannot be ignored.

Many don't blend - rather they just bottle the bulk, or do a quick 'n dirty blend of MGP's two main ryes, with no special aging or finishing. Just buy, bottle, brand and sell for premium prices. A few actual distillers use this method to get into the rye market as a transition to their own product in say five years, or maybe never. Many of the stills are for show only.

As always the issue is honesty and tranparency. The very, very few true artists - think of John Glaser - make no pretense about what they do, and literally search through tens if not hundreds of barrels to find the qualities essential to create and achieve a predetermined profile. This is far different than blending from a handful of commonly available bulk products to their best effect. Take High West for example: blending a predominantly young and cheaper bulk product from MGP with a touch of an older product to take the edge off. The former is true artistry, the latter is better described as just good and solid workmanship.

John Glaser:

"To sum, one of the main things I want Compass Box to do over time is to help people understand Scotch whisky more easily. So I try to be as open as I can be about our products. Some people say I’m too open, that I give away too much information, but I do it because I want people to know what to expect when they buy a Compass Box whisky, and I also do it because I know people like yourself and the people who take part in your blog are interested in the details. Knowledge is power! "

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http://www.mgpingredients.com/product-list/
http://www.highwest.com/spirits/double-rye/