Wollersheim Round Top Rye Review & Tasting Notes

 

This review was originally published on May 4, 2018, at Bourbon & Banter.

• DISTILLER: Wollersheim Distillery
• MASH BILL: Sweet Mash of 75% rye and 25% malted barley
• AGE: 2 Years
• YEAR: 2018
• PROOF: 90 (45% ABV)
• MSRP: $39.99

It is currently only available from the Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin distillery. This summer, it will be available around Wisconsin and in Illinois.

 

NOSE: Floral Rye | Chocolate | Orange Peel | Oak

 

TASTE: Rye Spice | Candied Fruit | Sweet Vanilla | Toasted Oak

 

FINISH: A definite cocoa finish is a product of the malted barley. This is proofed well; the flavors are easy to pick up, but there’s no real burn. Saying that will leave your palate tingling after several sips.

 

SHARE WITH: This is perfect for two groups of fans: Those who enjoy younger ryes and those who are interested in sipping something not sourced from MGP, Barton, or Heaven Hill.

 

WORTH THE PRICE: Wollersheim is not looking to charge a premium or even the average $49.99 that many craft whiskeys seem to gravitate to. That makes the price attractive on its own so long as the whiskey inside is good quality and taste. I believe Wollersheim meets the criteria on both counts.

 

BOTTLE, BAR, OR BUST: This is a younger whiskey with a lot going on and is priced below the market average. You won’t find it at a bar, but that will probably change this summer. Regardless, grab a bottle and enjoy this lovely Wisconsin Rye.

 

OVERALL: A plethora of two-year-old Ryes is hitting the market, with some commanding amazingly high price tags. As this market gets more crowded, distillers must distinguish themselves from the competition.

 

Being a local, I was excited when Wollersheim, who has run a successful winery for several years, opened its distillery and announced it would create whiskeys. I’ve been curiously waiting ever since for something to be released, with my fingers crossed that they’d distill and age something of at least decent quality, as they’ve done a great job creating wines.

 

Round Top Rye has an amazingly creamy mouthfeel and is very smooth despite its young age. If you expect this to be rough, you’ll be disappointed.

 

There are a few great things about Round Top Rye. Distiller Tom Lenerz does not source his whiskey. He’s also put forth a lot of care in choosing everything, from locally-grown rye and corn to various cooperages and barrel options.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.