Review of Corsair Dark Rye In a Can Whiskey

 

I will be blunt here. If you’re convinced that whiskey packaged in a can is an automatically inferior product, you’re wrong. Not only have I had excellent canned whiskeys before, but the subject of today’s review has won a ton of awards, including a prestigious double gold winner from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

 

“Childhood friends, Darek Bell and Andrew Webber, began homebrewing beer and wine in Darek and Amy Lee Bell’s garage. They hit a snag while working on a prototype bio-diesel plant, causing Andrew to remark that making whiskey would be much more satisfying. The idea stuck, and the two soon found themselves studying distilleries and spirits.” – Corsair Artisan Spirits

 

Founded in 2008 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as Corsair Artisan Spirits, the company has since relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, and now operates two locations, offering both craft spirits and beer. It is well-known as an experimental distillery. During its 2020 rebranding, Corsair streamlined its offerings and modernized its labels.

 

Darek was trained at both Chicago’s Siebel Brewing Institute and the Bruichladdich Distilling Academy in Islay, Scotland. He plays the role of owner, founder, and distiller. Amy Lee Bell is a co-owner and, with her extensive experience in copywriting, advertising, and branding, is in charge of marketing; her title is Brand Ambassadoress. Andrew, Corsair’s co-founder, has a background in biological systems and has spearheaded technology startups that later morphed into distilling. He comes up with the unusual ingredients that make Corsair decidedly different.

 

The canned whiskey I’m getting ready to explore is called Corsair Dark Rye. It used to be called Ryemageddon until their rebranding and streamlining. Dark Rye has a different mashbill and is offered at a lower proof.

 

Dark Rye begins with a mashbill of 61% malted rye, 4% chocolate rye, and 35% malted barley. It was aged in smaller cooperage, using new, charred oak barrels between 15- and 30-gallons. It carries no age statement, which means it is at least four years old, and is packaged either in a 750mL bottle or a 100mL can. Frankly, the can grabbed my attention, hence, I picked it up and figured it was worth reviewing.

 

It’s been many years since I last tried anything from Corsair, and what I had was from before the rebrand, making for a perfect #DrinkCurious adventure.

 

• Whiskey Type: American Rye
• Distiller: Corsair Artisan Distillery
• Age: NAS
• Mashbill: Pot distilled from 61% Malted rye, 4% Chocolate rye, and 35% malted barley
• Cooperage: New, charred oak of undisclosed volume
• Alcohol Content: 42.5% ABV (85°)
• Price per 100mL/750mL: $5.99/$45.99

 

Appearance: I used a Glencairn glass to explore Dark Rye neat. Its ginger color was an attention-getter, as was its massive rim. Moderately spaced, thick, fast tears flowed down the wall and back into the pool.

 

Nose: I gave this whiskey about 15 minutes to acclimate, and when I was ready to start, I smelled dark chocolate and roasted coffee. As I delved deeper, I found sweet oak, floral rye, nutmeg, and ginger. Inhaling the vapor through my lips exposed me to chocolate and cocoa.

 

Palate: Dark Rye’s texture was dense and coated the entirety of my mouth and throat, which wasn’t entirely unexpected considering the malted ryes and barley. There was a blast of dried tobacco. With the second sip, I encountered notes of dark chocolate and toffee on the front of my palate. The middle featured gingerbread and fresh rye bread. The back tasted of sweet oak and mild coffee.   

 

Finish: Dark Rye’s finish consisted of sweet oak, rye bread, dried tobacco, and chocolate. It was soft and somewhat lingering; I timed it at 1:17, placing it somewhere between medium and long.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I knew that the high malted barley and the malted rye would lead to a less-spicy sipping experience. That’s just what they do – the difference between rye and malted rye is vast. Chocolate malt lends an entirely different layer to the equation.

 

Is its Best in Category - Rye Whiskey at the San Francisco Spirits Competition well-deserved? As an experienced spirits judge, I can tell you that it really depends on what other American Ryes it was up against. I’d have to try every American Rye that was submitted for the year it competed, and, truthfully, reproducing that isn’t worth my time or effort.

 

I found Dark Rye to be something that was very atypical of many Ryes I’ve encountered, including malted Ryes. I could easily understand why that would have been intriguing to the judging panel.

 

Dark Rye has character for its 85°. It isn’t the most complex pour, but sometimes simple is appropriate and appreciated. It is different from most any other American Rye I’ve had. For six bucks, this was a fun adventure. You’d pay at least that much at any respectable drinking establishment, and I’m willing to slap my Bottle rating on it. Cheers!

 

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.