Rossville Union Master Crafted Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml)

Midwest Grain Products of Indiana (aka MGP) are responsible for a large number of American whiskeys, providing high quality bourbon and rye to brands for years, but never releasing a label of their own. That changed in 2015 when they purchased the George Remus Bourbon brand and more recently launched a rye under the Rossville Union name. The entry level rye is a blend of 51% and 95% rye mashbills made from whiskies aged 5-6 years.

Tasting note: Brilliant deep gold. Pepper and varnish in the opening passes before this finds better ground; toasted rye, apple tart, peppermint rock lollies and fresh cut cedar emerge. A full bodied, medium-sweet whiskey with lively rye and grilled corn flavours dovetailing into a richer, more oily finish. Gentle spice and mint chocolate mingle with the wood. The aftertaste is tangy, chewy and textural. Solid. 47% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews… The nose smells wonderfully chewy, with buttery toffee, candied nuts, charred oak, cracked pepper, and a hint of fresh dill. The palate sings with electric spice and rolls along nicely with stone fruit, peppercorn, sweet vanilla, and leathery oak, each taking their turn before the slightly hot finish of oak tannins.
90 points - whiskyadvocate.com, reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2018)

...Great stuff. In creating this brand, MGP had the heady challenge of making a rye that didn’t taste the rye they make for everyone else, but at the same time, showing off the rye they make…which of course is usually made for everyone else. I think they’ve risen to the challenge. That familiar 95% rye recipe does come through but it’s subtle and nicely integrated. Their newer, more traditional 51% rye recipe seems to serve as the sturdy backbone here, tying together the mashbills and the oak, and providing an unexpected sweetness. Thanks to its relatively high ABV, it works great on its own, over ice, or in a cocktail. It’s great to see MGP finally bottling up their own rye, it’s no surprise that it’s very good, hell, that’s pretty much expected at this point, but nonetheless, it’s very good. Definitely recommended.

The Rossville Union ryes take their name from one of the original distilleries that was founded in or around Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Most sources state that the Rossville distillery began in 1847, but casual research doesn’t show who actually opened the business. In 1875, whoever owned it sold it to Cincinnati distillers James Walsh & Co., who expanded and successfully ran the plant until Prohibition. After being damaged by fire a year earlier, The Rossville distillery was sold to Seagram in 1933. Seagram in turn, expanded it even further. When Seagram finally imploded around 1999-2000, the distillery was sold off to Pernod Ricard, who ran it for a few years until 2007, selling it to CL Financial who renamed it LDI. CL Financial collapsed in 2009, but the distillery just kept working away. In 2011, it was sold yet again to Kansas-based, industrial distillers MGP Ingredients and I think that brings us up to date. - thecasks.com