McKenzie Rye Whiskey

Finger Lakes Distilling began with a coincidence: Brian McKenzie, a banker from upstate New York, and Thomas Earl McKenzie, a brewer and winemaker from Alabama — no relation — met at a craft distillers' conference in 2007, realized they shared a name and a plan, and opened a farm distillery on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake in Burdett, New York. McKenzie Rye is the flagship, and it wears its region on its sleeve. The mash is 80% rye grown literally across the lake from the distillery and 20% malted barley, with no corn at all, distilled and barreled at a low 100 proof to preserve the grain's character. It ages in new charred oak quarter casks — small 15-gallon barrels that multiply wood contact — then finishes in sherry barrels sourced from neighboring Finger Lakes wineries, a nod to the wine country it's made in. It qualifies as Empire Rye, the designation reserved for whiskeys made from at least 75% New York-grown rye. Bottled non-chill filtered at 91 proof (45.5% ABV). Expect nougat, dark chocolate, dried red fruit, and overripe pear on the nose, opening into maple, bran, rye bread, and brown sugar with the sherry threading through, finishing medium-long on spice and sweet fruit. Drink Spirits rated it "highly recommend," calling it extremely delicious and complex — one reviewer's honest caveat is that the sherry leads, so expect fruit before spice. A rye that tastes like the place it comes from.

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