Wow! We like to do a little research on whichever juice we are sampling for the blog. We both have drank Templeton Rye but didn’t know much about it save for what is states on the bottle. This has definitely changed.
First of all they had a suit filed against them because the label was misleading. It hints at being an Iowa product when in fact it is distilled and aged in Indiana. They lost the suit and now the bottle states “distilled in Indiana”.
Next, the company admitted to adding a chemical flavoring to their whiskeys. We will say that again, they add flavoring to this Rye. It is from a company called Clarendon Flavor Engineers. Templeton used to state on the bottle “prohibition era recipe”, that is now removed seeing as Clarendon was not even in business then. They also had to remove the words “small batch”, since Templeton is made in giant batches in Indiana.
Having said all that, is this “flavored” stuff any good? Templeton Rye sells for around $38 for the 750ml, comes in a medicinal looking corked bottle, and is widely available. Templeton Rye is 4 years old and is bottled at a somewhat weak 80 proof.
One note, we did our tasting before we learned all this.
NOSE
Todd: Heavy Rye, pepper/spice along with some wood come to me first and seem to be the most dominate. I also smell a little raisin, some bitterness and a scent that reminded me of sherry or maybe Irish Whisky. Not bad but wasn’t overly impressed.
Ron: No denying this is a Rye. Also catch strong scents of oak, grain, grass and spice. Reminds me a little of scotch and I get the slight bitterness that Todd got.
TASTE
Todd: Very smooth, can easily be drank neat(probably owing to the low proof). No real stand out taste, just a few secondary ones. I get a little citrus, a touch of smoke, a bit of malt and a slight bread taste. Also taste that Irish Whisky that I got on the nose.
Ron: Big Rye taste and pleased I didn’t get the scotch that I got on the nose. I pretty much tasted everything else I got on the nose, the grain, grass, oak/wood and the bitterness. Even more faint was a taste of walnut and the citrus that Todd tasted.
FINISH
Todd: Long sweet finish with more of the bitterness.
Ron: A warm medium-long bitter finish.
OVERALL
Todd: A decent Rye but nothing to shout about. There is a lot better Rye out there at and below this price.
Ron: I agree even though I like it better than Todd.
Nose 3.25 out of 5
Taste 7 out of 10
Finish 4 out of 5
Total score 14.25 out of 20 barrels
All in all a decent drink but way over priced. There is just too much Rye on the market to justify recommending Templeton Rye. And where are they getting this price? They buy in bulk and only age it 4 years. The price and low proof also make it prohibitive for a mixer.
Now, as to the top of the blog, we will never buy this product again. They were misleading as to the origin, the batch size and a good, well made Rye doesn’t need a chemical flavor added to it.
Stay away from Templeton Rye!