Today we are tasting a local product, Sweet Mash Rye from Hard Truth Distillery located in Nashville Indiana. While we both have had products from Hard Truth, neither of us has tasted this particular rye whiskey. It is made from mash bill #1 which is 94% rye and 6% barley. While the bottle does not say, Small Batch, it does say it only made 30 barrels, which in our mind is a very small batch.
Sweet Mash Rye Straight Rye Whiskey sells for around $65 for the 750ml, is 116 proof, is aged between two and three years, comes in an elegant-looking corked bottle, and is somewhat hard to find.
We, and we assume most of you, are familiar with the term sour mash, where some of the old mash bill is retained and put into the new batch. But we here at Talking Bourbon are not familiar with the term sweet mash. From their website, “Sweet mash is the distilling process in which each batch of whiskey begins with entirely fresh ingredients.” So, is anything that is not a sour mash automatically a sweet mash? We do not know the answer to that question and frankly don’t care. Let’s drink!
NOSE
Todd: Butterscotch and toffee were the two main scents. Minor aromas include vanilla, cinnamon, cedar, rye, and pepper. Adding ice brought out some tobacco. Very Nice.
Matt: My first impression was wow! This is a good-smelling rye. Pepper and butterscotch dominate but there are a lot of good aromas behind them including spice, wood, cherries, cinnamon, and rye.
TASTE
Todd: Needs a little water to tame the heat down a bit. Once I did that, I got the same butterscotch, toffee, pepper, cinnamon, and vanilla that I got on the nose. The main difference was that I tasted a lot more of the rye than I had smelled.
Matt: Cherries and spicey rye are the big boys here, but there are a lot of smaller ones as well. Those include brown sugar, pepper, vanilla, and butterscotch.
FINISH
Todd: Medium long with a nice burn even with the ice and a good sweetness.
Matt: Medium to short with more of the same things I got on the taste.
OVERALL
Todd: Is this a great rye? No, but it is a good rye and I liked it.
Matt: This is great! Tons of flavors and smells both sweet and spicey with just enough earthiness to escalate interest.
Nose 4.5 out of 5
Taste 8.5 out of 10
Finish 4.25 out of 5
Total score 17.25 out of 20 barrels.
Good stuff, we both liked Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye even though not quite positive on the meaning. It has a good nose with a nice taste and a decent finish. Given the heat, it makes for a good cocktail even though a little pricey to be mixed. Also has a nice story coming from a small Indiana town and that they didn’t make much of it. So, since most people will not have a bottle, it becomes a discussion point.
If you can find Sweet Rye Mash, we recommend buying a bottle. You will thank us. you’re welcome.