ABV: 58.9% Bottle: 700ml
Here's another first from the Whiskey Hunt Australia crew: Phenomenal Spirits is a blending house located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Master Blender, Matt Witzig, formerly of Joseph A. Magnus, brings his expertise and palate to the creation of RY3.
Composed of three mash bills and three whiskeys chosen by three whiskey mates, it includes a 3 year old MGP 95% rye with 5% malted barley, a 4 year old Canadian 100% rye and a 14 year old MGP corn whiskey with 1% malted barley. The composition was blended and finished in a rum cask before bottling uncut.
On the nose, the sharpness of the grain feels softened by the rum, which comes through like plantain and semi-ripe papaya over vanilla, rye mint and pepper. It takes a few tastes to adjust to the palate, which offers more intensity and typical rye spiciness, at first lean and oaky, filling out with vanilla and suggestions of dried peach or unripe pineapple. The aftertaste picks up the heat and prickle, turning astringent with oak shavings, peppermint, rye crackers and more plantain.
One of only a handful of ryes to be finished in rum barrels, Phenomenal Spirits Founder and CEO, Karthik Sudhir comments “We developed RY3 Whiskey with curious consumers in mind, offering drinkers a contemporary and exciting Rye drinking experience.” Batch PR#004 comes with an outturn of around 250 bottles and is exclusive to Australia.
