Review | Templeton 6 Years Old Rye

This 6 years old rye from Templeton is the flagship of their range of small batch rye whiskeys. This rye is made in America with sourced & imported grains then aged for at least 6 years in charred new American oak. The brand is named after Templeton, a small town located in Iowa.

The town of Templeton gained popularity through Templeton Rye. The illegally made spirit was known as “The Good Stuff” in speakeasies during prohibition and the great depression. The town was founded in 1882 and currently has a strong local community proud of its infamous heritage.

The Templeton Rye brand was co-founded by Scott Bush and Keith Kerkhoff in 2006. They were inspired by the bootlegging era in Templeton, where local residents, including Scott’s great-grandfather, were known for producing the popular rye whiskey. Initially their rye whisky was produced in Indiana to a pre-prohibition recipe. Since 2018 Scott and Keith have reintroduced distilling to the town by opening a new whiskey distillery and bringing all production in-house.

Templeton 6 Years Old Rye is part of the small batch range that includes a straight rye whiskey, a 10 years old rye, a barrel strength rye, alongside various cask finishes and a bourbon. Templeton Rye is bottled at 45.75% ABV / 91.5 Proof. It is available through American for around $35 and can be picked up from whisky specialists in the UK for just over £40.

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Our Tasting Notes

This whiskey has a deeply bronzed colour and bold spicy nose. Initially there is a delightfully fresh herbal, almost anise, note that makes you aware that this is undoubtably going to be a bold rye. There is plenty of dry spices, like cloves and nutmeg, as well as a more floral spicy note that resembles cardamon. The fruity orange notes are rich, like a blood orange, and mingle with dried cherries. Generous sweetness comes in the form of butterscotch and vanilla. Underlying is a hint of dusty and waxy wood polish thanks to the longer ageing in the barrel.

To taste, this is a juicy rye whiskey with plenty of freshly juiced oranges and red grapefruits. Then the rye character bursts in your mouth bringing superbly drying and tingly spices that almost numb your tongue. It has a dried herbal character, not unlike dried tobacco and the jars of oregano that have been left at the back of your cupboard for a long time. This is balanced by moreish sweetness which takes the form of toffee and treacle. On the finish all of these notes linger for a long time. They are intertwined with even more dusty spices, like cinnamon bark, plus plenty of bold oak and drying wood tannins.

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What’s The Verdict?

Templeton has produced an exceptional rye whiskey. Ageing for six years and allowing longer time in the barrel than many other rye whiskeys has given extra dimensions to this rye. Yes, it is bold and spicy, as any good American rye should be, but there is a more rounded and complex character at work here. Probably not unlike the outlandish and daring rye producers that inspired the creation of this whiskey.