I’d like to thank ByrnePR and the Ross & Squib Distillery for providing this review sample with no strings attached.
Tonight is the NFL Draft. And while I only sort of follow NFL football, I am a college football diehard. And this is one event that cements the two together. And I love it. I used to watch the entire weekend way back when it was just Saturday and Sunday. I love it because I get to see the culmination of many of the storylines that ESPN has force-fed to us over the last few years on their college football shows. Whether it proves those stories correct or incorrect is part of what I find interesting. Team X decided to go with somebody from North Dakota State instead of an SEC or Big Ten powerhouse? Which paid shill is going to throw the biggest fit over that? The unintended drama is fun. Plus I like seeing kids have all their dreams come true.
And yes, I’m old enough that I refer to kids in their mid-20s as “kids.”
And what does that have to do with tonight’s whiskey? Well, for the longest time, MGP (now branded as Ross & Squibb) was a powerhouse in American Whiskey much like North Dakota State is a powerhouse in college football. There is no argument that they dominate their competition, but you’d have to be a pretty knowledgeable fan to know about it.
MGP supplied whiskey for the biggest rye brands in the country. Think Diageo’s Bulleit rye as an example. But they didn’t get much credit for that outside of hardcore fans. Mostly because no one wanted to tell anyone that what was in the bottle was purchased from a distillery in Indiana. These days that is changing as Ross & Squibb have their own brands that they produce. One of which is Rossville Union Rye.
Rossville Union is a rye that I find on the shelves quite often. I also see a lot of store picks of it as well. They tend to be very delicious. I pick them up quite often. There is a Barrel Proof offering that I really like but seldom see. And that’s because I recently learned that it is released annually as a limited edition product. (It’s probably good that I didn’t know that, or I’d have spent a lot more money on Rossville Union seeing as I would actually be purchasing those bottles when I saw them instead of saying “next time.”)
18,000 bottles were produced this year from a batch of 82 barrels. The final proof is 117.2° proof, it is age stated at 7 years old, and it retails for a suggested price of $69.99. Let’s see how it tastes.
Rossville Union 2022 Barrel Proof
Purchase Info: This sample bottle was sent to me by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67
Details: 58.6% ABV. 7 years old.
Nose: Herbal mint, cinnamon candies, cedar, and oak
Mouth: Hot, spicy, and sweet. Notes of herbal mint, cinnamon, cedar, vanilla, and hints of dark chocolate.
Finish: Long and warm. Notes of cinnamon candies, cedar, and mint.
Thoughts: This is delicious. So much so that, should I see them and if the store allows, I will be a jerk and buy two. Rossville Union 2022 Barrel Proof is just a deliciously-spicy rye that has enough age to notice but not so much that it takes over. I freakin’ love this one.
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