Producing whiskey for someone else is not the purview of only the giant distilleries. Craft distilleries do it too. Workhorse Rye was founded in 2011 by bartender Rob East. They focus mostly on rye whiskies and bitters crafted with local ingredients by workers paid a fair wage under good working conditions. The distillery cares very much about the ethics of their production and supply chain. A few years ago, they partnered with high end retail men’s clothing store Standard & Strange to release a one-off whiskey. Only 280 bottles were made, with a mash bill of 50% Admiral malt (heirloom barley from Yolo County), 25% Gazelle rye (from California), and 25% Purple Tibetan barley from south Arizona, all heritage grains. The maturation is comprised of 4/5 Mizunara Japanese oak and 1/5 ex-bourbon barrels. For some time, we thought the name of the whiskey was M.01XX, since that is featured prominently on the label.
Distillery: Workhorse Rye
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 60.5%
Price: $140
Maturation: 80% Mizunara Japanese oak, 20% ex-bourbon barrel
Location: San Francisco
Nose: Yellow pine sawdust, floral, rye, shoe leather, cinnamon, oak
Palate: Wintergreen, rye, (floral, with water)
Finish: Bourbon, oak, spice
Comments: Label design by Oakland artist Carrie Cizauskas. Watering is recommended eventually but this can sip fine without too.
Adam – Like Frankenstein’s monster, in a way. High proofage and a curious mix of grains. Big rye notes bully past the barley, which is a shame because I wish I were able to tease apart the components more. That being said, the florals and cinnamon on the nose is prominent, along with a little leather. I like the Standard & Strange because of the frankly bewildering array of elements that are somehow captured in one spirit.
Kate – The nose on this reminds me of Big Red gum. Cinnamon and sweetness and almost minty-ness to it. It smells like wet sawdust to me. This is very aggressive, especially on the nose. There’s a cereal element to this, Kix or Corn Puffs. This is like the David Sedaris of whiskey. It does not fit into any conceptual box of preconceptions. It breaks the box.
Bill – Old varnish and leather on the nose. I wouldn’t buy a bottle of this but I would buy a shot of this unquestioned. The bourbon finish is stronger with water.
It’s like cutting down a tree at the Christmas tree farm.
Henry – One of the few whiskies I’ve ever tasted where the complexities of the oak takes pride of place on the nose, along with rye, cereal notes, baking spices, spring floral, and tanned leather. At 60.5% ABV, this one benefits from adding water. Without it, the nose transitions seamlessly to the palate, with a profound tannic astringency and plenty of warmth. With water, the spice and toasted oak comes out to play, with a hint of wintergreen. Finish is big on the wood, with just enough sweetness to temper the tannins.
Ben – It’s like cutting down a tree at the Christmas tree farm. This is so big, it wears you out. This smell balances out. It really does punch rye.
