A little background

Detrick Straight Rye Whiskey is both distilled and bottled by Belle of Dayton Distillery in Dayton, Ohio. This four-grain pot-distilled rye whiskey is made from a mash bill of traditional rye, white corn, wheat, and malted barley. The name Detrick comes from Detrick Distilling Co., a pre-prohibition distillery that sold double copper distilled whiskey in Dayton under registered distillery No. 60, 10th Ward. Established 1884, the Detrick Distillery was located in Tippecanoe City (now Tipp City), Ohio. Additionally, they had a retail store and mail order department that was located about 20 miles north at 313-315 E 1 st. Street in Dayton, Ohio.

Detrick Straight Rye Whiskey is a true “small batch” whiskey, made from just 4 barrels, each a 53 Gallon hand toasted # 4 Char White Oak barrel coming from the Ohio River Valley. The 4 barrels that went into this blend were filled on the following dates: B1: 05-14-2015, B2: 11-12-2016, B3: 08-24-2017, and B4 08-24-2017. These barrels were all dumped and blended on 01-05-2020. Detrick Straight Rye Whiskey is the first straight rye whiskey to be distilled in Dayton, Ohio since prohibition. It is bottled at 104 proof and carries a retail price of $70 USD.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Copper

Nose

Cinnamon, fresh-baked bread, egg custard, nutmeg, and a hint of stewed rhubarb. Quite complex!

Palate

The cinnamon from the nose carries through to the palate, along with notes of orange Jolly Ranchers, taffy, cocoa, corn, and rye spice. The palate is somewhat short-lived and quickly transitions into the finish. The mouthfeel is nice and viscous.

Finish

A lot of the sweetness from the palate carries through to the medium-long finish. Notes of candy corn, rye spice, bright orange candy, dusty cinnamon, and a tad bit of bitter cocoa.

In closing

Being from this area myself, it’s very exciting to be tasting the first Straight Rye Whiskey from Dayton, Ohio since pre-prohibition. The nose on Detrick Straight Rye Whiskey is just amazing and will leave you nosing your glass for quite some time. Although a bit hot at first, it really opens up after some of the initial heat burns off. The palate comes in with a burst of sweet and spicy flavors that quickly fade into a delicious and lengthy finish. I found the mouthfeel on this whiskey to be very impressive. Detrick Straight Rye Whiskey is complex enough to keep you entertained while the flavor profile will have you coming back for more and more. I can’t say for certain, but I’d be willing to bet that J Frank Detrick, the original operator of Detrick Distilling Co. would be impressed by the quality of this whiskey.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Belle of Dayton Distillery. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.