Starlight Distillery Old Rickhouse Rye Whiskey

A little background

Starlight distillery is located in Starlight, Indiana which is about 20 minutes north of Louisville, KY. All of their offerings are made using the sweet mash technique, and all of the barrels they use are air dried for a minimum of 2 years with some air dried up to 4 years. The distillery prides itself on being family owned and truly providing a farm to bottle experience. All of the whiskey is Starlight distillate distilled and aged on the property. Old Rickhouse Rye Whiskey is 92 proof, made in small batches of around 20 barrels, costs around $35, is aged a minimum of 4 years, and has a mash bill of 85% rye and 15% malted barley. The history of the distillery is very unique and runs 8 generations deep. The current distilling is conducted by Ted and his sons Christian and Blake who are two of the up and coming stars of the industry in my opinion. The distillery is also unique in that it sits on the same property as Huber Winery which is also owned by the family and offers activities for adults and children alike.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Dark Honey

Nose

The nose is sweet with big notes of vanilla and caramel. This is accented by notes of rye spice, allspice, and cinnamon. I also picked up some floral and green apple notes.

Palate

On the palate, notes of vanilla and caramel carry over from the palate, and the rye spice from the nose intensifies. The green apple note also intensifies making for a balanced whiskey with a medium viscosity. The whiskey also coats the entire palate.

Finish

At 92 proof, this rye has a medium to long finish that really accentuates the notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and green apple.

In closing

Starlight Distillery Old Rickhouse Rye Whiskey is a rye whiskey that delivers on many levels, and at a $35 price point is versatile and should definitely be a bar staple. The other exciting thing about this whiskey is that it is a minimum of 4 years old currently and is only going to get older and more complex as the distillery matures into its sweet spot of 7 to 9 years. Also, be on the lookout for the single barrel, barrel proof picks of this offering as the distillery has a developing single barrel program. This whiskey would be phenomenal at barrel proof. This is not your typical Indiana whiskey but instead a distillery that is right there in the conversation with distilleries like Peerless, New Riff, and MGP. Be on the lookout for this up and coming distillery!