Rock And Rye

Rock And Rye from Esplanda is a Massachusetts-made rye whiskey, listed under the rye category. The name points to a long American tradition. Rock and rye began as rye whiskey sweetened with rock candy sugar, and many versions add citrus peel or other fruit and spice. The producer's page lists no proof, age or flavoring details, so treat what follows as what the style usually delivers, not as measurements of this bottle. Expect rye's peppery, grainy backbone to sit against a rounded, syrupy sweetness. Typical accents are orange or lemon peel, baking spice and a little vanilla from the oak. That sweetness changes how you pour it. Neat is the best way to learn the bottle, since the rye spice and the candy sweetness show their balance with nothing diluting them. A few drops of room-temperature water open the aromatics and soften any alcohol heat. If you prefer it cold, one large cube in a rocks glass chills it without diluting quickly, though cold will mute the fruit and sugar. Because it starts out sweeter than a standard rye, many people also like it as a slow after-dinner pour, with dark chocolate, aged cheddar or roasted nuts alongside. In cocktails, the built-in sugar means you should cut back on added sweetener. An Old Fashioned made with Rock And Rye needs only a dash or two of bitters and an orange peel, with little or no sugar cube or syrup. In a Manhattan, use it with dry vermouth, or reduce the sweet vermouth, and finish with Angostura or orange bitters so the drink doesn't turn cloying. It also works in a Whiskey Sour, where the lemon juice counters the sweetness and you can drop the simple syrup to a bar spoon. For a highball, pour over ice and top with ginger ale or soda water, then add a lemon wedge. The rye spice holds up against the carbonation. For sipping, use a rocks glass, which suits the ice and cocktail builds. If you want to study the aroma, a Glencairn glass concentrates the citrus, spice and grain notes at the rim.