Sip Northwest, Fall 2016
S P O T L I G H T Liquid Assets 16 S I P N O R T H W E S T C O M Rye can also be a hassle to work with Its kind of a pain to ferment and distill because it has a lot of protein and foaming issues explains Ryan Montgomery of MONTGOMERY DISTILLERY in Missoula Montana Montgomery makes his Sudden Wisdom rye whiskey with 100 percent rye something rarely done Since Montana rye is scarce Sudden Wisdom currently contains Canadian grain but now that Montgomery is growing at his parents Montana farm the distillerys future releases will be completely Montana made STEIN DISTILLERY in Joseph Oregon also grows its own rye just three miles from the distillery Stein is a family run operation where the people that plant grow and harvest the rye also turn it into whiskey Since we started the rye has outsold our bourbon says master distiller Dan Stein I think rye is getting a lot more popular Each year they grow about 10 acres of winter cereal rye which they make into vodka two and five year straight rye whiskeys and Rye whiskey used to be a preferred tipple in the United States but it nearly vanished after Prohibition Thankfully though this spicy honeyed spirit is coming back with sales growing 20 percent in 2015 And while Northwest distillers dont make very much of it what they do make is delicious One reason Northwest rye whiskey is rare is because Northwest rye grain is rare Washington State University plant breeder Kevin Murphy says that even though rye is easy to grow farmers seldom plant it as it is often less valuable than other crops and grains used in general whiskey Further it always comes back uninvited decreasing the value of the next crop if it is not hand pulled also known as roguing which many farmers did as kids They all have memories of going out in July walking the fields roguing the rye out and they dont want to do that again Murphy says BY CHRIS LOZIER RIGHT PHOTOS BY CHRIS LOZIER Collectors Item The Spicy Sweet Fruity Rarity of Northwest Rye Whiskey
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