J.T. Meleck Distillers 96 Proof Small Batch #124 Louisiana Handcrafted Rice Whiskey (2023) 75cl
J.T. Meleck Distillers 96 Proof Small Batch #124 Louisiana Handcrafted Rice Whiskey (2023) 75cl
Released in 2022, this is J.T. Meleck’s staple and long talked about American Rice Whiskey. Aged in new American oak barrels for almost 5 years our whiskey is amber in colour and deep in intensity.
J.T. Meleck's Single Barrel Program was launched in October of 2022 with picks dropping at Nunu's Market and Champagnes Market in Lafayette, LA. We decided to launch this program after discovering that some barrels were not like the others. They were meant to be enjoyed separately. Whether it be the nose, flavour or finish, we knew these barrels were special and need to be shared with our fans. Select groups or retailers are invited to our distillery for a tour & tasting where they choose a barrel that will become their single barrel pick. Each pick varies in flavour, yield and proof, making each bottle unique. No barrel is the same so each single barrel pick is its own experience. Personalized stickers are present on each bottle identifying the group or retailer who picked, the bottle number, barrel number, proof and ABV. Aged 4-5 years in new American Oak 53-gallon barrels with proofs having ranged from 118.2-123.9
Aged in 53 gallon oak barrels for 4 harvest. It is an excellent spirit enjoyed neat, over ice, and in classic cocktails. Having trademark flavour characteristics of the vodka, derived from the grain, with the added complexity of vanillin from barrel maturation.
Mike Frugé and his family of fifth-generation rice farmers in Branch, Louisiana, have released a full batch of their new J.T. Meleck Rice Whiskey in time for the holiday season. The whiskey will now be available year-round at select retailers throughout Louisiana and Arkansas. The Founder’s Small Batch Edition of the whiskey, harvested, distilled and bottled in Louisiana from 100 percent rice, sold out last year. J.T. Meleck Rice Whiskey is the second rice-based spirit for J.T. Meleck, which began distilling rice vodka in 2018.
Whiskeys are commonly made from grains like barley, corn, rye and wheat. Few distillers use rice as part of their mash bill in the U.S., and no American brand has ever crafted a whiskey made 100% from rice, at a commercial level. J.T. Meleck Distillers is the first to craft and market a whiskey made 100% from their rice on a large scale. Every step of the process takes place in Louisiana, from farm to glass.
Whiskey reviewer Fred Minnick, Ascot Awards Founder and Chief Taster, said of J.T. Meleck American Rice Whiskey, “This is one of the more fascinating new whiskies I have tasted, not just all year but in my career…if you are a whiskey lover, this is a bottle that you want to hunt. If you are a bourbon lover. I think there are enough sweet notes in here…I think that you would love it.”
Like other American whiskeys, J.T. Meleck whiskey is aged for nearly 5 years in American oak, 53-gallon barrels. The spirit appears in an intense amber colour. Its aroma characteristics include vanilla crème cake and white chocolate pudding. Its taste and texture is smooth, with hints of butterscotch, silky caramel, crème brulee, and dark chocolate with a bit of spice. It can be enjoyed neat, over ice, or in a classic cocktail.
“With our new American Rice Whiskey, we are offering our best, ready for you to share with family and friends this holiday season,” explains Mike Frugé, founder and owner of Frugé Spirits. “We were patient in our process to release a rice whiskey that was the best it could be, authentic to our Louisiana brand and true to our family’s story. We’re giving what we have directly to you; we hope you enjoy it.”
TASTING NOTES
On the nose, there’s a wealthy and constant sweetness from the very starting. Regardless of the whiskey’s comparatively darkish shade, there’s virtually no perceptible oak scent; that barrel affect must come on the palate. Nosing once more offers candy caramel, praline, and just a bit baking spice, all backed with a perceptible observe of ethanol (however not in a wholly disagreeable means). I additionally get a pleasant little bit of caramel corn, sufficient in order that I needed to remind myself that is from 100% rice distillate. There are a variety of delicate layers right here, and this actually doesn’t odour like several 4 12 months previous bourbons or ryes I’ve tried lately.
The primary sip brings a reasonably skinny mouthfeel that coats the palate shortly in a subdued sweetness; there’s that caramel and praline. Once more, I don’t get a lot oak in any respect, although I’m curious if the forthcoming older expressions may have extra pronounced wooden notes. At 4 years, the rice distillate clearly doesn’t carry it the identical means as corn or rye. Subsequent sips carry extra candy notes: brown sugar, maybe a little bit rice pudding with cinnamon. The style of cocoa powder is current, nevertheless it’s not a wealthy chocolate. After which there’s the slightest little bit of fruitiness right here that strikes again to the entrance of the tongue.
The end is longer than that preliminary mouthfeel suggests. It’s warming with cinnamon notes, and it feels such as you simply completed a little bit of that very same rice pudding, or perhaps a heat vacation eggnog with floor nutmeg on prime. It’s creamy with a sweetened dairy high quality that I don’t get till the very finish, nevertheless it sticks with you properly.
ABOUT J.T. MELECK AMERICAN RICE WHISKEY
SUB-BRAND/TIER: Louisiana American Rice Whiskey
VARIETAL: American Rice Whiskey
AGED 4 years
48% ABV
75cl
