Chicago Whiskey Fest Review - Enjoying the Hard Stuff

On the evening of April 1st, and this is not an April Fool’s joke, nearly one thousand whiskey lovers paid a steep price and gathered at the Hyatt Regency Hotel for the 9th Annual Chicago Whiskey Fest. Sponsored by the Wall Street Journal one would gather that despite major fluctuations of the stock market, sales of spirits were a Bull Market.

I am a neophyte to the market of spirits but by observing the immense crowd of people circulating the room and tasting the output of nearly 50 liquor manufacturers, I realized that if there were another liquor prohibition, there would be rioting in the streets. Whiskey tastings are the new “in” thing.

In addition to the tastings, there were presentations on the history of whiskey, insights from the experts and discussions of the various types of whiskeys and how they differ. In other words, everything you wanted to know about whiskey and were unafraid to ask.

Since my inexperienced whiskey taste buds were ready to experience what everyone else seemed to enjoy, I drifted from booth to booth and sniffed until I settled upon the booth of Templeton Rye Whiskey. I took the plunge and sipped the amber liquid whereupon my mouth was filled with the most delightful taste. Slowly, very slowly, I let the taste flow over my tongue and swallowed. The resulting warmth and smooth effect surprised and delighted me.

I spoke with Scott Bush, President of Templeton Rye and Meryl Kerkhoff whose father was the founder and first distiller of this particular brand of elixir. They willingly told me the history of Rye Whiskey and the history of Templeton.

Rye Whiskey history dates back to when George Washington produced it at Mount Vernon and The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 put the spirit in the spotlight and drove its popularity. When Prohibition Act became law in 1920, the United States was attempting to recover from World War I as financial times were difficult for everyone. A small group of enterprising farmers in Templeton, Iowa, a town with a population of less than 400, were motivated to make a very special rye whiskey.

At the time good alcohol was hard to find and Templeton Rye was much more expensive than other products. Due to its extremely smooth taste its quality soon gained the attention of the infamous Al Capone. It is said that Templeton was his drink of choice and that Capone received hundreds of kegs of Templeton Rye to supply speakeasies in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and other centers of his bootlegging empire. It is also said that a few bottles even found their way inside the walls of Alcatraz to its infamous occupant.

Thankfully, Prohibition came to an end is 1933 but the production of Templeton Rye continued and it continues to be made privately in small quantities for loyal customers. In 2006 descendants of the two original families that created Templeton Rye got together and launched the brand legitimately.  The company plans to expand their distribution. For now, it is available in the states of Illinois and Iowa and can be mail ordered to many states from Binny’s Beverage Depot, Sam’s and Internet Wines.

Templeton is now produced in a newly enlarged 12,000 square-foot facility and the upgrade includes a new bottling line, whiskey lab, barrel warehouse, gift shop and grand tasting room. Thanks to these sophisticated additions, it was named one of America’s hot new “deluxe distilleries” by Forbes Traveler. The brand has also won awards from the Los Angeles Wine and Spirits Competition, was named “Rye Whiskey of the Year” in the 2009 edition of The Whiskey Bible and awarded the gold medal at a recent San Francisco World Spirits Tasting.

Bottoms up!

Templeton Rye distillery is located at: 209 East 3rd Street, Templeton, Iowa 51463
Phone: 617-233-4893 or visit: www.templetonrye.com
Binny’s Beverage Depot: www.binnys.com
Internet Wines: www.InternetWines.com
Sam’s: www.samswine.com

Photos: Kurman Communications, Inc.