Mingo Creek Craft Distillers, better known by their brand name Liberty Pole, are a craft distillery in southwestern Pennsylvania who deftly weave the line between history and imagination. Their whiskey-focused portfolio includes offerings made using heritage grains like bloody butcher corn and Pennsylvania rye. But they’re not afraid to get creative, as seen by their Peated Bourbon. After seeing what peat could do with with corn, they wondered…why not rye? A few years later, the Liberty Pole Peated Rye was born. The result was so successful, it has become a staple of their portfolio and is released about once a year.
Distillery: Mingo Creek Craft Distillers
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 55.5%
Price: $64.00
Maturation: New charred American oak
Mash Bill: 50% Pennsylvania Rye, 30% Peat Smoked Malted Barley, 11% Malted Barley
Location: Washington, PA
Nose: Indian tea, hazelnut, milk chocolate, wintergreen
Palate: Rye, peat, bacon, black pepper, brown sugar
Finish: Tea, char, citrus, black pepper, milk chocolate
Comments: Please note that while the images are of a Batch 1 bottle, the one used in this tasting is a Batch 3 bottle. Water with this one can be fun but is not essential.
Adam – Being already familiar with their rye, I am again impressed by what peat can do when playing with spirits that are not entirely barley. Much like their peated bourbon, the Liberty Pole Peated Rye is an exploration worth embarking on. The peat expands the base sweet and spice of the rye, adding complexities that are not there in the original. The tea vibe is strong here, but robustly so. The dance of chocolate and pepper ringed by citrus, sugar and bacon throughout the palate provides constant evaluation. Adding a few drops of water, or a few more besides, brings the tea forward though it is not vital to do so. This isn’t alcohol tea, though, not with the other fruit and sweetness and spice. It’s a journey, and one I thoroughly enjoy taking. This is an exemplum of the amazing creativity that is happening via craft distillery in America. I can’t wait to see what additional maturation does to future batches.
Kate – This is like a tea for me. This is like a really well done ham that’s been roasting for 30 hours. There’s a slight bitterness woven in here somewhat with the nuttiness, like a walnut skin. Or a Brazilian nut. Before water, the tea was in the nose and in the finish. With adding water, the tea element shifts to the middle of the palate.
The dance of rye, spice and peat is magical.
Henry – The dance of rye, spice and peat is magical. Bright, sweet, and intense with a complex and earthy backbone on the nose leads to a snappy heat on the palate, with baking spices, black pepper, and savory notes leading to a layered finish of smoke, sweetness, and char.
Ben – I like that you can appreciate both the spice from the rye and heat from the alcohol. I like the association with tea, the dryness and astringency. There’s a citrus at the end that’s like slightly bitter cumquats.
