The Liberty Pole Spiced Whiskey is an annual release, usually in October. It is based on a rye that’s at least 3 years old and matured in a 53-gallon oak barrel. To this is added allspice, orange peel, brown sugar and cinnamon. The genesis of this mixture came about at a holiday party where the Old Fashioneds had a homemade allspice dram added, which the distillers attempt to recreate here. Thanks mom! Historically, Pennsylvania distillers during the Whiskey Rebellion also added spices to their whiskies during the holidays.
Distillery: Mingo Creek Craft Distillers
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 42%
Price: $50.00
Location: Washington, PA
Nose: Coriander, allspice, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel, molasses, mace, wintergreen, camphor
Palate: Brown sugar, ginger, anise, orange
Finish: Orange, cinnamon
Comments: Phenomenal on its own, consider also using in cider, hot chocolate or coffee.
Adam – What a unique creature this Spiced Whiskey really is. The rye base centers it but the purposeful balance of spices, citrus and sweetness from the cinnamon and brown sugar make it wholly unique. It is like a Christmas I never know, something a Victorian like Marley could never fathom. Scotchology has never done a flavored whiskey before and this is not a flavored whiskey, not really, even if it doesn’t fit into our normal path. This slight detour is worth it, however, because it shows how good a whiskey the right amount of tinkering can create. It’s dangerously drinkable, surprisingly gentle from the nose through to the finish. Would I want this all the time? Absolutely not. It is tailor-made for a moment, a season, and it is right and meet that it is so. But when you are in the midst of that time, its glory cannot be denied.
Kate – This is an amazing whisky to cook with. Really well within a mincemeat pie. It also makes a really good hot toddy. It is almost like wassail. The cereal notes, the heavier bread from the rye is there, helps balance the sweetness of the other elements. It smells the way I imagine Buddy the Elf’s spaghetti and meat sauce with syrup would smell. There’s almost this pasta like quality on the nose after it’s been in the glass for a good while and the sweeter elements have subsided. There’s almost this lime quality to it, a sweet with the sour. It is a whiskey for rum drinkers, almost hitting like a hot buttered rum. It tastes like a krumkake I’ve had, with anise and orange added, along with cardamom. This is maybe one of the most cereal-forward whiskies I’ve ever tasted. It is one I have to either cook with or mix, as it’s just a little too intense for drinking as is.
Henry – This is the apotheosis of mulled cider. A striking nose of cinnamon, orange peel, clove, nutmeg, wintergreen, and camphor work with the spice of the rye to make a unique and engaging spirit which raises both my eyebrows and my spirits. This is what mulled cider dreams of being when it grows up. Mulled cider meets God. Sweetness and warmth on the palate, and a gentle, brown sugar-driven finish make for a lovely and surprising holiday special!
Ben – There is a sweetness that comes from the orange, and the pepper and the rye. It’s potpourri. That’s the smell of it. But the wintergreen saves it. This uses the whisky flavor as part of the whole rather than only the carrier.
This is what mulled cider dreams of being when it grows up.
Bill – There is a ginger quality to this. I want this in a lot of other things. I like it’s versatility. That’s what strikes me the most about it. For being a spiced whiskey and prevalent and it’s own unique thing, there’s so much you can do with it. I like that versatility. It’s extremely approachable. For a once-off every year, there’s a reason this is a staple in their line.
Evelyn – You could warm this and just drink it as is. It’s not over-cinnamoned. So many things are over-cinnamoned but this is not. I want this hot.
Sam – You could pour this in some Spanish Rioja and make an amazing fortified wine.
