Whiskey Review: Sonoma County Cherrywood Rye Whiskey

, the rye pulls sharply forward, followed swiftly with spice and nuts, pekoe tea, oak and Lyle’s golden syrup The finish is short, with residual allspice, orange peel, wet wood and cloves. If this is the kind of flavors made possible with 16th century technology, then alembic stills are still powerhouses in the distilling world. Our immediate thought for a possible food pairing turned to this whiskey with duck confit on grilled sourdough points with plum chutney, cracked white pepper and Manchego crisps. But the lingering spices would also compliment a hazelnut meringue with sweet cream and praline, which, in fact, it did. Quite well. Sonoma County Distilling Co. is not out of place in their region, or in any well-stocked whiskey cabinet. Their pricing at $55 is high for the genre, but competitive in their class. And that is what this spirit has – definite class. I give the Sonoma County Distilling Cherrywood Rye Whiskey 89 Points + 2 more for ingenuity.