American

Whiskey Review: Templeton Rye Aged 4 Years

We review Templeton Rye Aged 4 Years. It's inspired by the Prohibition-era distilling history of Templeton, Iowa.

OVERALL RATING

6
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Templeton Rye 4 Year (image via Debbie Nelson)

Tasting Notes

About:

Mash bill of 95% rye and 5% barley; 40% alcohol by volume/80 proof; $30 for a 750ml bottle. Templeton, Iowa.
Appearance:
Tawny color, watery legs.
Nose:
Rye spiciness comes through, but so does a sugary sweetness. Hot Tamales candies and pecan pie came to my mind – an admittedly strange combination.
Palate:
This is a nice whiskey for people who don’t drink a lot of whiskey. That sounds like a putdown, but it’s not, really. If you know someone who doesn’t like the burn of many whiskies, pour this one for them. The Templeton 4 Year is light and easy up front. I taste mint, honey and something alkaline. My bigger issue is that it doesn’t do much from there. The finish is short and relatively non-descript.
Finish:
Comments:

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Scott Bernard Nelson

Scott Bernard Nelson is a writer, actor, and whiskey reviewer based in Portland, Oregon. While currently working in higher education, he previously dedicated 22 years to journalism, covering impactful events such as 9/11 in Manhattan, crossing into Iraq with U.S. Marines, and contributing to The Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of abuse in the Catholic Church, which inspired the film "Spotlight." Since 2019, Scott has shared his insights as a whiskey reviewer for The Whiskey Wash.  

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