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Dave Phinney’s New California Distillery Drops A Wine Cask Finished Rye

Dave Phinney is considered something of a winemaking legend in California. The former owner of well regarded Orin Swift Cellars, he spends a portion of his time these days at his new distillery Savage & Cooke in the San Francisco Bay Area. Two whiskeys, both finished in ex-red wine barrels tied to winery projects he’s also been involved in, have been released to date, and now word has trickled out he is releasing a young rye whiskey done in much the same way.

The new Lip Sync Rye Whiskey, according to those behind it, is pulled together from hand selected barrels that look like they are being sourced from Tennessee. There seems to be no age statement specific to this release – rather it is noted “the youngest rye in the blend is three years old.” The whiskey is then being finished for an unmentioned amount of time in ex-wine barrels “from Dave’s Grenache project in Maury, France.”

Lip Sync Rye Whiskey
Lip Sync Rye Whiskey (image via Savage & Cooke)

Bottled at 90 proof after being cut with water from a “high elevation property in Alexander Valley in Northern California,” this new rye whiskey is detailed has heralding from a mash bill that’s 51% rye, 45% corn and 4% malted barley. You’ll find some limited official tasting notes below for your consideration – there was no immediate mention of price per 750 ml bottle.

Intense and exciting on the nose with appealing notes of orange peel, clove and candied ginger. Creamy and velvety with bright white pepper, berry compote and honey. The finish is persistent with layers of exotic spice and toasty vanilla.

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