Templeton Rye Debuts Its 2020 Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey

The Templeton Rye whiskey brand out of Iowa has, over the last few years, had some success with an annual barrel strength rye release that is limited edition in nature. This bottling is now back again for 2020.

The 2020 Templeton Rye Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey, according to those behind it, is drawn from a limited number of American barrels selected by the distillery’s distillery manager, Lester Brown. Brown marries and vats together the aged whiskeys, keeping it in barrel strength form to showcase “the Templeton Rye expression in its purest form.”

“We continue to be motivated and inspired by the wonderful reception of the past two Barrel Strength releases and are excited to introduce this new edition with our fans that we feel is both innovative and evolved,” said Tim Grimes, Senior Brand Ambassador of Templeton Rye, in a prepared statement. “Our Barrel Strength line represents the purest form of our beloved whiskey, a salute to our hometown of Templeton, Iowa, a small town with a strong spirit.”

For this year’s offering, it is once again sourced from Indiana’s MGP distillery (Templeton Rye broke ground with a new distillery and officially opened to visitors in 2018. The first distillery run of 100% Iowa-made rye whiskey also took place in 2018 and will be available for consumption in 2022). It has a mash bill that’s 95% rye/5% malted barley and is bottled at 113.1 proof.

This non-chill filtered whiskey is now available in limited quantities for around $60 per 750 ml bottle. Official tasting notes suggest “ripe apple aromas, followed by warm cinnamon and orange notes that dovetail marvelously, fading into creamy, raisin-infused toffee tones and intensifying rye spice that deepens into a long, robust finish.”