Review: Hunting Creek Rye Whiskey

We’ve been following the evolution of North Carolina’s Southern Distilling Company for a while now. It’s a craft distiller that seems to have achieved the enviable transition from quality sourced whiskey to superior house-made whiskey. That’s not always an easy jump to make, for a variety of reasons. When last we looked in on Southern, they had just rolled out a solid, homemade wheated bourbon line. With Hunting Creek, they’ve now added an in-house, bottled-in-bond rye whiskey to the portfolio.

Their first foray into the style, Double Rye, was a mix of their own rye and MGP’s well-worn 95/5 recipe. Hunting Creek, however, is all Southern Distilling’s Kentucky style rye recipe of 51% rye, 39% corn, and 10% malted barley. And while it doesn’t carry an age statement, it’s a bottled-in-bond whiskey, so at least twice as old as that earlier expression. And the name? It’s a revived label from the late 19th century originally distilled in Asheville, North Carolina and exported to the northeast via the railroad hub in Statesville, where Southern Distilling operates. Let’s check it out.

The color suggests a younger whiskey, but the aroma showcases a well-aged mix of barrel notes and fresh grain. Notes of minted syrup, caramel sauce, lemon squares, and warm rye bread are inviting and engaging and nicely balanced. It’s light on its feet, which betrays some youth, but in a blind I wouldn’t peg it for anything under six or seven years old. The palate is initially a bit more youthful with a distinct top note of honey roasted peanuts that dissolves quickly into a peppery mix of grassy rye spice, ground clove, and chewy caramels. The midpalate finds impressive balance with buttery toffee and butterscotch notes that silken into a warm finish of lemon peel and Thin Mints cookies. A big step up from Double Rye. In fact, this one can hold its own against a lot of Kentucky ryes on the market right now.

100 proof.

A- / $50 / southernstar.com

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