Review: Hudson Rye Calvados Cask 7 Years Old
Tuthiltown Spirits has long served as New York’s first legal distillery following Prohibition. If you’re not familiar with the Tuthiltown name, you’re likely familiar with their house brand, Hudson Whiskey. While 21 years have passed since Hudson Whiskey launched in 2003, its early Baby Bourbon remains the primary fixture in the minds of countless whiskey enthusiasts. Hudson Baby Bourbon was an early offering in America regarding the category of craft whiskey and was aged for only a couple of months in small barrels. Despite serving as a pioneer for early craft whiskey, Baby Bourbon left a lot to be desired, though it still developed quite a reputation since it was so early in the craft whiskey world. (It must be noted that Hudson has since discontinued Baby Bourbon.) The legend of Hudson Baby Bourbon runs deep, but Hudson has moved beyond those early days and is now utilizing 53-gallon barrels and aging for longer periods. Fall of 2024 brings the release of Hudson New York Rye Whiskey Calvados Cask 7 Years Old, a completely different beast than Hudson Baby Bourbon.
Hudson Rye Calvados Cask is made from Empire Rye and Kosher certified, packing a total maturation in excess of 7 years. Hudson initially ages the rye in 53-gallon barrels with a medium toast and #3 char for 3.5 years. For the finish, the rye is transferred to 60-gallon Calvados casks from Normandy for at least another 3.5 years. Hudson’s rye features a familiar mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, but is distilled by Tuthiltown Spirits with grain sourced from Hudson Valley farms. Tuthiltown’s rye comes off a Carl copper pot still at 140 proof. Initial barrel entry proof is 114 and entry proof for the Calvados casks is 111 proof. Hudson bottles the finished Calvados cask rye at 92 proof.
Hudson New York Rye Whiskey Calvados Cask is constructed like a completely different beast from Hudson Baby Bourbon, but will consumers be able to move past their mental fixation regarding Baby Bourbon when it comes to Hudson? Let’s proceed with Hudson’s oldest rye yet!
No surprise: Fruit clearly leads the way on the nose with dried green apples and and bright lemon zest. Rosemary meets vanilla and brown sugar to tie the bouquet together. Kicking off the palate, brown sugar and black licorice make their presence known. Transitioning to the midpalate, lemon zest shows up again, followed by a slight note of mild tobacco. The initial palate presents as dry and, honestly, a bit lackluster. The finish offers more lemon zest, combined with spearmint, nutmeg and black pepper.
Hudson Rye Calvados Cask certainly offers a unique presentation, but I found the initial palate to be lacking. However, the finish and nose are quite enjoyable and carry the overall whiskey experience. For whiskey enthusiasts who still harbor preconceived notions about Hudson Whiskey based on Baby Bourbon, this well-aged rye is worth checking out to see how things have changed. Sporting a total maturation in excess of 7 years, this particular Hudson Whiskey is a noticeable improvement over earlier releases. However, coming with a price of $70, consumers have numerous better rye whiskey options at their disposal.
92 proof.
B / $70 / hudsonwhiskey.com
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