Review: Hemingway Rye Signature Edition

Not long after launching their inaugural rye whiskey in late 2022, Key West’s Hemingway Whiskey Company apparently got to work tweaking things. Master Distiller Jacob Call, along with his sons Ron and Jacob, made a few small but impactful changes to the flagship recipe which is now dubbed Signature Edition. It remains a blend of 95/5 recipe rye whiskeys sourced from Indiana and Kentucky and finished in rum-seasoned, oloroso sherry casks, but more 4-year-old Kentucky rye has been added to the mix. The Indiana rye component now comprises 90% of the blend (down from 94%) and at 6-years-old, it’s a full three years younger than the first edition. The proof has also ticked up a bit. Our first taste was an enjoyable, if straightforward, experience. Let’s see how round two of Hemingway Rye measures up.

Hemingway Rye Signature Edition Review

The nose still shows a bold rye spice, but while it’s all fairly high tone, things are not as grassy as the inaugural release. Notes of spearmint are nicely layered with warm oak tones, a bit of toffee, vanilla bean, and nutmeg. A lacing of chocolate and dark berries, cooked and lightly sugared, builds as things open in the glass, adding welcome complexity to an otherwise fresh and classic profile.

The palate is less peppery than the first edition but still showcases herbaceous top notes of dill and a little bay leaf before giving way to more cocoa and caramel sauce on the midpalate. Again, a throughline of dark fruit adds a nice nuance, evolving to orange peel and clove on a warm and gently peppered finish. Careful tweaks by the Call clan have clearly improved the debut release. Papa Hemingway was more of a rum guy, but I doubt he’d turn down a pour of this rye.

102 proof.

A- / $80 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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