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The state of bourbon in the Indianapolis area around 2015/16 was like most large cities of that time – loosely organized groups who appreciated good bourbon but were dependent on local retailers to bring single barrel picks to the market. That all began to change with the advent of whiskey-focused Facebook groups. Enthusiasts were recruited through word-of-mouth and became more organized. As these groups grew in size, the opportunity to obtain their own single barrel picks became a reality due to the buying power of hundreds of members. This formula is still the basis for how most single barrel clubs start today.
One of the earliest groups in the Indy scene was “Indiana Bourbon and Whiskey Enthusiasts” (IBWE for short). However, there was a crackdown of secondary sales groups (or groups that appeared like they were) in 2019 and IBWE fell victim to the culling. In a funny turn of events, the group was resurrected shortly thereafter with a new name that utilized the same acronym – the Indiana Brown Water Enthusiasts.
IBWE, under the guidance of Drew Black, swore off the secondary market aspect of the old group and decided to go legitimate by working with local liquor stores to obtain barrel picks. This worked out well for the liquor stores because they were guaranteed the sale of a certain amount of bottles right off the bat. It worked out well for the IBWE because their members didn’t have to fight or stand in long lines to obtain bottles.
The only bad thing about this setup is that groups often didn’t have 100% say in the barrels that they wanted. Sometimes they had to help a store sell a barrel pick from a producer that wasn’t desirable just to get access to the desirable ones. The only way they could truly own 100% of the decision making process was by starting their own company. Circle City Whiskey Company was born.
Circle City Whiskey Company
Ever since 2023, Circle City has operated with a strong focus on curating the right barrels for their products. So many Non-Distiller Producers (NDPs) will stick with one particular distiller for all of their sourcing needs, but that tends to make them one-dimensional and dull. This can be a problem attracting new customers if the source of the whiskey isn’t highly sought after or doesn’t align with their palates.
Drew decided early on to diversify the producers of the barrels he sourced. He most commonly sources barrels from MGP in Indiana and has also obtained some barrels from “undisclosed” producers in Kentucky that used the mash bill 78/10/12 and 75/13/12 (you can do the math on those yourself). He also expanded the brand’s lineup with double barrel, bottled-in-bond and toasted barrel expressions.
Last year, Drew was offered a small lot of almost-12-year-old barrels of rye whiskey from MGP. He travelled down south to check them out and confirmed they were every bit as good as he imagined. Many of the barrels were registering as high as 130 proof which is not normal for typical 95/5 rye barrels. He bought them on the spot.
Circle City Whiskey Co then put out calls to the local liquor store retailers around the city to see who would be interested in a single barrel. Interest was high, but the price that these retailed for was not. I purchased the bottle you see before you today for just $145. This would have been unthinkable a few years ago with these kind of stats. The final part of the process was waiting a few more weeks for the barrels to officially turn 12-years-old so that they matched the TTB-approved labels.
Rural Inn gets the first 12-year-old rye whiskey picks
Everyone in the Indianapolis area knows about Rural Inn. The owner, Ray, has been slinging single barrel picks since before it was cool. It’s basically a sign of respect that he was the first store in the area to pop up with not one, but two single barrel 12-year-old rye whiskies in late 2024. These picks both came in at slightly under 130 proof – but the local enthusiasts didn’t mind. These were bought up rather quickly. The one I’m reviewing today clocked in at 128.8 proof and was barrel number 1206 (Rural Inn labeled it as Barrel #9).
One of the cool things that Circle City does is gives a brief description on the label that openly says where it came from (if they can) and any additional information. We learned that this rye whiskey had been aged in a Speyside Cooperage barrel that was given a #3 char. This is interesting because MGP often uses both #3 or #4 char for their whiskey barrels with no clear rationale as to which distillate gets put into which one. And just to expand a little more more… Four Roses often lists their char level as a “3.5” which makes me wonder if they also use a mixture of char level 3 and 4 barrels rather than one set char level. Food for thought.
So how does it taste? Let’s find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Resting for 12 years in a barrel has allowed for a complete transformation to a sweet smelling, dessert-like treat. The nose is alive with the complex sweetness of molasses and spiced honey while light herbal influences like peppermint, sage and oregano remind you that this is a rye whiskey. Fruit notes (citrus rind, raisins and cooked orchard fruits) are present, but not really the star of the show here. That’s reserved for the baking spices. I can find plenty of cinnamon, clove, white pepper and ginger root. Speaking of ginger root – as the session goes on, the nose morphs more into gingersnap cookies. Yum. I can also detect a bit of seasoned oak along the way.
Palate: Honey’ed oak, gingersnaps and apple strudel greet my tastebuds right away. Each sip is elegant and rich with Peppermint Patties, orange creamsicle and even some pipe tobacco. Herbal notes are somewhat subdued but add some oregano, green tea and pine needles to the experience. Soft cinnamon and potpourri also give a complex layer to this delicious dram. The mouthfeel is moderately oily and each flavor compliments the next. There’s nothing I could think to improve this dram.
Finish: Sweetness is still the name of the game with molasses and spiced honey following through to the end. The tannins (oak and tobacco) shine brightest on the end showcasing the full power of 12 years of maturation. Citrus notes like orange and grapefruit combine with caramelized apple slices on the end. Cinnamon and clove pair with the ginger and pine notes to give a fall-holiday feeling to the finish. It’s a delight.
Score: 8.4/10
It seems like years since we’ve seen such accessible, full-proofed and highly aged rye whiskey on the market for prices like this. Allowing a rye whiskey to age for a full twelve years in oak has smoothed off all rough edges and left a product with unparalleled drinkability. Even for the folks that cower at the sight of a whiskey over 115 proof, this feels like it has the proof sting of a bottled-in-bond.
In 2018, I remember enthusiasts seemed to brush off the possibility that the 12-year-old single barrels of MGP could be running out. Sure enough, they did about about 2 years later. There was a long drought until their stocks could be built back up to levels where they are back on the shelf. But this leaves even a person like me to wonder if I shouldn’t be stocking up in case they run out or the price jumps considerably. Could the “Bad Old Days” be right around the corner again? I don’t want to take the chance!
Final Thoughts
It’s no secret that Circle City isn’t the only game in town with 11-12 year old barrels of 95/5. There are other NDPs who are getting in on the action and even offering them for slightly lower prices. But if your area doesn’t stock those brands, then shipping them to you could make the costs come out about the same in the end.
So I’m here to say that these bottles – whether it’s this awesome release by Circle City or someone else – are absolutely worth the money they’re being sold at. Their flavor and complexity are something you won’t find among the other players (yet) and they’ll make you a believer in rye whiskey even if you’ve been holding back from that category of whiskey all this time. But if you want something with all the right notes, then search out a bottle from these guys. You’ll be glad you did.