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Templeton Single Barrel 10 Year Reserve Rye Whiskey

Templeton Single Barrel 10 Year Reserve Rye Whiskey

Back in late 2016/early 2017, Templeton Rye released a special 10 year old rye whiskey to commemorate their 10 year anniversary as a company. It came in an ornate box and contained 10 year old MGP rye whiskey that was bottled at 101 proof.  The price was a wallet-shattering $150.

This release was a success and proved that enthusiasts seemed to be moving on from Templeton’s previous missteps where they lied about the origins of their rye whiskey. The courts ruled that Templeton had to pay back a certain amount of money to customers that proved they had purchased their products in the prior years when the label stated that it was made in Iowa (even though it was being sourced from MGP). .

Fast forward 4 years and Templeton decided to release another 10 year old rye whiskey. This time it is being sold in single barrels (mine is barrel 2766 for reference) and is bottled at 104 proof.

10 Year Old Rye Whiskey

The price is also way better than their last edition with retail being around $80 to $85. The bottle also gets a heavy redesign along with their standard 4 and 6 year old releases.

This is a welcome change because their previous bottles looked terrible. No doubt those leftovers will continue to collect dust on shelves everywhere for many more years while the new ones will probably sell very well.

10 Year Old MGP rye whiskey is somewhat exclusive to Templeton in the year 2021 while a few NDPs are just now getting their hands on 9 year old barrels. The reason is because Templeton has had such a long history of sourcing from the Lawrenceburg Indiana Distillery that they have an open pipeline from barrels that they had contracted from years ago.

If you’re looking for comparable rye whiskies that are also sourced from MGP and have similar ages I would suggest you try to find Redemption 10 Year Rye Whiskey Batch 002 (which is from 2017 but can still be found on shelves) and Bone Snapper Single Barrels (which have a handful of 9 year old single barrels available as store picks).

So how is Templeton’s newest single barrel release? Let’s try it out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Templeton 10 Year Reserve Rye Whiskey brass plate

Nose: Scents of Nilla Wafers combine with gingerbread, mint and lemon curd. There’s also the classic pine needles and baking spices that are so pleasant to find with every nosing. Clove, allspice and cinnamon interact with the rest of the scents in perfect harmony.

Palate: Brown sugar sweetness greets your tongue while notes of peppermint and red pepper flakes give some enjoyable heat to each sip. Baking spices like clove and nutmeg mix with herbal notes like dill and marjoram.

There’s even some notes of citrus rind (tangerine and lemon) to really let you know that you’re drinking a rye whiskey. Astringency is non existent and the mouthfeel is fairly oily which checks just about every box you’d want in a dram like this.

Finish: Lingering notes of citrus rind, cinnamon and peppermint candies keep this old rye whiskey kind of on the brighter side while notes of sticky cinnamon candies give almost a sticky quality to the liquid. Some dry leather and a touch of oak spice show off the age of the distillate very well.

Score: 8.1/10

Templeton 10 Year Reserve Rye Whiskey vertical

For all the more that the Templeton name is scorned in the world of whiskey, I must give credit where credit is due. This 10 year old single barrel is a really well done rye whiskey that balances the sweetness and spice that MGP rye is known for.

The decision to proof it down just a little bit really helps with the balance.  This pains me to say because I normally prefer my ryes to be at barrel proof but it’s true here. It also doesn’t hurt that this new packaging looks like something you’d want to actually show off on a shelf instead of hide behind other bottles.

Templeton did their homework on this one and I do genuinely hope it pays off for them. I think everything is right about this bottle from the look to the price to the liquid that’s inside of it. If you’re on the fence about this one, let me ease your worries: It’s worth it.

Ratings Breakdown

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Example: Jeffers Creek)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it

3 | Bad | Flawed (AD Laws 4 Grain BiB, Clyde Mays anything)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (Tincup 10 year)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Larceny, Sazerac Rye)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Buffalo Trace, OGD BiB)

7 | Great | Well above average (Old Ezra Barrel Proof, Old Weller Antique)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Michter’s Barrel Proof Rye, Four Roses Barrel Strength)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, 13 Year MGP or Canadian Rye)

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (William Larue Weller)

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