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Please read and drink responsibly.
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Classification: Straight Rye
Company: Mango Creek Craft Distillers, LLC
Distillery: Mango Creek Craft Distillers, LLC
Release Date: July 2025
Proof: 116.6
Age: NAS (4 years, 9 months according to the company)
Mashbill: 73% Rye, 27% Mesquite Smoked Malted Barley
Color: Amber
MSRP: $69 / 750mL (2025)
Steeped malt tea | Pear | Rye spice | Echo of peat | Smoky undertone
Hazelnut | Honey | Nutmeg | Green tea | Baking spices | Earthy
Baking spices | Brown sugar | Pretzel dough | Malty undertone
A two barrel release from a family run distillery on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, PA, Liberty Pole Spirits Mesquite Smoked Malt Rye Whiskey offers a unique flavor profile that whiskey drinkers may not be prepared for.
Liberty Pole Spirits is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, 25 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. The family-owned and operated distillery was founded in 2016 and produces a number of standard whiskeys along with special releases. Mesquite Smoked Malt Rye Whiskey is a limited edition whiskey that was mashed, distilled, aged, and bottled in-house. It is a blend of only two 53-gallon barrels, each aged 4 years, 9 months. The barrels were transferred to the upper floors of the distillery’s 5-story rickhouse for the last two years of aging. It’s available exclusively at the distillery as well as shipping within Pennsylvania.
I’ve tasted a lot of whiskeys, but I still get surprised from time to time. Mesquite Smoked Malt Rye whiskey is one of those surprise whiskeys, delivering a flavor profile unlike any other and one that challenged my preconceived notion of rye whiskey with a twist.
Mesquite refers to a small American tree, and is popular in the barbecue scene due to the sweet, smoky, and earthy flavor it imparts on meat. American whiskey makers have tinkered with the use of mesquite to varied results; however, the application is so limited that there is no mesquite whiskey category, per se.
Liberty Pole decided to experiment with the flavors with this small-scale release that is challenging at first, but rewarding once you get past the initial shock of flavors this whiskey delivers. Steeped malt tea, nutmeg, hazelnut, brown sugar, smoke, and even an echo of peat on the nose are just a few of the flavors this whiskey conjures up. Overall, it is a challenging whiskey to say the least, but one that will reward avid enthusiasts willing to venture outside their comfort zone. The smoky, earthy, mesquite impact is shocking at first, but spending multiple sittings with this whiskey reveals a well-crafted, outside-the-box rye that revels in unconventional flavors.
