Healthy dose of rye grain | Light mint leaf | Fresh pine | Vanilla cake | Cedar plank | Faint nutmeg | Cinnamon sugar mix

Rye spice | Cinnamon spice | Aged oak | Spiced fruit cake | Faint chocolate babka | White peppercorn

Leather | Aged oak | Moderate rye spice | Spiced raisin | Lingering chewy oak & mild rye spice

Woody Creek Distillers is located in Basalt, Colorado, which is part of the Roaring Fork Valley. A Colorado-first distillery, the company has sourced all of their grains from within the Centennial State since its start in 2012. Founded by locals Mark Kleckner and Patrick and Mary Scanlan, the brand picked up a famous partner in Academy Award nominee William H. Macy in 2018. Macy holds the title of Spokes Dude & Partner and is actively involved in the brand, particularly with the inaugural release of William H. Macy Reserve Rye in 2023.

This year’s release of William H. Macy Reserve Rye now marks the third batch for this limited release whiskey. Each release of the rye features its own unique mashbill and barrel selection, meaning no two releases are the same. For the third batch, the company blended five barrels distilled on-site in 2016. Sporting a 100 proof label, the company chose to bottle it as a bottled-in-bond rye.

Opening with a beautiful bouquet of scents, Woody Creek William H. Macy Reserve Rye Third Edition instantly commands attention. A healthy dose of rye grain wafts out of the glass and mingles with mint leaf and fresh pine scents. Sweet scents and a cedar plank note add further definition before transitioning to a midpoint that nicely balances spice, sweet baked good notes, and aged oak. Finishing on more straightforward flavors, the whiskey highlights leather, aged oak, and a moderate rye spice before leveling off to a lingering chewy oak and mild rye spice.

Ten years for any distillery is a long time, especially for a craft distillery. So much is learned during that time frame, as distillation and mashbills are dialed in and the company continues to evolve. That’s in part why Woody Creek William H. Macy Reserve Rye Third Edition is so surprising. The sip it produces is great, and rye lovers will appreciate the flavors it teases out. While the price is incredibly high for a 10 year old rye, those who do take the plunge and buy a bottle will be greeted with a unique sip that stands out among ryes produced by long-standing, much larger distilleries.