Castle and Key Restoration Rye Whiskey Release

Castle and Key Restoration Rye advances the reopening of historic Kentucky distillery.

History of this unique distillery:

A historic Frankfurt, Kentucky distillery, once shuttered, just released its first barrel-aged spirit. Welcome to the stage, Castle and Key Restoration Rye Whiskey.

SEE ALSO: Castle & Key Bourbon Release, Review, Price, and Proof

For those of you who have never heard of this Kentucky distillery, bourbon connoisseurs will immediately recognize the man who built it. In 1887 a man by the name of Colonel Edmund Hayes Taylor, Jr built a new kind of distillery. During that time, most distilleries weren’t that glamorous. However, EH Taylor had a different vision for his next venture.

Castle and Key Distillery was designed to resemble a medieval castle, inspired by European architecture. The spring house, which he said was ultimately his “key to success” is unlike any you will see. It is literally shaped like a key hole in the ground, built with Kentucky limestone. That same limestone water which makes Kentucky such an ideal place to produce bourbon in the first place. Glenns Creek flows through the property, providing natural resources for their spirits. It also makes for a nice backdrop along their Botanical Trail. Did we mention there’s an adjacent sunken gardens designed  and walk-up bar inside the historic Taylorton Station?

However, this distillery has went through several phases over the last century. It was first shuttered during prohibition, then partially used, but sat in ruin since the 1970s. In 2014 the property was acquired and restoration began. Distilling began in 2016 when Marianne Barnes joined the team. She started making a name for herself before this opportunity however, being the protege of Brown-Forman master distillery Chris Morris. She’s also Kentucky’s first female master distiller, and just helped Peyton Manning launch Sweetens Cove.

Introducing their first barrel aged spirit.

As for Restoration Rye, it is distinctive upon first glance. Starting with the packaging itself, this product enters the market with a custom bottle mold with similarities to their iconic springhouse.Starting with the It features unique gold hardware with a golden cap. The golden cap features decorative engravings, highlighting brand insignia. The packaging itself punches well beyond its weight with the price tag suggested retail of $39.99.

Batch 1 is a blend of 60 barrels, grouped on specific profiles in order to get the perfect product. It was meant to land as a more classical rye, spice-driven and assertive, with lots of cinnamon. This blend lands at 103 proof, however future batches aren’t intended to be a standardized proofing. The distillery suggest that they are anticipating a spring and fall release annually. as of now, the next release will happen in the coming spring. Not to worry however, batch one will give you 78,000 opportunities to get your hands on a bottle.

Meanwhile, Batch 2 is a blend of 57 barrels, which will produce 75,000 bottles. Relatively speaking, it is a more subtle approach than Batch 1.  more green forward and softer With young rye characteristics. The proofing on this one lands at 99. 

Upon completion of their precise blends for each of these introductory batches, the team utilized only a basic filtration approach. Therefore they’re non-chill filtered, and also not carbon filtered. This basic filtration is used to remove char and the likes. 

Restoration Kentucky Rye Whiskey Mashbill:

• 17% Yellow Corn
• 63% Rye
• 20% Malted Barley

When will see the Castle and Key Bourbon?

While there is no precise timeline since you can’t rush whiskey, fans can look ahead to 2021 at least. These folks have made the point that they don’t want to force anything, and they’ll release products that their achieved quality allows them to.

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Distillery Address:

Castle & Key
4445 McCracken Pike
Frankfort, KY 40601