AJ Schreiner Heritage Rye Review

AJ Schreiner
Heritage Rye
Straight Rye Whiskey
100 Proof
Age: 6 yrs
Batch 1
MSRP: $124.99
Review

Please enjoy our AJ Schreiner Heritage Rye Review!

Steeped in History

AJ Schreiner Spirits truly has a unique history. I know, I know; you’ve heard that before. However, in this case, it is the real deal. AJ Schreiner was a renowned distiller in pre-Prohibition times. And, as it turns out, he took extensive notes during his career. Many years later, five of his notebooks were passed down to his great-great-grandson, Ken Schreiner. In the words of the distillery, “A.J. Schreiner Spirits proudly honors A.J.’s contributions to the world of “Pre-Pro” whiskeys, seeking to revive the liquor meticulously crafted by one of the preeminent distillers of that era. Between 1882 and 1936, A.J. meticulously recorded fifty years of distilling brilliance in secret distiller notebooks, a legacy passed down through generations within the Schreiner family.”

Mirroring The Essence of AJ Schreiner’s Rye

The AJ Schreiner Heritage Rye Batch 1 was created to mirror the essence of its namesake’s pre-prohibition rye. The rye was not made with the exact specifications in the notebooks; that may come in the future. Rather it was was blended to recreate the similar flavors and characteristics that would have been expected to be present in those pre-prohibition ryes. To this means, the founder’s partnered with Alan Bishop who serves as their master distiller and blender. Alan, who is currently the master distiller at Old Homestead Distilling Co., is a renowned spirits historian and expert on classic distilling techniques. Therefore, he is perfectly suited to this task.

Mash Bills – AJ Schreiner Heritage Rye Review

7% MGP Rye: 51% rye, 49% malted barley
93% Alan Bishop Distilled Ryes: Two mash bills, one 60% rye and the other 100% rye. These ryes were double pot still distilled from a mash fermented with yeast started with Fleishman’s Yeast. Fleishman’s was same brand of yeast used by A. J. Schreiner, back in his day.

No other specifics are given about Alan’s mash bills, other than the 100% rye one contains 20% malted rye. The distillery where they were made is undisclosed; however, 6 years ago Alan was at Spirits of French Lick, so it is probably reasonable to assume that was the site of its distillation.

Tasting Notes – AJ Schreiner Heritage Rye Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Malty, doughy, graininess; rye spices, mainly cloves; raspberry jam; alcohol appropriate for the proof
👉🏻Taste: Mildly sweet dark sugar simple syrup; rye spices; fresh rye bread dough, mild dry oak
👉🏻Finish: Lingering dough, white pepper spice; rye bread; touch of tart orange peel; dry later on with dry oak & mild barrel char; long; pleasant warmth

The nose has a malty, grainy doughiness to it, like a rich rye bread dough. In addition, there are relatively mild rye spices, mainly cloves, with some sweet fruit flavors from raspberry jam. The taste is mildly sweet, like from a dark sugar simple syrup, with a bit more noticeable rye spices, on a background of fresh rye bread dough, with mild dry oak. The doughiness lingers into the finish, with some fresh rye bread as well. Soon, however, white pepper spice appears and increases, with a touch of tart orange peel, as well. Later on, the mouthfeel is increasingly dry, with mild dry oak and barrel char. The finish is quite long, with a pleasant warmth.

Conclusion

I may be getting up there in age, however, I wasn’t around in pre-prohibition times, so I’m not familiar with what ryes were like back then. Nonetheless, AJ Schreiner Heritage Rye is a very enjoyable whiskey. It’s got the full, rich, “oily” flavors that pot distilled whiskey lovers will enjoy. However, those flavors are very well balanced, so column still fans should still like it too. As for the rye spices, they, too, are present, but not overbearing. This all adds up to a very easy to drink, full flavored rye whiskey. If these sound like flavors you would enjoy, then give AJ Schreiner Heritage Rye a try! Have you had it? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

He hope you have enjoyed our AJ Schreiner Heritage Rye Review! If you would like to read about another whiskey with an interesting Prohibition era history, then check out our Casey Jones Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend Whiskey Review. In addition, Neeley Family Distillery has quite the history, as well. You can read all about them in our detailed Neeley Family Distillery Tour Review!

Note: This bottle was graciously provided by the Brand for my review.

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