Mersey Craft Spirits Rye Review

Mersey Craft Spirits
FA Poole & Co
Straight Rye Whiskey
Recipe No 6
91 proof
MSRP: $59.99
Review

Please enjoy our Mersey Craft Spirits Rye Whiskey Review!

Mersey Celebrates Their One Year Anniversary in September 2023!

The Mersey Craft Spirits brand is a relatively recent addition to the whiskey world. For the past year, Mersey Straight Rye Whiskey has been available only in Alabama. However, they are about to launch online sales to 40 states in the very near future (as of September 10, 2023) and are currently taking preorders on their website. Plans are to begin shipping in a couple of weeks. Mersey Spirits is also planning on adding a few new products in the coming months; Mersey Barrel Strength Rye, a High Rye Bourbon and an American Single Malt Finished in Madeira barrels.

What is “Mersey”?

What about the name? Mersey Craft Spirits is named after a ship, the Queen of the Mersey. It turns out that the great great grandparents of company founder, Gavin Poole, emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand in the late 1800’s. The Queen of the Mersey was chartered to sail this route during that time, and hence became the namesake of the brand.

Mersey Rye is a “Double Rye”

Mersey Rye is a blend of two rye mash bills. The grains are sourced, fermented, distilled & aged in Statesville, NC. Once fully mature, the two rye whiskeys are blended & bottled in Birmingham, AL.

Mash Bill

2/3: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley aged 3 years
1/3: 51% Rye, 39% Corn, 10% Malted Barley aged 4 years

Tasting Notes – Mersey Craft Spirits Straight Rye Whiskey Review

Let’s taste it:

? Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

??Nose: Peaches, fresh red delicious apples, rye spices & tart citrus like orange & lemon peel; sweet with brown sugar and caramel; relatively mild alcohol
??Taste: Orange citrus; brown sugar; rye spices, heavy on the cloves; dry oak
??Finish: The flavors continue into the finish; some sweetness lingers, then drops off to give way to growing white pepper spice; long finish; relatively mild burn

The lighter sweet fruits were what initially greeted me in the nose. However, soon after, the nose became more dominated by tart citrus, as in orange & lemon peels, and rye spices, too. But there’s also a sweetness, and brown sugar and caramel show up later as well, nicely rounding out the flavor profile.

Orange peel dominates the citrus in the taste. Brown sugar sweetness continues as do rye spices, notably cloves. Some dry oak appears as we head into the finish. The tart orange peel and some sugar sweetness remains, and are joined by white pepper spice, which gradually becomes dominant. The flavors linger for quite a long time, but there is little burn, in line with the proof.

The Two Mash Bills Work Together In Harmony

I very much enjoy this Mersey Rye. The two mash bills work very well together, with the fruit flavors tempering the rye spices a bit. But, the ryes spices are definitely still there. This is a rye that would likely be enjoyed by those who are fans of the 95/5 (95% rye, 5% malted barley) ryes, as well as those who are not as much a fan of the “in your face” rye flavors.

Mersey Craft Spirits is Transparent

I also appreciate Mersey Craft Spirits’ transparency. They give us about as much information as they can, since I assume they are not allowed to reveal their source distillery by name. However, I can only think of one large distillery in Statesville, NC, and that would be the Southern Distilling Company. Coincidentally, when we recently visited Souther Distilling, I really enjoyed their rye. So, it should come as no surprise that I am a fan of Mersey Craft Spirits Rye Whiskey, as well.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a rye that still lets you know it’s a rye, but has plenty of citrus and some lighter fruit flavors as well, then give Mersey Craft Spirits Straight Rye Whiskey a try! Cheers!?

We hope you have enjoyed our Mersey Craft Spirits Rye Whiskey Review! Would you like to learn about another whiskey distilled in North Carolina? Then check out our Southern Star Paragon Bourbon Review!

This bottle of Mersey Craft Spirits Rye Whiskey was graciously provided to me by the company for my review.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us?? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!