August 25, 2024
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer
It is hard to believe that last week at this time Wayne and I were attending the Bourbon Women SIPosium in Louisville. One of the events of the weekend was an ongoing auction. Thrilled that, together, we won four auctions. This tasting is from one of those winning auctions.
For more about the conference:
2024 Bourbon Women SIPosium Day 1
2024 Bourbon Women SIPosium Day 2
2024 Bourbon Women SIPosium Day 3
Selected for this Tasting
This tasting from a three-bottle set of J.T. Meleck. We will be tasting the two rice whiskeys but not the rice vodka.
From the J.T. Meleck Distillers Website: One family, one farm, one great idea… It begins in 1896, when John Meleck had the crazy idea to grow his 1st rice on 20 acres of marshland in s. Louisiana. Against the odds, the name J.T. Meleck became synonymous with Louisiana rice, but to us he is great, great uncle John. Five generations later we still grow rice – and now crawfish – on the same 20 acres as our Uncle John. We’ve grown since then but we are still as connected to the dirt as J.T. Meleck. I began thinking, what if we could make a great spirit from our rice? It would make our Uncle John proud. The result is something truly special. It’s American Rice, born right here on our farm, just off hwy 35 in Branch, LA. We´re proud to take our rice from grain to bottle. We work the dirt and grow the seed, just like Uncle John did. That’s why we’ve named it J.T. Meleck. Because our crazy idea has managed to create a whole new Louisiana classic. One that goes straight from our farm to your front porch.
J.T. Meleck American Rice Whiskey: Released in 2022, this is J.T. Meleck’s staple and long talked about American Rice Whiskey. Aged in new American oak barrels for almost 5 years their whiskey is amber in color and deep in intensity.
J.T. Meleck Single Barrel Cask Strength American Rice Whiskey: This single barrel pick is 120.4 Proof/ 60.25% alcohol, and aged for 4+ years. J.T. Meleck’s Single Barrel Program was launched in October of 2022. They decided to launch this program after discovering that some barrels were not like the others. They were meant to be enjoyed separately. Whether it be the nose, flavor or finish, they knew these barrels were special and needed to be shared with their fans.
Please be sure to read our approach to Tasting Whiskey if you haven’t already.
J.T. Meleck American Rice Whiskey Small Batch
Mashbill – 100% Rice
Age – at least 4 years
Proof – 96
Specifics – Small Batch #323
Price Paid – $31.67 (average of total auction price for all three at $95; MSRP $44.99)
Color – Medium Honey
Aroma – A light sweetness such as caramel or vanilla pudding, baking spices – mostly cinnamon, and a light berry note – perhaps raspberry.
Tasted Neat – Sweet and savory at the same time. The sweetness is confectionery and leans toward cotton candy. The savory note includes a light taste of black pepper.
Finish – There are nice notes of wood, tobacco, and medium spice flavors. It finishes very nicely with savory feel.
Tasted with dried cranberry – This created an immediate taste of orange zest on the palate. The sweetness and pepper have vanished to give way to a light and refreshing orange sherbet experience.
Tasted with a pecan – Spice and wood is definitely prominent. Not much else with the pecan.
J.T. Meleck Single Barrel Cask Strength American Rice Whiskey
Mashbill – 100% Rice
Age – at least 4 years
Proof – 120.4
Other – Barrel 194, Bottle 122
Price Paid – $31.67 (average of total auction price for all three at $95; MSRP $59.99)
Color – Medium to Dark Amber; nice legs/viscosity.
Aroma – Maple syrup, vanilla, nutmeg, dark cherry, and warm butter.
Tasted Neat – Caramel, molasses, vanilla cream, dark cherry, nutmeg, white pepper, and oak.
Finish – A lovely finish with notes of sweetness from the cherry, warm nutmeg and a hint of cinnamon, oak with leather and tobacco. It really takes a flavor and sensation journey and lingers in a most pleasant manner.
Tasted with dried cranberry – This brought wood and lemon zest to the forefront. There is also a sour candy note and a shorter finish that is warm but not distinct in any way.
Tasted with a pecan – Spices, oak, leather, and pecan. No sweetness. Limited finish.
Discussion and Final Notes
Small Batch – The contrasting sweet and savory was a journey on the palate. It drinks very smoothly and enjoyably. It would likely pair well with some light fruits and berries or a lovely sorbet.
Single Barrel – This is a great single barrel. It had some memorable notes to it. It starts out with an amazing nose that leads to an almost bourbon-like palate and then finishes very well. It would be challenging to say this was a rice whiskey in a blind tasting as most people would assume it is a bourbon. The complexity of this might pair well with a charcuterie board of meats and hard cheeses.
The small batch is very light and summery with the taste of raspberries; whereas, the single barrel, with its dark cherry notes, comes through more like we’re ready for fall. Happy to have won this auction so we could taste and enjoy the uniqueness of these Louisiana American Rice Whiskeys.
Cheers,
Rebecca & Wayne
Photos by Rebecca Herman McBrayer
Whiskey Requirements
Whiskey (generic) must be made from cereal grains, distilled below 190 proof, placed into an oak container, and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof.
There doesn’t seem to be an official category for American Rice Whiskey at this time. However, I will keep an eye out for developments in this category.
NOTE: The whiskeys in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producers for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.
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