Dark Arts Whiskey House Ripple Rye Vol. 2
Well, what do you know - another person knows how to use amburana!
Lest you think I’m being patronizing…note that I’ve only posted one other amburana-finished review to my site (Doc Swinson’s Bossa Nova). I’ve tried many other amburana-finished whiskies in the few years since it’s become popular. Aside from this one - Dark Arts Whiskey House Ripple Rye Vol. 2 - and Bossa Nova, the only other product on the market* that I can say I truly enjoyed was an experimental release from Stranahan’s in Colorado that was called Blueberry Pie and had so little amburana that my friends (rightly) poked fun at me when, trying blindly, I liked it.
*I tried a product from Alan Bishop when he was still at Spirits of French Lick that was a rye finished with amburana chips he had toasted in a fudge maker at home. To my knowledge, it never went to market, and that’s a damn shame.
I don’t have much experience with Dark Arts Whiskey House (DAWH). I’d tried a handful of releases at meetups with friends, but I never paid much attention. I heard they were good, knew Macaulay’s reputation from his time at Wilderness Trail and the further reputation he’d built at DAWH. From labels alone, I could see they were doing fun, experimental, unexpected blending and finishing. With no disrespect to them, I simply didn’t have much bandwidth for another NDP.
Again at the risk of being patronizing, perhaps I overlooked them too hastily.
I do plan on interviewing Macaulay and/or Sara about this release and DAWH more generally, and it was this release that made me interested.
Aged for a minimum of 7.5 years (the oldest barrel in the 27-barrel batch was 8 years 8 months and the youngest 8 years 4 months, so I’m not sure why 7.5 is the listed age), this is a classic MGP 95/5 rye finished in maple syrup barrels that had previously held bourbon and then with toasted amburana staves. The sweetness tempers the strong 95/5 rye, the maple clear as a syrupy darkness that runs through the pour.
I’m most curious to ask how long the amburana staves were in the casks and the process of blending such a powerful flavor. More to come when the interview drops!
Thank you to Dark Arts Whiskey House for supplying this bottle for review. All opinions are my own.
Dark Arts Whiskey House Ripple Rye Vol. 2: Specs
Classification: Straight Rye Whisky, Finished
Producer: Dark Arts Whiskey House (MGP-Distilled)
Mash Bill: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Proof: 110.74º (55.37% ABV)
Age: 7.5 Years Old
Location: Kentucky
Dark Arts Whiskey House Ripple Rye Vol. 2 Price: $109.99
Dark Arts Whiskey House Ripple Rye Vol. 2: Tasting Notes
Eye: Dark maple. Syrupy rims and legs, slow falling droplets.
Nose: Spice up the nostrils followed by a fair balance of maple and amburana cinnamon. The amburana grows and is strong, but not overwhelming…that’s a good sign. There’s a nice toasted vanilla undertone that pops in and out.
Palate: Much more rye - sweet and spicy, both - comes out here, balanced by a maple smokiness that conjures dark brown colors in my mind’s eye. Amburana is here but much more mild than the nose. Here it’s like a maple hot toddy with lemon peel and black tea. Mouthfeel is silky to velvety, a slight tinge on the front tongue with more body mid-palate. Creamy, with cinnamon extract.
Finish: Medium to long. The maple hot toddy gets a second cinnamon stick, yet the amburana is still not overwhelming the rest of the flavors. Smoky, dark sweetness of maple sugar and raw turbinado, some ginger and molasses cookies, too.
Overall: The amburana always pushes to overwhelm but is held in check by the maple and the rye. The maple in particular is strong enough to balance the cinnamon and let the rye’s sweetness and black pepper get a fighting chance. The nose indicates that this might be a little unbalanced, but the palate and finish bring it all together for an enjoyable pour, even for this amburana skeptic.
Final Rating: 7.7
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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