Solera rye

Solera Rye started as an experimental project a few years back when we found ourselves with an excess of 5+ year rum casks from Trinidad, Venezuela, and Jamaica alongside a number of recently dumped bourbon casks. After dumping the aged rum we decided to employ the Solera method (an old-world technique for blending and aging) to create a unique rye whiskey. At the time there were only a handful of rum cask finished rye whiskies available on the mainstream market. Learn more about the Solera Method here.

BLEND PROCESS: We start with two different 5+ year old rye whiskies from MGP: a 95% rye 5% malted barley mashbill and a 51% rye 4% malted barley 45% corn mashbill. Once our Master Blender deems the whiskeys aged and ready to finish and blend, we blend them to create a base spirit of around 73% rye. This is then diluted down to 103 proof from it's original cask strength of 120 proof (“the golden proof”) before being added into the top row of the Solera system. When deemed ready, we pull the whiskey for bottling from the bottom row of the Solera system then proof it down and rest before finally bottling.

TASTING NOTES: Tasting the aging whiskey along the way, we discovered notes ranging from classic baking spices like allspice, clove, cinnamon, to fresh pineapple skins, pressed apple cider, and sweetened pears. The finished whiskey reveals light oak, drizzled caramel, velvet tides of fig, poached pears with cinnamon, a hint of anise, followed by long grassy cane sugar. Spicy rye and fruity rum are truly natural complements — think Caribbean spice cake.

Curious for more? read this 2026 review from paul ORCHARD: “RUM CASK FINISHED EXPRESSIONS DONE TWO WAYS”

PROOF: 95

DISTILLERY: MGP

AWARDS: DOUBLE GOLD, Cigar and Spirits Magazine · GOLD, Denver International Spirits Competition · PLATINUM, Ascot Awards · SILVER, San Francisco International Spirits Competition · GOLD, 94 points Beverage Tasting Institute · GOLD, Great American International Spirits Competition; SILVER, 97 points - USA Spirits Ratings · 87 points - Ultimate Spirits Challenge · GOLD - Beverage Tasting Institute · GOLD - San Francisco World Spirits Competition · DOUBLE GOLD 96 points - New York International Spirits Competition · SILVER - Sip Awards · PLATINUM - Ascot Awards; SILVER - Sunset Magazine International Spirits Competition · SILVER - New York International Spirits Competition · 93 points - Ultimate Spirits Challenge · DOUBLE GOLD - Sip Awards · SILVER - Beverage Tasting Institute.