Rye Whiskey, 'Orchard Blossom'

• Small batch cask finished rye whiskey produced by Starlight Distillery in Starlight, Indiana
• Blend of two mash bills: 80% rye, 20% malted barley and 90% rye, 10% malted barley
• Produced using estate-grown non-GMO rye; malted barley is locally sourced
• Closed-top, sweet mash fermented in stainless steel for seven days
• Twice distilled in a Vendome brass and copper pot still
• Aged a minimum of 4 years; primary aging in hand-selected char #3, toasted head barrels from Kelvin and Canton cooperages (Canton barrels were air seasoned for 36 months); finished for 6 weeks–8 months in a combination of refill Starlight peach whiskey barrels, barrels that previously held honey from the Huber Orchard’s apiary, and Jamaican rum casks (Hampden Estate, marques C<>H and LROK)
• Blend of 8–10 barrels
• Rosy copper in the glass, this whiskey is a sensory fireworks display from nose to finish. Dairy caramel opens, followed by syrupy peaches, nectarine skin, and echoes of firm mango. Green cigar wrapper flirts with leather, reinforced by fine barrel grain and warm, chewy cereal. White flowers portend a luscious current of honey. The finish is guided by rye spice, sparks of white pepper, and modest proof.
• Non-chill filtered; bottled at a cask strength of 57% ABV

Celebrating terroir in the way that only whiskey can, Starlight Orchard Blossom gets underway innocently enough, with a blend of two rye recipes receiving a respectable four years of aging in the dramatic Indiana climate. Then the magic happens: Judiciously transferring the barrels to Warehouse 2—the coolest warehouse on the property—the Starlight team begins carefully calibrating the finished product by using a light hand with funky Hampden estate casks and a deeper soak in honey and peach whiskey barrels. The result, unsurprisingly, is delicious: Though priced to happily mix in summertime Smashes or Old Fashioneds, Orchard Blossom is a more-more-more-ish sipper that’s suited to any season.