Dry Fly Straight Triticale Whiskey

My deep thanks I give to @bwmccoy for the reviewed bottle. The bottle has been open for 17 days and is 90% full. Triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye developed in Scotland and Germany in the 19th Century. The reviewed bottle carries No Age Statement but the US designation "straight" implies that the whiskey was matured for at least 2 years. Other releases of Dry Fly Straight Triticale Whiskey contain 3 year age statements and are bottled at 45% ABV

Dry Fly Distillery is located in Spokane, in the State of Washington. Why Triticale whiskey in Spokane Washington? According to The Spokane Whiskey Club Dry Fly Distilling told them that rye grain does not grow very well in the Spokane area, but that Triticale grain does grow very well there

spokanewhiskeyclub.com/2013/06/…

Dry Fly Straight Triticale Whiskey is reported to be produced from 100% Triticale. No mention is made of malting the Triticale, so I assume that exogenous commercial enzymes were used in the production process

Body: silky, buttery

Nose: gentle aroma of dark fruits suggesting blackberries, currants, and grapes, together with a hint of the bouquet of carnations. Some ripe peach. There is also nuttiness here suggesting almonds and hazelnuts. This is very pleasant and somewhat unusual. The nearest comparison I would make for this nose would be standard Lot 40 Canadian 100% Rye Whisky. There is a little black pepper spice in the nose, but it takes the back seat. Wood influence is very light. The pitches are high and delicate. Yes, this is a rather delicate nose, but it is pretty. Overall this is rather sweet, almost saccharin. Water added raises the pitch, bundles the flavours, increases the sweetness, and lowers the complexity. This remains pretty with water added, but becomes simplistic. Score: 21.5/25 neat and with water added

Taste: the intensity of flavour is much greater on the delivery than it is in the nose. The fruit from the nose is very prominent on the delivery, emphasizing the currant fraction. Black pepper is very strong on the delivery. Other spices? There is maybe a little fiery ginger and a touch of Allspice. The delivery is very sweet, but that sweetness is very well balanced by the very strong spice and the fruity-floral elements. The high-pitched nose sweetness is joined in the mouth by something base-pitched, tasting almost like molasses. The nuttiness from the nose also translates to the palate. This is a very attractive palate. With water added complexity is lost while the flavours are bundled together. Score: 23/25 neat; 20/25 with water added

Finish: very strong flavours persist for a very long finish, ending on black pepper. Even at 44% ABV the tongue is a-quiver with the intensity of the black pepper on the finish. The sweetness tapers down to almost nil by the death. With water added, complexity is lost. Score: 21/25 neat; 20/25 with water

Balance: there is good balance in the nose, despite the sweetness. The balance is excellent on delivery, good for most of the finish, until ending on a peppery one-note. Score: 21/25 neat; 20/25 with water

Total Sequential Score: 86.5 neat; 81.5 with water added

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Strength: early-moderate strength in the nose; very strong flavours thereafter. Score: 23/25

Quality: interesting pleasant grain flavours; not much from the wood, maybe some of that molasses, and some of the sweetness. Score: 22/25

Variety: excellent variety in the nose and on the delivery, fair variety on the close. Score: 22/25

Harmony: good on the nose, excellent on delivery, fair to good on the finish Score: 21/25

Total Non-Sequential Score: 88 points

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Comment: it is always a treat to have the experience of trying something genuinely new. Dry Fly Distillery claims, accurately, I think, that this is the first straight triticale whiskey on the market. Much has been made of comparisons to the flavours of wheat and rye of which triticale is a hybrid. How do I find the influence of wheat and rye here? I'd say about 80-20 rye to wheat is the style influence here. Both the dark fruitiness and the spice are quite similar to, though remaining slightly different from, typical rye influence. The sweetness present until the death is far more characteristic of wheat grain, but that is about all the wheat influence I can find. This doesn't taste like wheat at all. I consider the Dry Fly Triticale Whiskey flavour profile to be most easily understood as a relative within the rye family, than as a 50-50 hybrid of wheat and rye. Rye is the dominant grain flavour in this hybrid, just as rye dominates any other grain with which it combines itself in equal measure. For yet another rye-flavours relative try also the Quinoa Whiskey from Corsair

Dry Fly Straight Triticale Whiskey has strong, mostly attractive, and well-delineated flavours, but it lacks balance in the nose and on the finish. The nose remains attractive, despite the strong sweet emphasis, while the delivery is just dynamite! Get yourself a taste of this very interesting whiskey