Heirloom Grains Are Bringing Rye Whiskey Back To Its Roots

Scott and Todd Leopold of the Leopold Bros. distillery. Haven’t tried their Three Chamber Rye yet? What are you waiting for? (pic by Jeff Nelson for Whisky Advocate)

This article appeared in the Spring 2022 print edition of Whisky Advocate — my first appearance there in print — and now it’s made its debut online, thanks at least in part (maybe entirely, I don’t know) to Ted Simmons, a long time Whisky Advo-Cat and a swell guy besides. I imagine I feel the way musicians feel when their records or CDs make their first appearance on streaming services. It’s not as cool, to be sure, but it’s great that more people have access to it.

I got the assignment in mid-December 2021, I was thrilled about finally getting a piece for print in one of the finest spirits magazines on the planet, and also slightly annoyed that I now had to spend Christmas and New Year’s not just writing and researching, but reaching out to distillers who probably didn’t want to be bugged during the holidays. But it all worked out, and I got to nerd out about whiskey with a bunch of very cool people who were only too happy to make time for me. And of course I got to drink some of their rye as well, which was a real treat.

I think the article turned out pretty well — have a read and see for yourself, the link being right -> HERE <-.