How Crater Lake Spirits Explores Oregon Terroir in their Rye Trilogy

Though originally distilled to replace British rum during the Revolutionary War, rye whiskey has almost always lived on the fringe of what Americans consider regular whiskey. More daunting than the familiar, sweet strains of classic American bourbon, with its corn-heavy mash bills, rye whiskey has gotten a reputation as challenging to palettes raised on Jack Daniel’s.

But companies like Crater Lake Spirits are proving that there’s room for rye — and without sacrificing any of the spicy, fruity overtones that define the breed. Most distilleries venture a one-off rye whiskey now and then or offer a solitary regular bottle. Crater Lake offers three: a straight American rye, reserve rye, and estate rye.

Crater Lake photo credit Hasmik Ghazaryan Olson

Necessity is the mother of invention, especially in distilling. “Corn just doesn't grow in our high desert,” says Crater Lake CEO Alan Dietrich. “It's a difficult crop to get off the ground here, so bourbon was probably going to be off the table. But rye has been grown by the ranchers and farmers out here for as long as settlers have been in Central Oregon.”

Bend, of course, was already the site of a sizable brew culture, with over thirty breweries in a town of under 90,000. Ale meets hale in the athletic town, and that’s partially the origin story of Crater Lake, which got its start in gin, perked up by local juniper berries. But of special interest for barrel-aged spirits is Bend’s high-desert climate, where 50°-60° swings in temperature are common. “It takes five years to make a good bourbon in Kentucky and Tennessee,” says Dietrich, “I can get that same flavor in two years."

As a flight, these bottles give an opportunity to dive deep into the world of the toothy grain, but also highlight the nuances possible within an old, American spirit, even within one brand..

Crater Lake Spirits Ryes

Crater Lake Rye (40% ABV, $27.99)

Each of these rye whiskeys features water pulled from the lava-rock of Crater Lake’s 745-feet deep well. But as this is the youngest of the three, its clean, silky effects are most apparent. After 24 - 30 months in aging, this whiskey is impressive right out of the gate: it took double gold in the Seattle International Spirits Competition, gold at the International Craft Competition and a handful of silvers elsewhere.

On the nose, it's more potent than you'd expect for an 80 proof whiskey, with notes of rum and rains, allspice, mulling spices and bananas foster. That fiery dessert motif continues at first taste: burnt cinnamon sticks and a heavy rye note, played against a background of campfire smoke and allspice, maybe toasted marshmallow. On the back of your tongue, it lightens into creme brûlee that has plenty of caramelized brown sugar.

On the rocks, the rye softens into a heavy, marshmallow root flavor, with green maraschino cherries and fruitcake. Overall, a veritable dessert buffet.

Crater Lake Reserve Rye (48% ABV, $39.99)

Routine becomes Reserve after spending a minimum of three years inside Crater Lake's barrels. It's as decorated as its younger sibling: a gold medal at the San Diego Spirits Competition, gold at the Seattle World Whiskey Day, and gold at the San Diego Spirits Festival. The color is a pleasant amber, much like the regular rye; the wood hasn't had quite enough time to dye the whiskey.

On the nose, the spice of those extra months is apparent right away, though; a peppery intonation that illustrates how rye can really dig into the staves to pull out char. But at first sip, it's surprisingly less full-bodied at first than the regular rye; it needs time on the palette to expand and blossom into white pepper's musty, grassy notes. This would go wonderfully with a dry-rubbed steak and is certainly the least sweet.

On the back, there’s a dull spiciness that can be hard to read, especially compared to the bouquet of flavors present in the regular rye. Notes of burnt dark chocolate seem apparent, but it’s more cacao beans and less cream and sugar.

This is a good whiskey to save for hot toddies, where heat, lemon and honey can turn these white pepper flavors into more interesting notes, like mint or even sweet basil. An ice cube draws the reticent flavors out just as well without obscuring them. Hints of banana foster and sweetness return to the nose, with unique, floral honey flavors on the tongue.

Estate Rye (46.5% ABV, Limited Release)

It's understandable to worry that the estate rye, with a minimum of five years inside oak, might be too woody for anyone but oak enthusiasts, especially after the Reserve. The color tells you what your nose confirms; there's a lot of oak here, and the scent is almost bitter, though not unpleasant.

But the estate differs from the other two bottles in more ways than just age. For one, it features legacy rye grain grown on-site at the Crater Lake, so you’ll taste some unique, local notes that'd be familiar to the early Bend residents who grew their own rye.

On the tongue, you're met with molasses, charred cloves and cinnamon. It's reminiscent of the darker grades of maple syrup, with a nutty, toasted pecan flavor on the back of the tongue that hangs heavily. The spiciness of the reserve has softened some — the strange wonders of wood, reversing early excesses — but this is still an intense rye experience that strongly reminds me of fennel or the softer, Chinese liquorice.

More than the other two, an ice cube tames the estate nicely: distinct notes of salted caramel and freshly-charred oak are prevalent here where you might have tasted licorice and spicy rye. It finishes in a soft fennel bouquet and is an excellent digestif.

A Flight of Ryes

As an exercise for rye enthusiasts, this flight of ryes from Crater Lake is an excellent change of pace from traditional tastings that might feature only one rye. Those who aren't as partial to the grain might find all but the regular a little much, and it is by far the most approachable if you can only buy one to put on your shelf.

If you're in the mood to buy two, I say wait for the estate to be available. The peppery reserve may simply occupy a halfway space between two aging points that's not ideal for 100% ryes — but balance my opinion with an impressive three gold and one silver medals (by comparison, I have won no medals).

Dietrich believes the lineup is a reflection of the larger unpredictability of whiskey and all its factors: regular release of three rye varietals is a sort of research investment.  “You know, when we get to the 500 years like the wine guys have had, the wine terroir, we will probably have a lot more, a lot more data at our disposal,” he laughs.

Until then, we’ll have to keep on sipping.