What the Heck is Empire Rye & Why Does it Matter?
Pick up a bottle of Hudson Whiskey’s Do The Rye Thing and you’ll find on the label a logo declaring it to be an Empire Rye, with the slogan “Precisely crafted under the standards of the Empire Rye Whiskey Association” emblazoned therein. But what constitutes an Empire rye? And who decides what it is?
A New York Rye
There is, in fact, no particular strain of Empire rye. As with, for instance, grapes grown in the Champagne region of France, the denomination is geographical. Empire Ryes must be distilled from a minimum of 75% New York State-grown rye — anywhere in the state, any varietal. It’s an extension of the New York Farm Distillery Act of 2007, which requires New York distilleries to use 75% state-grown grain in their mashbills. The passage of that act into law was spearheaded by Ralph Erenzo, founder of Tuthilltown Spirits, which produces Hudson Whiskey. Erenzo was also one of six New York distillers who, in 2015, created the Empire Rye Whiskey Association. Allen Katz, founder of the New York Distilling Co. and founding member of the association, remembers how the idea came about: “Drinks were being had with this great group of New York distillers, and we thought, well, how can we make New York rye distinctive?… New York could be a magnificent place. You can distill rye [in] lots of places, but what a great place to grow it.”
Empire Rye Rules
Empire Ryes can’t earn their designation solely by using homegrown rye. They must be distilled at no higher than 160 proof; they must go into the barrel at 115 proof or lower (the legal requirement is 125 or lower); and they must be aged for at least two years in new charred American oak. The entire process, from mashing through aging, must take place at a single New York distillery. But beyond that, distillers were given pretty wide latitude. “Yes, it has to be 75% New York State grown,” says Katz, “but it doesn't say what variety it has to be. It doesn't say anything about what size barrel you can use, what type of barrel. The range of geographic influences, from the Hudson Valley all the way to the Finger Lakes…. All of those things, in addition to the perspectives of the distillers themselves, are influences on the finished whiskey. It’s a really great opportunity to flex creative muscles on developing unique and individualistic Empire ryes.”
These rules aren’t on the books with New York State — the Empire Rye designation isn’t legally binding, at least not yet. Katz says plans are afoot to change that: “The association is actively now working on codifying the bylaws. And the expectation is that in time, the rules and regulations, or the standards, as we call them, around Empire will in fact become legal, and not only recognized in New York State, but domestically, and we hope internationally.”
Finding Empire Ryes
But the fact that the association is run by many of the state’s top brands, and the regulations already adhered to, makes earning the Empire Rye label attractive to distillers. There are now ten officially sanctioned Empire Rye distilleries, with almost 20 more committed to coming on board as they’re able to meet the standards including New York Distilling Co.’s version of Empire rye, called Ragtime Rye. To find out whether your favorite New York rye is also an Empire rye, check out the full roster of distillers.