Templeton Distillery originated in Templeton, Iowa, during Prohibition by bootleggers Frank Schroeder and Alphonse Kerkhoff. As the story goes, Templeton Rye was a personal favorite of Al Capone, who referred to the whiskey as “the good stuff.” The brand fell to the wayside in the years after Prohibition and was resurrected in 2006 by Keith Kerkhoff, grandson of Alphonse. The brand once featured “Prohibition Era Recipe” on its label but was forced to remove the language in 2014 as the company sources its rye from MGP of Indiana, though it does use Iowa water to proof the whiskey down. The company built a $35 million distillery in 2018 and now produces rye in-house, but their distillate still hasn’t made it into their current products. The company underwent a rebrand in 2021, which coincided with the launch of Templeton 10 Year Reserve Rye. Templeton is unique as their product line only includes rye whiskey, a rarity in today’s marketplace.

‍‍The bourbon in review comes from barrel number 3730.

A potent burst of red fruits and apricot combined with rye spice and cinnamon, is pleasant and lively. The aroma is surprisingly effective thanks to the interaction between its scents. With additional minor grassy, mint, and baking spice-related scents, it's strawberry and red raspberry that stand out the most. Though it stays close to a traditional flavor profile for a rye, where it deviates by pushing its red fruits to the forefront greatly benefits the aroma. With a touch of pear and caramel apple in tow, this rye’s aroma is well-rounded, yet potent when it needs to be, resulting in a delicious-smelling nose.

A straightforward approach of seasoned oak, honey, and rye spice creates a sturdy foundation to the whiskey’s palate. Working off of this are more accented floral, green apple, and caramel notes that help add some layers of distinction to the sip. Far from flashy but never boring, the palate does a great job highlighting the strengths of its high age through a very grounded yet potent array of flavors.

The whiskey’s grounded undertone continues into the finish with the introduction of a dry oak note. Sweeter flavors of honey and melted butterscotch are present, creating a welcome contrast to the dry oak. The rye’s proof is most evident in the finish, as it walks the fine line between being light and manageable, but allowing its rye spice notes to nicely crescendo with a good deal of warmth and a lingering fruity aftertaste. It’s an ending that works really well and is a cohesive part of the overall sip.

A double-digit age statement is always noteworthy when it comes to bourbon, but it's arguably even more so with rye. With the widely held belief that rye is better at a younger age than bourbon and rye’s relative weakness in the marketplace compared to bourbon, most producers just don’t age rye as long as bourbon. Even among producers who source their rye from MGP - which is one of the largest distillers of rye in the U.S. - you rarely see double-digit age-stated ryes from them. Although Templeton has built a distillery of their own, all of their current products are still sourced from MGP for the time being. That’s why it is so surprising to see a small company like Templeton release a 10 year old rye and an even bigger surprise that it hasn’t received the attention it deserves.

While double-digit aged ryes are more common for ryes produced in Canada, this is not the case for those produced in the United States. Besides the one-off limited releases by Basil Hayden 10 Year Rye in 2020, Parker’s Heritage Cask Strength 10 Year Rye, and the slightly more available Old Overholt Extra Aged 10 Year Rye in 2023, not to mention a few non-distiller producers over the years, such as New England Barrel Co. and Nashville Barrel Co., double-digit age stated ryes are still an anomaly. Years ago, High West and Smooth Ambler made a name for themselves selling such products, but now, even with rye’s supposed resurgence, there are few on offer.

In a general sense, a lot of the 4-6-year-old ryes from MGP on the market taste relatively similar. They’re fruit-forward, with a decent amount of vanilla, oak, rye spice, and a touch of dill. They lean classic, putting forth uniformity, and play it safe. Templeton 10 Year Reserve Rye doesn’t fall too far outside that flavor profile either, but the extra age and availability are what set it apart and help elevate it across the board.

As a result of its extra time in the barrel, Templeton’s 10 Year Reserve Rye’s flavors have an extra heft to them, shedding their brightness for a more robust and grounded flavor profile. Though the classic MGP fruity profile remains, it's less sweet and much more grounded. It manages to be familiar yet offer a mature rye flavor profile that you just don’t get very often with rye. It’s not transformative, but easily something rye lovers will find very compelling.

Besides a potential lack of supply, another theory as the reason you don’t see a lot of high-aged ryes, especially MGP ryes on the market is because of their cost to non-distiller producers. Templeton throws that idea out of the window as their 10 Year Reserve Rye is priced at a very reasonable $85. Though not inexpensive, the scarcity of double-digit ryes on the market, combined with it also being a single barrel, results in a whiskey of great potential value. Perhaps producers aren't seeing a big demand for high-priced ryes, and that is the real reason for the lack of high aged MGP ryes on the market. Nevertheless, having a 10 year age statement is a big deal when it comes to ryes, and I’d argue it oftentimes makes a bigger impact on rye than it does so for bourbon at this age range. The deciding factor is taste, so add in the enjoyable flavor profile, and $85 is a no-brainer for rye lovers.

Age statements don’t matter except when they do, and this is a case where it most certainly does. With so few double-digit age-stated ryes on the market, featuring one is immediately impressive, but thankfully the whiskey’s flavor profile backs up the expectations that come with it. MGP ryes aren’t always whiskeys to get overly excited about, as this is usually due to their overall flavor consistency and availability in the marketplace. But this is a case where your preconceived notions should be kept in check because the whiskey in the bottle more than stacks up. Templeton isn’t a brand that has an overly strong presence in the marketplace. Maybe that has to do with their sole focus on rye, their value-based portfolio, and their rye being sourced from MGP, but don’t let that get in the way of this bottle. Being a single barrel, variations will occur, but with so few 10 year old ryes available, combined with its wide availability and great price point, it’s definitely worth your time to take a look.