Monday, August 22, 2022

Graverobber Unholy Rye

CHECK OUT THE COMMENTS SECTION FOR A REVIEW!

Made with maple from trees grown among Colonial-era graves.  

"Graverobber is not just a wickedly delicious spirit, but it also tells a haunting story about tapping graveyard maples, a process that has long been feared for risk of disturbing the dead and is taboo in New England," said Steven Grasse, CEO and founder of Tamworth Distilling and Art in the Age.


Thanks, Wren!

23 comments:

Rot said...

I desperately need booze made from the juices of trees grown near cemeteries... roots committing unspeakable crimes.

Revenant Manor said...

This is so great!

I can't believe I've never hear of it before now, but now that I have, there is simply no way I can go on without having this in the bar.

I mean, who doesn't want the opportunity for their spirits to contain actual spirits?

Rot said...

haha exactly! I would be SO annoying proudly declaring that I can tell some of the flavor is coming from cemetery trees.

Revenant Manor said...

I'm such a dork...my bottle is on the way, and I'm paying ACTUAL shipping charges for the privelege.

And yes, telling everyone what flavors / notes are detectable will be half of the fun:

"The nose offers a warm earthy quality underneath the maple, and there is a lovely hint of Gary's spleen in the finish"

BTW- If you were not previously, this means you are now officially an Online Influencer. I'm pretty sure that title entitles you to discounts and freebies just about everywhere!

Rot said...

You MUST post a comment here when you've tasted this other-worldly spirit made from the Dead.
I'll bump up the blog post when the time comes!

V/r,
Rot
Haunter
Influencer

Rot said...

(as I take credit for Wren's cool find)

Revenant Manor said...

Done deal.

I also commit to creating / adapting some kind of cocktail with it that can be named after Wren in honor of unearthing (*snicker*) this most excellent discovery.

Rot said...

A solid idea. I can't wait to hear about this.

Wren said...

Hell yes! I fully endorse this! (As long as the whiskey tastes good….if it doesn’t, you don’t know me)

Rot said...

haha

girl6 said...

Ohhh, so what they mean by "The distillery is known for producing small batch spirits with local ingredients" is.."Drinking the Locals!" Gahhh, that's SO Victorian. i am SO down! It's right up there with those crazy mummy unwrapping/then smoking em parties the Victorians would host at their homes.

Mike C(JASONV123) said...

This is a cool selling point that only horror suckers would actually fall for.... lol who am I kidding I'm ordering some to!! Wren and Rot the influencer's,lol.

Rot said...

I hear I've influenced the clove incense stick market quite a bit.
haha

Lady M said...

The branding is oh so cool. But rye in my opinion is oh so gross.

Rot said...

haha
But graveyard trees!

Jen said...

This is so rad. Wren is a Halloween product professional, always finding the coolest sh*t.

Wren said...

High praise coming from the Halloween Queen herself!

Revenant Manor said...

**Update**

For interested parties, the bottle has arrived, and it turns out that Graverobber Unholy Rye is a 90-proof whiskey that is actually considerably more than just a gimmick!

It’s a well-crafted rye whiskey with excellent balance, pleasant / warm finish, and one which contains no discernible eau-de-putréfaction. (but that’s just between all of us; I still expect to tell any visitors a variety of fibs about identifiable elements of liquified humanity being stored in the liquor cabinet)

Unfortunately, it is also a limited edition, priced accordingly ($65 for 200 ml), and is also now completely out-of-stock. : (

However, just in case anyone is considering questing for a bottle, or thinking of it for next year, I figured I’d share some thoughts anyway.

Thus far, I’ve had one pour neat, and followed that up with an old-fashioned that required ZERO sweetening. I’ve got a pretty good sense of the profile now, and will set about working out a cocktail that takes advantage of its specific flavor. (a specific...Wrendering...if you will)

I’ll drop an update when the cocktail is ironed out, and / or if the liquor cabinet shows any indication of becoming haunted.


**Warning: full bloviating review follows**

On the open, and before even pouring a drop, the bottle released what seemed to be subtle cinnamon and orange notes, and carried a definite indication of maple. (It may be a mild disappointment to some, but nary a hint of crypt nor tomb was detected)

Before even attempting to mix anything with it, it was important to get a sense of the flavor profile. Pouring a and drinking a finger’s worth (*chortle*) into a rocks glass, pepper and rye were present, but subdued and pleasant.

Possibly calmed by their time in the oak barrel, and definitely smoothed out by the natural sweetness provided by the cemetery-fed maples, all flavors seemed in perfect harmony, and were far more subtle than was expected.

The finish was warm and surprisingly lingering; lightly spiced, and evolving into something evocative of caramel. No sepulchral characteristics were in evidence.

Ultimately, Graverobber Unholy Rye is extremely drinkable, but the maple profile does limit it somewhat vs. a traditional rye.

However, it’s far more subtle and well-flavored than you might expect from something that might seem as though it would lean on its gimmick. (Never mind the fact that one of its primary flavors is tapped directly from trees that spent their formative years tunneling into an unmarked colonial era graveyard)

Anyway, an altogether enjoyable / unique rye whiskey, and I very much look forward to the alchemy of determining the right cocktail for this particular spirit!

Rot said...

Can't thank you enough for leaving such a fine review. And I learned quite a bit! So I really appreciate you sharing so much.

Wren said...

RM - you must start your own review blog/IG....you have a talent!

girl6 said...

Billet-doux!<3
Such an inviting & stellar review. It makes me want to learn/explore the art of spirits tasting further. A Cocktail 101 is what i need..BIG Time.

There's a video for Graverobber Unholy Rye on the "Art in the Age" site (a testing room on n. 3rd st. in philly) & it's made to look like a horror/found footage movie preview. hahaha. Soooo good! Sinister Sap!!! haha. That's still my fave!

Revenant Manor said...

Ha!

I'm not sure I agree, but it's uncommon for my tendency to blather on-and-on to be referred to in that way, so I'll take it. ;)

Mike C(JASONV123) said...

Excellent review!!!🎃🎃🎃