Pow Wow Botanical Rye

The origins of rye whiskey in the United States date back to colonial Pennsylvania, where early European settlers brought with them the tradition of distilling excess grains from their farms into whiskey. For over a century, the production of rye whiskey centered around Pennsylvania and Maryland, where large numbers of Scottish and Irish immigrants had settled. The popularity of rye whiskey grew steadily among the colonists, and when the British blockade of American ports during the American Revolutionary War prevented the importation of rum, rye whiskey became America's drink of choice. By the turn of the 20th century, barkeeps in salons across the Western frontier were sweetening rye whiskey with citrus peels, botanicals and hard candy. Eventually, these recipes began blurring the line between refreshment and remedy. Pharmacists prescribed rye whiskey infused with various botanicals to snuff out coughs, colds, sore throats, bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia — no ailment was too great or too small for rye's therapeutic relief. The onset of Prohibition eventually led to the downfall of rye as America's preferred drink. Nearly a decade ago, however, a cocktail renaissance began igniting its growth once more. Pow-Wow Botanical Rye Whisky is a straight rye whiskey that was crafted in homage to rye's storied history in the United States. Once the rye has matured for a minimum of two years, it is carefully infused with a number of whole botanicals, including saffron and orange peel (no extracts or artificial colors are added). Then, the whiskey is carefully filtered before each batch is bottled by hand. Pow-Wow Rye is incredibly fragrant, with an aroma of cedar, vanilla and citrus. It has notes of raisins, dark chocolate and stone fruits, along with hints of saffron and citrus zest. The finish, which is long and intense, has touches of cinnamon and spicy rye. Pow-Wow Botanical Rye Whisky earned the Gold Medal at the Beverage Tasting Institute Competition in 2013, which simply called the rye "Exceptional." Pick up a bottle today!