Taste Testing The Lost 1937 Monticello Rye Special Reserve Blended Straight Whiskies 90 Proof

An old mini a good friend brought to a tasting session comprising mostly old scotch whiskies. Even then, this stood out for a variety of reasons. Namely, it’s bottled in an era I am unfamiliar with (the year 1937, to be precise), and it looked to be in good bottle condition (high fill level, etc.). This is my first brush with the brand (more information can be found in this blogpost) but having heard how amazing a common pour from a century ago can be, I was cautiously optimistic about the liquid in question. From the remains of the back label, it is a blend of young and old whiskies — 80% 15-month-old, 10+% 8-year-old, and <10% 18-year-old.

Tasting Notes

Nose: rusty, earthy and fresh herbs, all at one; metals and minerals; appetizingly saline; citrusy, headlined by candied orange peel; there is an uncanny similarity to the few amari I have had; tom yum soup and curry leaf; liquorice, chocolate and a hint of black truffles; over time this becomes increasingly like a mix of old Zind Humbrecht marc and one of the old Clynelish bicolours, although it sure seems more mellow than both.

Palate: a blast of minerals that induces salivation, then earthy, liquoricey herbal candy; we have got the old Clynelish and amaro resemblance down pat; then a good deal of sweet creaminess; orange creamsicle; chocolate bakes suggest the liquid has seen a number of years in oak, but even then it’s more milk chocolate than dark; umami notes — earthy and vegetal — appear from beneath the cream; mushrooms; kimchi; tomato sauce; Sichuan-style fermented vegetables.

Finish: the creaminess persists, as does the pleasing sweet-savoury balance; this balance slowly tilts to the side of umami as the chocolate bakes morph into more savoury pieces from the boulangerie; eggy quiche; chicken pie and adjacent meat puff pastries.

Conclusion: this is such a unique pour, yet still unmistakably American. Makes me wonder what happened to the breadth of flavours in modern bourbons and ryes. I found old American whiskies tend to pack savoury notes that are all but absent in their modern counterparts. I found them in 50s Stitzel-Wellers, I found them in 80s bourbons and ryes of unknown origins, and I loved all these examples I have tasted. In terms of complexity and balance, this is up there with the best of American whiskies. As a proof-whore I admit I wished it had been more powerful and intense, but given its constraints as a 1-year-old whiskey at 90 proof, to taste as it did was mindblowing enough. Among the unicorns I have tried, only the 2014 M25 Rye and EBRA 1.1 are obviously a step above it. Yes, I find this to be better than many of the lauded well-aged stuff (e.g. BTAC, Pappy, M20, M25, Willett wax top) I have had. It’s a helpful reminder that sometimes, age is indeed just a number.

Score (assuming a normal distribution with mean 50): 90/100

Image Courtesy of u/zoorado. 

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