About a month ago I saw a picture of a bottle that looked like a throwback from the 1940’s. Everything about it from the label, shape and the name looked “old timey”. It wasn’t something I was interested in until I read the story of this brand and the kind of rye they’re crafting. A few months later an email from Seelbach’s hit my inbox featuring this bottle and around the same time The Bourbon Culture posted a review on a much different Dad’s Rye single barrel that included a lot of good info about this distillery and PA rye history. I also reached out to Dad’s Hat with a few questions my own.
Dad’s Hat located in Bristol Pennsylvania was founded by Herman Mihalich and John Cooper in 2010 and opened in 2012. The team at Dad’s Hat worked on their recipe with the Michigan State University’s Artisan Distilling Program for two years to model their rye after a traditional Pennsylvania rye whiskey. This includes using a mash bill of 80% rye, 15% barley malt and 5% rye malt and high-quality locally sourced ingredients which Dad’s Hat gets from Meadowbrook Farms in Riegelsville PA. In addition, Dad’s Hat uses a sweet mash that undergoes a weeklong controlled fermentation. At the end of the week, the mash goes through two distillations using a 500 gallon Carl artisan copper hybrid pot still which allows them to make precise cuts. The pot still finishing runs at about 135 to 140 proof and the barrel entry proof is normally 120. In earlier releases, Dad’s Hat used to age all their rye in 15 gallon barrels but now use 53 gallon with a #3 char for their straight whiskeys, which I have confirmed was used for the release in this review. The barrels are stored in a controlled temperature warehouse that’s relatively consistent year round.
The use of Rosen grain rye in Dad’s Hat is not in this release, nor will it be for at least a few more years. In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, Rosen rye was brought to the United States by a Russian student around 1908 and was the dominant grain used in PA rye whiskey in the 19th and 20th century. Historic Pennsylvania distilleries such as Michter’s, Old Overholt and Rittenhouse Rye used Rosen rye in the 1950’s until the 1970’s. Rosen rye was recently resurrected by Laura Fields and the Delaware State University. The PA based Stoll & Wolfe distillery is also working with Rosen rye in limited small batches. Many other PA distilleries have since shown a big interest in using Rosen rye as it makes its comeback. Until then, let’s check out this single barrel selection to see what is so special about Dad’s Hat.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 10 minutes.
Proof: 129.
Distillery: Mountain Laurel Spirits, LLC.
Age: 5 years.
Barrel# : 8, McGinnis 53 Gallon American White Oak Char #3.
Barrel Selected by: Seelbach’s.
Mash bill: 80% Rye/15% Malted Barley/5% Malted Rye.
Price: $70.
Appearance: Medium copper.
Nose
Heavy on the rye bread with toffee, lemon peel, dill, cloves, mint, peaches, dates, malt, subtle baking spice, sweet oak and slight barrel char. The nose is very grain forward but in a very pleasant and unique way. With more swirling and time, the pour becomes sweeter with more toffee while herbal notes come forward with some fruit underneath, as lemon citrus adds brightness. Also worth mentioning is how good the balance is. As I take more sips, barrel char mixed with the toffee notes create some nice chocolate. This is an excellent and interesting nose with no ethanol getting in the way despite the proof.
Palate
Good medium viscous mouthfeel. The nose closely matches this bold and delicious palate with a heavy dose of rye grain and malt, toffee, cloves, dill, mint, some lemon peel brightness, peach and rich oak. A large pop of cayenne spice which starts slow but quickly gains momentum covers the palate. Rye grain and malt may be the star and co-star of this pour, but it’s accompanied by plenty of sweet, herbal and oaky notes which add a much needed balance to this unique profile. I would also never guess this to be anywhere near its 129 proof with how surprisingly easy this drinks.
Finish
Cayenne spice continues to linger in the cheeks and back palate with rye, dill, toffee, and a hint of cocoa. As the spice starts to fade oaky tannins develop into a leather note mixed, with rye and malt that linger to the end in this extremely long finish.
Conclusion
I don’t know what Pennsylvania rye tasted like back in the day, but I can imagine it might have tasted something like this. Even if this selection doesn’t include Rosen rye which I’m looking forward to try in a few years. In the meantime, I’m enjoying this bottle as much (some even more) as any of the Indiana or Kentucky style ryes on my shelf. There’s no doubt this bottle is very grain forward but in a way that really works for me. I consider this to be a very unique and enjoyable pour, but this bottle is not going to be for everyone. Still, I encourage rye lovers to give it a try. Mike from The Bourbon Culture rated his Dad’s Hat bottle a 5, which was 120.6 proof and aged for only 1 year in a 15 gallon barrel. He went on to say he can only imagine how much better his bottle would be if it were older. This is that bottle and I agree with his assessment. It’s different, it’s Pennsylvania, and I really dig it.
Rating
7.5/10
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Dad’s Hat Distillery Founders
Dad’s Hat Distillery Exterior
Dad’s Hat Tasting Room
