RaggedReview [In Depth]
Stoll and Wolfe Rosen Rye Single Barrel
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Stoll and Wolfe Rosen Rye Single Barrel Details
Distillery: Stoll and Wolfe
Type & Region: Rye whiskey, Pennsylvania, USA
Alcohol: 53.25%
Composition: I don’t know, they didn’t tell me
Aged: 4 years
Color: 1.2/2.0 on the color scale (chestnut, oloroso sherry)
Price: $120
From the company website:
A revival of Rosen in 2015 led to the involvement of the distillery team at Stoll & Wolfe, including Erik Wolfe and former legendary Historic Pennsylvania Michter’s Distillery master distiller Dick Stoll, to bring this grain back to whiskey making. Stoll, in particular, was directly associated with this rye, having been the last distiller to produce a run of the whiskey before the Pennsylvania-based distillery was shuttered.
The Stoll & Wolfe 4-Year Single Barrel Rosen Rye, bottled at 106.5 proof, is non-chill filtered and limited to just 220 750 ml bottles priced at $120 each. It is available now in Pennsylvania and nationwide online.
Stoll and Wolfe Rosen Rye Single Barrel overview
This was a time when Maryland and Pennsylvania were the centers of rye whiskey production, not Indiana and Kentucky. I don’t know all the reasons as to why it mostly faded away (Prohibition doesn’t help either), but it did.
Sagamore Spirit is the biggest name in the Maryland and Pennsylvania area now, but there was a time when Michter’s was big in Pennsylvania. I’m not making a mistake, Michter’s used to be in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, although the brand itself has moved to Kentucky since then.
This review isn’t about Michter’s…it’s about Stoll and Wolfe Single Barrel Rosen Rye…although it tangentially is about Michter’s. Since this is a distillery that I’ve never heard of before and the story is really interesting, I’m just going to post the entire overview that was provided to me.
“Stoll & Wolfe, opened in 2016 in Lititz, Pennsylvania, is a testament to its unwavering dedication to the revival of Pennsylvania rye whiskey. Founded by Erik and Avianna Wolfe, the team worked tirelessly with former Michter’s (Pennsylvania) master distiller Dick Stoll to lead the charge, particularly with the rebirth of the Rosen Rye grain type. Their timeless approach to the production of spirits, employing open cypress tank fermentation and a column still with a thumper/doubler….”
Fun fact, Wild Turkey used to use cypress tanks for years, but doesn’t anymore. Speaking of history, the whole story on rosen rye (the grain) is also really interesting. Whisky Magazine has a great article on the revival of Rosen Rye, so I also recommend reading it.
If you don’t end up reading all that other great material, here’s my summary of this 4 year old rye whiskey
- Single barrel Pennsylvania rye
- Uses a locally grown heirloom rye (rosen rye) that was used in rye whiskey in the early to mid 1900’s. There are old school vibes.
- Dick Stoll, the last master distillery of the Pennsylvania Michter’s distillery, was involved in the creation of this whiskey
The historical context is super cool, so let’s find out if all that leads to a substantive and well made whiskey in this Stoll and Wolfe Rosen Rye Single Barrel review.
This sample was provided at no cost to me. All opinions are still my own.
Old school fermentation tanks made with cyprus wood
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Stoll and Wolfe Rosen Rye Single Barrel smell
I smell caramel, mint, licorice, candied pineapple, toasted oak, vanilla frosting, maple syrup, and a little earthy caraway seed, leather, and rose. Rosen Rye has really pleasant darker sweetness with solid fruity, toasty, and spicy expressiveness with mellow heat that makes Rosen Rye feel 8 years old instead of 4.
The balance, development, and character are already there, which is crazy. This doesn’t have all the telltale signs of a rye whiskey (meaning forward licorice, fennel, pineapple, and/ or caraway seed-forward), and it could probably pass for a high rye bourbon. That’s neither a good nor bad thing, but an observation.
After swirling and rest, I smell toasted caramel, vanilla cream, dried cherry, fennel, effervescent oak, clove, cinnamon, candied pineapple, lemon peel, mint, and maple syrup. Rosen Rye still hasn’t fully opened up after 15+ minutes, but sometimes it just takes longer. With more time, the darker sweetness settles back into the rest of the scents, which have great dark sweetness, fruitiness, and herbalness with fragrant oak and spice in the back.
Rosen Rye doesn’t smell quite as good the second time around. It’s not quite as full, layered, and expressive, but this is one of those situations where I at least was able to smell the great stuff at least one time, and I’ll take it.
I know that it smells great, but it’s one of those ryes that needs 20+ minutes to breathe. It is what it is, but you will be rewarded for your patience.
Stoll and Wolfe Rosen Rye Single Barrel taste and aftertaste
I taste honey, cherry, fennel, toasted oak, cinnamon, anise, vanilla, strawberry, maple syrup / caramel nougat, some oak char and leather, earthy caraway seed, and coffee grounds. Rosen Rye has really good dark sweetness and toastiness that again feels more like a high rye bourbon than a rye whiskey, and with good richness and viscosity to boot. There’s an interesting red fruitiness that I didn’t expect too.
Even with no chewing, the sweet sugars come through clearly, with fruit, herbal, toasty, and earthy flavors supporting that. I already find this to be fairly interesting and complex already.
Vigorous “chewing” gives me a big rush of caramel, dried cherry, lemon peel, vanilla, and fennel followed by toasted oak, anise, cinnamon, candied pineapple, maple syrup + caramel candy, and some toasted grain. Oh yeah, Rosen Rye is really flavorful rye that has minimal heat or bite.
The finish leaves caramel, dried cherry, toasted oak, clove, and cinnamon with lingering toasted oak, anise, honey, licorice, and ros
This has well developed sweetness, fruitiness, and herbalness with well controlled oak and spice that feels much older than it actually is. That maturity brings a really nice dark and savory sweetness that comes through towards the back and adds a little extra that rounds out the experience.
The even better version of this would have more bright fruitiness, further developed dark sweetness, and richer flavors would further elevate the flavors, but this is already an excellent rye.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.
Stoll and Wolfe Rosen Rye Single Barrel Rating
I know little to nothing about Stoll and Wolfe or this whiskey, but it doesn’t matter because I’m impressed. It’s a really nice surprise too because I accepted this whiskey without reading the press release in detail, and again didn’t read it in detail before reviewing it.
It feels mature, lively, and interesting. It’s a home run for them. Whatever the rosen rye grain does (I’m not going to bullshit you and say that I know), it’s definitely doing some great work, in addition to whatever else Stoll and Wolfe are doing to craft this. So first off, congratulations are in order for making a “Top Shelf” whiskey.
To that point, I also had no idea about the price. To be fair as a consumer, $120 is a hefty price to ask for a 4 year old rye from a distillery that few have probably heard of outside of Pennsylvania. $30 per year of aging is a hefty ask, but I also can understand why the distillery decided that.
Heirloom grains are very expensive, especially when they are grown at such a small scale so you can’t make that much whiskey from it. Plus, this is a release of only a single barrel, so there’s not much of it to sell either. If you want to keep the lights on, then the price makes sense.
You can price it however you want, but the end result ultimately speaks for itself. If this were just a decent whiskey with a fat price tag, then I would call this a blatant cash grab and be displeased. BUT, it’s actually made very well…I just wish that it was $80. Still, I think you get what you pay for here, so it’s definitely worth it to the right person (could be you).
It sounds insane at face value…because it kind of is. BUT, this is where I come in as a sanity check – your first, second, or even third opinion…and I am always brutally honest because I want you to trust me.
When it comes down to it, this is one of those whiskeys that I believe is that good, but you have to be willing to ignore the age statement and trust me on it. It’s a big leap of faith, but I also believe that it will be worth it…assuming that you like rye whiskey to begin with.
Props to Stoll and Wolfe for making this fantastic whiskey.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
There are no sponsors, no media companies, and no nonsense. Support The Whiskey Shelf by Buying Me A Shot.
Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
Leave a Reply