Rye was once the most popular whiskey in the United States, before being ousted by bourbon. The tradition of using rye grain in whiskey production dates back to Eastern European and German immigrants. Cocktails such as the Manhattan, Whiskey Sour and Old Fashioned were originally stirred or shaken with rye whiskey, which resulted in much drier versions than those made with bourbon.
Nose
Cereal | Hazelnut
Taste
Vanilla | Dark Chocolate | Clove | Orange
Finish
Black Currant | Pepper
Ingredients
75% Rye | 25% Roasted & Malted Rye | Yeast | Water
Preparation
Rüdiger Sasse's straight rye whiskey draws on American tradition and reinterprets it with regional ingredients from the Münster region. For saccharification, Sasse uses 25% malted rye, and dispenses entirely with the corn usually used in American rye whiskeys. A high rye content of 75% achieves a very dry taste with notes of vanilla, dark chocolate, cloves and orange.
The raw spirit of the first run is distilled in a column (patent) still, before the finer run is distilled in a copper pot still which dates from 1880.
This rye whiskey is aged for five to eleven years in barrels of American white oak, which have been medium toasted. Rüdiger has paid special attention to the design of his barrel storage, in which a sophisticated natural ventilation system makes the most of seasonal temperature variation, enhancing the spirit maturation process.
Schöppingen, Münsterland
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Rüdiger Sasse
Distiller | Schöppingen, Münsterland
The distillery in the municipality Schöppingen, Münsterland has been the family of Rüdiger Sasse for 15th generations. It was first mentioned in documents in 1707. The history started in a brewery with a tavern, where the unused beer was distilled. Under the direction of Franz Anton Sasse, the distillery was modernized in 1885 according to new technical developments. In 1972, the company premises in the village center of Schöpping became too small, followed by relocation and new construction. After the death of Theo Sasse in 1976, his son Ernst realigned the farm and began specializing in grain brandy aged in barrels. In the 80s, the distillery is stopped.
When Rüdiger Sasse takes over the business from his father, he wants to build on the passion of his grandfather and builds a historic distillery in 2004. Since then he distills high-quality spirits from different cereals. Rüdiger Sasse is one of the pioneers responsible for a qualitative turnaround in Germans Kornbrand. His enthusiasm for the craft has been rewarded several times. His barreled grain spirit was honored as the best whiskey in continental Europe at the 2010 International Wine and Spirits Competition in London. And since 2017, the distillery Sasse belongs to the exquisite circle, which was awarded the title World Class Distillery at the prestigious World Spirits Awards (WSA) for three consecutive years.