Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023 - 39

TO QuALIFY AS EmPIRE
RYE, WHISKEY muST
BE AGED AT LEAST
TWO YEARS IN NEW
OAK AND ENTER THE
BARREL AT NO mORE
THAN 115 PROOF.
GROWING EMPIRE
STATE RYE
For more than 100 years, American rye has been a
crop that's been plowed under, but today the Empire
Rye Association works hand-in-hand with the state's
farmers to research new rye strains. Katz's New York
Distillery, for example, produces Peterson Field Race
Rye, named after their farmer, Rick Peterson who
created the hybrid.
Black Button's Barrett is impressed with what
Katz and Peterson have done. " They started out with
a variety of rye that was not commercially grown
anymore, " he said. The hybrid project started out
with 100 seeds. " The first year, you plant 100 seeds
and you collect 2,000 seeds. The next year, you plant
2,000 and you get to 40,000. I believe this year they
are putting in over 100 acres of it. They willed it into
being over a many-year time frame. "
Barrett has since developed his own farming partnership.
" When we started 11 years ago, we found a
farmer who would grow New York rye for us. He was
a retired farmer using equipment from the 1940s, "
he laughed. " But since we only needed about half
an acre, it worked as a favor. I mean, a half-acre is a
good size vegetable garden. We have just committed
to our 2024 harvest, and that same farm will grow
300 acres for us. "
" There were
fierce debates
and yelling and
screaming and
many drinks. "
JASON BARRETT, BLACK
BuTTON DISTILLERY
since we started the distillery, " he said. " I sort of dismissed
it and chose not to get involved; I was focused on making
my American whiskey, which is a four-grain whiskey. " But
in 2017, right before Empire Rye was set to be first released,
Schlesselman asked about the rules. He found, coincidentally,
that his whiskey fit into the category. He was able to
release an Empire Rye at the same time as the six founding
distilleries, making Van Brunt the first non-founder
to adopt the style.
Nine years after their informal discussions began, the
Empire Rye Association held its first meeting on April
17, 2023, now a legally recognized 501(c)(6) organization
within New York State. Schlesselman was voted in as its
first President. Having established a formal board and
bylaws, the association members hope to further organize,
lead and market the production of Empire Rye. Briar, who
owned the intellectual property, has agreed to sell it to the
organization for $1. The Empire Rye seal is a play off the
image on the New York state flag, featuring Lady Liberty
and Lady Justice holding stalks of rye. The seal became a
legally recognized certification and must appear on every
bottle. The group has not yet taken the category to the
federal level of the TTB, but members are considering it
in the future.
There are now 15 distilleries producing the style, with
another five who are committed to releasing an Empire
Rye in the coming years. We tasted twelve of them for
this issue, with our recommendations appearing on page
109. And, according to the New York State Department of
Agriculture and Markets, the state's supply of rye is slowly
increasing, from 16,700 acres in 2014, when the group
started talking, to 17,900 acres today. Farmers are planting
rye in collaboration with distillers, and they find themselves
united by a common goal: building on the history
of rye within New York State. " I think that's the beauty of
Empire Rye, " Briar said. It gives us more ability to tell our
story than we would have individually. " l
Summ ER 2023
WINE & SPIR IT S
39
Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023

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