Epoch Rye Madeira Finish Cask Strength - 2Ten90
$129.99
This product is currently sold out.
Our first pick with Baltimore Spirits Company was a six-year Epoch Rye, and for many of our Patreon members, it was their first real introduction to what BSC was doing. That bottle made an impression on us, especially because of the amount of thought and attention to detail that goes into their whiskey.
Epoch starts with a 100% rye mash bill, 75% unmalted rye and 25% malted rye. They ferment with both traditional American whiskey yeast and Belgian ale yeast in open-top wooden fermenters, then double-distill everything on copper pot stills. It is a slower, deliberately inefficient way to make whiskey, but that's kind of the point. They're chasing flavor, not efficiency.
After selecting the barrel, Max and Eli let us taste through a few other things they had tucked away for possible future releases. One of those pours was the Madeira finish. The entire pick team immediately agreed that this was the barrel we needed to bring home. Even better, we learned that this was the last Madeira-finished barrel they planned to release for the next few years.
Instead of a two-barrel release, we decided to hold this one back and give it a little more time. We first tasted it at six years old, and we wanted to see what another year could do. The results did not disappoint.
On the nose, this is loaded with dark cherries, ripe plums, and deep dark fruit, followed by honey and warm baking spices.
The palate gets even richer. Fig Newton, chocolate-covered cherries and raisins, and espresso all come through, with those baking spices carrying underneath everything. There's a dried fruit quality here that immediately reminds me of a good bottle of Italian Amarone. Dark, concentrated fruit and raisins with that rich, almost decadent character and a hint of maple syrup.
The finish is long and chewy, hanging around and calling you back for another sip.
This is one of those pours where the Madeira isn't an afterthought or overpowering. Everything feels integrated. This is an elegant, layered pour, exactly what you would expect from Baltimore Spirits. You still know you're drinking an Epoch rye, but the finish takes that already unique BSC profile somewhere completely different.
Baltimore Spirits Company has been one of those distilleries we've watched improve year after year, and it feels like they're on the verge of becoming a much bigger name.
Tone-Loc had Medina. We’ve got Madeira. And frankly, we like our version better.
Cheers, and as always…ROCK ON!
Andy and Todd
2TEN90