If you’re familiar with the blogs here on GreatDrams, you’ve probably noticed how I’m a big fan of a bourbon whiskey, particularly during the summer months. When barbequing, grilling, smoking, or incinerating sausages, there’s nothing I enjoy more than sipping on a bourbon over ice, sometimes even with a mixer if I’m feeling especially adventurous. 

As I type this, we’re merely days away from Christmas, I’ve got my lights on at 1.30 in the afternoon, it’s grey, it’s drizzly, and it’s cold. It’s certainly not BBQ weather, so why am I talking about American whiskey and BBQ? Well, that’s because I’ve got something a little bit different for you today. 

While browsing the web one evening, I came across an ad from an up-and-coming Scottish company specialising in BBQ rubs and seasonings. This ad caught my eye because it wasn’t promoting one of their rubs (which are exceptional, by the way) but rather, it was promoting ‘Ryelander’, a “Scottish Grain Spirit” which sounded a lot like whisky to me. Intrigued, I did a little more digging, and here’s what I found out. 

Who are Angus & Oink?

Recently, I’ve gotten more into my BBQ and smoking meat, as I’m sure you’ve picked up on in a few of my blogs over the last year or so. Because of this, I was already familiar with Angus & Oink, but for those of you who aren’t, allow me to fill you in. 

Angus & Oink is an independent Scottish business run by husband and wife team Scott and Malissa Fraser. The pair began developing their own range of spice rubs and blends in 2014 focussing primarily on BBQ, after having lived and worked in Southern US South America around the Texas/Mexico border. 

In 2015 they began expanding the business and sold primarily to street food vendors, catering companies, and local butchers. Because of their knowledge, and the quality of their produce, they began supplying to more venues, including pubs and restaurants across Scotland. This expansion continued across the rest of the UK, and eventually, the whole world. They even landed a nationwide deal with Sainsbury’s and Tesco. 

As they grew and evolved, they became more innovative. As well as seasonings and spice rubs, they began offering other products such as glazes, meal kits, sauces, and alcohol. Yep, that last one caught my eye too. 

As well as a gin and pineapple rum, they now offer their own take on whisky/whiskey, which they’ve called Ryelander. 

What is Ryelander?

Angus & Oink are being very secretive when it comes to this product, so I can’t give you a great deal of info about the product I’m afraid. What I can tell you, is that it is NOT a whisky, but is rather a Scottish grain spirit, inspired by whisky/whiskey. 

Produced in collaboration with independent bottlers Little Brown Dog Spirits, Ryelander is a unique, limited-edition spirit that is unable to be marketed as whisky due to the strict guidelines, laws, and regulations we have for whisky in the UK. 

As Angus & Oink specialise in BBQ, they wanted to craft their own take on an American bourbon whiskey, while staying true to their Scottish roots. Think of a small batch spirit that is sort of a hybrid between Scotch and bourbon, with rye whiskey engrained in its DNA and you’re on the right track. 

This dram is made with an American-style bourbon mash bill, combined with Scotch whisky production techniques and ingredients. Just to make things even more confusing, it is labelled as a rye spirit. For a bourbon to be a bourbon, it must have a mash bill featuring at least 51% corn. The fact that this is labelled as a rye spirit, along with the name of course, tells me that Scottish rye is the grain of choice. 

As mentioned, this came about thanks to a collaboration with independent bottlers Little Brown Dog Spirits, themselves a Scottish-based company, with Andrew Smith overseeing things.