Under the innovative eye of Rick Westmund, Copper Fox distillery in Viriginia was founded in 2000.

Westmund had done his homework, having toured man American Distilleries and then taking the ultimate vacation for every Whisky lover and doing the same in Scotland.

When he returned, he decided to turn his Whisky distilling dreams into a reality.

The thing about Copper Fox however, is that they don’t want to simply stick to tradition. Rather, they want to transform how Whisky is made.

Westmund has been doing just that as he experiments with different smoking and ageing methods such as using wood to smoke the Whisky, and adding wood chips during the ageing process.

This makes for some truly remarkable malt and the Copper Fox Rye is a perfect example of just that.

This Rye has been made from both malted Virginia Rye and Virginia Barley. The grains have also been dried using apple wood and cherry wood smoke.

It is then matured in ex-Bourbon barrels with new and used apple wood chips.

The resulting liquid is something to behold and absolutely packed with flavour.

The nose opens with lots of sweet vanilla and big booming Rye notes. The vanilla is woody and thick, with a lovely toasted caramel glaze over it.

Burnt brown sugar and some spicier notes also come through. these melt into the caramel and make for a wonderful sweet and spicy mix.

The palate is more focused on wood, with oak really coming through. It also has a lot of orchard fruits, especially green apples.

There is a slightly grassy note to it that really helps t bring out the sweeter flavours.

Caramel and vanilla grow and develop, lending a thick and smooth mouth feel to the overall taste.

The finish lingers on sweet caramel, with a lovely warming cinnamon spice and one final nod towards toasted oak.

Copper Fox do not disappoint with their wonderful experiments into ageing and maturation. Their Rye is just one example of the high quality and intriguing products they release. Definitely one to try, no matter what your opinions on Rye.