Hot Honey Whiskey?!

Who's ready for something a little funky?! If you've been with Seelbach's for over five years, you might recall our first hot honey barrel from 2021. Catoctin Creek is one of the pioneers of craft distilling. They've been cranking out incredible whiskey in Virginia since 2009. Their Roundstone Rye is the most awarded whiskey in Virginia. Virginia helped birth American whiskey. Early distillers used rye from the Mid-Atlantic. Roundstone Rye makes 100% rye whiskey in Purcellville, VA. This keeps the tradition alive. Reviving a style of whiskey that defined Virginia long before bourbon rose to prominence in America.

But, about the release we have today. This whiskey started as traditional Roundtone Rye. It aged for 16 months in a new charred oak cask. It was then transferred to an ex-rye whiskey cask used to age hot honey. It rested in this cask for an extra 3 years! The extended aging allowed the whiskey to integrate the sweet and spicy notes from the hot honey. I love honey and chili crunch on almost everything, and this flavor nailed it!

The nose begins with thick raw honey and pine right away, followed by dried cherry, fig, and apricot before a flick of chili pepper heat and soft, sweet smoke.

The palate comes off richly honey- and maple-forward, but quickly draws attention to toasted oak, black tea, and dried fruits alongside that spicy chili pepper heat. The sensation stings for a few seconds before rolling back into a more familiar prickly rye tail, though the chili character lingers beyond.

The finish returns to honeycomb-like sweetness with nods to lightly toasted oak, lingering long, spiced, and syrupy.