Is This the Finished Rye of the Year?

Forward/Slash has been putting out some of my favorite craft whiskey blends, from Rhapsody in 2023 to Thornhurst Rye last year and Quintessium landing in my office last month. We are back today with a follow-up to last year's #2 of my Top Finished Whiskeys of the Year and an introduction to a new line from them: Holt & Capen Legacy Series.

At the corner of Holt Avenue and Capen Avenue in historic Winter Park, two names intersect that helped shape the community we call home. James Seymour Capen arrived in 1884, when Winter Park was little more than a vision. A businessman, land developer, civic leader, and historian, he helped establish the foundations of the growing town through investments in land, agriculture, and education, including the donation of land that helped secure the future home of Rollins College.

Four decades later, Hamilton Holt arrived with a different vision. As president of Rollins College from 1925 to 1949, Holt transformed the institution into one of the nation's most innovative centers of learning and helped elevate Winter Park into a nationally recognized cultural destination. Capen laid the foundation. Holt expanded the vision. Today, Forward/Slash Distillery stands at the intersection of the streets that bear their names. Holt & Capen is their tribute to the people, history, and place that continue to inspire them.

Their Legacy Blends allow them to explore higher age statements, single barrels, and blending well-known producers that have been making some of their favorite whiskies for generations. Holt & Capen is their inaugural release under this line extension, giving them a way to create more traditionally profiled bourbon and rye whiskies.

Holt & Capen Bourbon combines 60% eight-year-old high-rye bourbon from MGP with 40% high-rye bourbon from Green River Distilling Co., and delivers on that traditional flavor profile at a great price.

The nose is rich and old, fruity yet musty. It has sweet caramel and cola syrup met with mature oak and overcooked cherry, almost finished-like with its balanced, easygoing saturation of flavor.

While the palate drinks softer than the nose suggests, it’s no less fruity, caramelly, and vanilla-sweetened. This is classic bourbon done wonderfully, maintaining a strong backbone of oak the more you sip.

The finish is long and creamy, rich and lasting. Raspberry-topped crème brûlée and cola concentrate continue on, with a sprinkle of blackberry syrup and mature, sweet oak.

This Holt & Capen Rye single barrel, however, is anything but traditional. Made specifically for Seelbach’s, this 13-year-old 95/5 rye from MGP rested in a Marionberry Mead barrel from Zymarium. Coming in at 110.36 proof, this takes everything I loved from last year’s boysenberry mead-finished rye and somehow makes it better.

Whoa, Momma. Similar to the Allocated Boysenberry Mead Finished Rye, the nose begins to draw you in immediately, from deep honey to heavy fruits to waves of rich, aged rye.

There’s this beautiful, floral-kissed fruit syrup at the front of the sip, immediately moving into a plump, honey-like texture down the tongue, with little nips of candied herbal tingling as it progresses. Underneath all that is a snapshot of this well-aged rye before a saturation of jammy purple fruits blankets the tongue. Compared to the Boysenberry, this one is both a bit darker and a bit more candied and easy to come back to.

The finish stays plump and lively, giving lots of sweet, candied, jammy dark fruit notes with this buttery citrus creaminess. You start to notice more of the herbal, spiced rye character pop out as it finishes, but the notes are so seamless with the finishing that it’s difficult to tell where the base whiskey ends and the finishing begins. The long finish showcases these syrup-coated aged whiskey notes that are honied and gorgeous.

Just a beautiful, beautiful finished whiskey.

Thirdly, we have a small amount of that Quintessium blend I mentioned in the very beginning. Quintessium is not a real word, but one they created with purpose. As with all of their blends, their goal is to craft a whiskey that is harmonized and balanced, yet full of uniquely delicious character. Four bourbons gave them structure, but it was the fifth that unlocked harmony, the elusive element that transformed the blend from individual parts into a seamless whole. Named for the quinta essentia, the “fifth essence” pursued by alchemists, Quintessium embodies discovery, patience, and the art of blending.

For their 3rd Annual Bourbon Release, Forward/Slash set out to build on the foundation of their first two. Rhapsody showcased a high-rye bourbon mash bill, while Vanguard leaned into wheated bourbon. By combining both styles, high-rye and wheated bourbons, while bringing new distillers into the fold, they've created a whiskey with remarkable depth, exceptional character, and a distinctly memorable finish.

Anchored by the bold backbone of high-rye bourbons from Green River, McKenzie, and MB Roland, and elevated by the rich, caramelized fruit complexity of wheated bourbons from J. Henry and Ragged Branch, Quintessium is one of their most beloved blends to date.

The nose is a mix of cherry cordial, granola bar, raisin, and French vanilla ice cream. Deep, custardy, thick, and inviting.

The palate has a bold, oaky backbone that keeps the other notes in check while focusing on this custardy, clinging, texture-forward sugariness. Layered fruits enter, from fresh blueberry to raisin to a little blue raspberry candy-like dazzle, all tucked into those more caramel-like, vanilla custard sweeter tones.

The finish continues with dried, dark fruit notes and malt or wheat-like weightiness, along with softer spices and slightly charred oak.