The Production Process

Only dedication to the entire process can achieve the proper balance that gives Templeton Rye its great rye character and surprisingly smooth finish that Jim Murray of the Whiskey Bible described as a huge, unmistakable rye. With barely a dozen brands in the category of rye whiskey, we strive to be the best among an already unique bunch. Starting with a formula born out of a familys need to maintain their livelihood during the Prohibition era, our master distillers utilize the original Kerkhoff family recipe unique for the remarkably high rye content of its mash. For while today a mere 51 percent of the mash bill must be rye for a whiskey to legally be called a rye, Templeton Rye uses a mash made up of more than 90 percent rye grains (and malted barley for the remainder). And while the process has changed some since Prohibition, the unyielding attention to detail hasnt budged. Production consists of four primary stages mashing, fermentation, distillation and aging and you can find specific facts for each of these processes, specific to the production of Templeton Rye, detailed below.

Mashing
Being selective about our grains marks the beginning and lays the foundation for Templeton Ryes clean finish. In this, our farming backgrounds serve us well. While we grow some rye grain locally, we source from the United States, Canada and Europe to ensure were using only the finest ingredients. And because rye can be a very finicky grain that easily turns bad if mishandled, we require pre-shipment samples and apply a particularly strict set of criteria rejecting more than 50 percent of the rye that is sent to us. Mashing is the biochemical process where starches polymers of glucose connected by glycosidic linkages are converted to sugars as these linkages break through hydrolysis. We use multiple varieties of winter and spring rye grains that possess specific organoleptic qualities. Our malt the enzymes of which break the starches in the grains down into sugars are sourced from partners in Montana and Minnesota. Rye grain is added to the mash tank at 124 F, hydrated and cooked for a period and then starch conversion begins at 148 F.

Fermentation
At Templeton Rye, were proud to say we use our own proprietary yeast culture propagated in-house and developed exclusively for whiskey production.

Fermentation is the anaerobic conversion of sugar to carbon dioxide and alcohol by yeast. Use a 25 percent backset stillage to sour the pH of the fermenter to a 5.0 target pH. Fermentation temperatures begin at 65 F and reach a maximum of 90 F over the course of the process. Fermentation conversion range of 72-84 hours. Take an initial reading of approx 14.0 Balling and a final reading of approx 1.8 Balling the crude calculation of density as the percentage of sucrose by weight that was developed in 1843 by Bohemian scientist Karl Balling.

Distillation
We forego the converted copper wash pot stills used by the original distillers and apply modern day improvements in distillation techniques. No longer having to keep one eye over our shoulders on lookout for the revenuers certainly helps when it comes to focusing our complete attention on executing each step of the distillation process just right.

Distillation is the evaporation and subsequent collection of a liquid by condensation as a means of purification. Double distill in short column then in doubler kettle/pot still. Produce a first distillation of 130 proof and second distillation of 135 proof. Forego heads or tails cuts and allow the still to simply take the flavor profile from the fermenter and put it into the bottle. Give all distillate lots a quality rating of 1 to 4 and redistill lots deemed of poor quality into grain neutral spirits.

Aging
Lastly, the oh-so-important aging process begins. After a minimum of four years aged in charred new white American oak barrels, the whiskeys finally ready to be labeled Templeton Rye delivering the smooth finish its been infamous for since the beginning.

Extreme temperature ranges in Iowa create an ideal climate for aging American Whiskey. Represent one of a few small distilleries to exclusively use 53 gallon barrels. New American white oak barrels sourced from Missouri are charred for 55-60 seconds for a #3 level char. Charred barrels are stored six levels high in the rick house and remove sulfur and immaturity from raw spirit. Iowa lies in the humid continental zone and generally has hot summers, cold winters and wet springs with an average relative humidity of 72 percent. Weather in Iowa averages 166 days of full sunshine and 199 cloudy or partly cloudy days per year. The record low temperature for the state is -47 F (-44 C), established at Washta in 1912 and the record high is 118 F (48 C), registered at Keokuk in 1934. Monthly average temperatures range from a high of 86.2 F to a low of 6.3 F.

Single Barrel vs. Small Batch

Templeton Rye originally launched in 2006 labeled as a Single Barrel whiskey meaning that we actually filtered, cut and bottled one barrel at a time. About halfway through Batch Two, we received some feedback reporting a lack of consistency between bottles. In researching the issue, we discovered that the height the barrel is stored at during aging impacts the character, volume and even proof of the whiskey in that barrel. As such, we made the decision to switch from Single Barrel to Small Batch the only difference being that we now bottle 15-20 barrels at a time, taken from various heights in the rick house, to ensure a consistency from bottle to bottle. The historical figures from Batch One and Batch Two continue to inform our labeling system as we designate the number of bottles per barrel.

E N J O Y I N C O N S P I C U O U S LY .

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