284. Leopold Bros Three Chamber Rye Whiskey Review

Welcome to another trip down the Bourbon Road with your hosts Jim and Mike. So grab a glass of your favorite bourbon and kick back.

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Hello everybody. I'm Jim Shannon. And I'm Mike Hyatt. And this is the bourbon rodent today, Mike. We've got a bottle on that comes out of distillery that has been around a little while, but they definitely qualify as a craft distillery.

Yeah. I mean, I would consider them definitely a craft distillery, but they've been around since 1999. You've been in the game a minute.

And they've got a number of expressions, but I've had my eye on this bottle for a while, probably, um, kind of aching for it a little bit, kind of Jones and Ford, I guess that's a good word. And one of our, uh, one of our friends, one of our fans of the show, Todd Ritter got a bottle of it and offered it up for review. And man. Pretty awesome. Mike, what do we have?

So we have the Leopold Brothers three chamber rye whiskey. A lot to say right there for one whiskey, but this is a bottled in bond, meaning it's four years old. It's 100 proof. The match bill on it is 80% bruisey rye and a 20% of the Leopold floor malt, meaning they make their own malt there at the distillery. If you want to check that process out, you can go to their website and see it. They've got a couple videos on there. This bottle, I would say the liquid in the bottle Jim is like a copper color, almost a steel color.

Yeah. It's a little on the light side. It is four years old, but it hasn't taken on a great amount of color, right? It's got a nice. Yeah. light copper color, I think is probably a good way to say it.

So this is the 2021 bottle and this bottle went for $250. They only had 2,500 bottles of this. So it is a super rare bottle, super coveted by people. Todd, like Jim said, handed it to us to review. It's taken us a while to get to it. You were like, Mike, Mike, Mike, we got to get this done. And I'm like, okay. We're going to get to it, but we just got stacks of whiskey everywhere these days. So we're finally getting to it. Jim, I'm excited. We've, me and you've talked about this thing several times. And I think everybody, they might be shocked about what we think about this one, but Jim, what do you know about a three chamber steel?

I don't know a lot about it, and there's plenty of information on the Leopold Brothers site about it, and they've got some diagrams, and there's some explanations about how they work. But basically, without getting into the technical details of it, it is three chambers in the still, and those three chambers, it's kind of an oil distillation process, right? like distilling essential oils and things like that. The whole idea of this is that the heart of the whiskey, including all the fatty acids and all those things that give it texture, make it into the final stage right before they pull the tails off. So you're not really losing a whole lot of the components that make whiskey altogether. A lot of those things get stripped out on a column still. Fewer of them get stripped off on a pot still, but a three chamber still is designed to hold as much of that as possible to the very end. And I have to say, it's going to surprise you.

Yeah, if you go to Leopold Brothers website and check it out, there's a link on there to watch a video of how they came about it. But Todd, he's a whiskey nerd like us. He loves to read history of whiskey. And he was reading these papers and he You know, there's the 1897 Act, right, which is the Bottled and Bond Act. Well, right after that, the IRS commissioned these two fellows to do a study for them about American whiskey. It's called the Crampton and Coleman study. What they really did was they laid out the standards of identity for whiskey in America. And really what that is today is the rules you must follow as a distiller to make your whiskey. And what he found was Hiram Walker Distillery in Peoria, Illinois, which a lot of people don't know this, but they were producing the most whiskey at that time, largest distillery in America. They're producing, I think, 100,000 gallons a day. That's a lot of whiskey right there. But they were using this three chamber steel, and I guess this was the standard steel back in that day. Producing a rye primarily, right? Yeah. So what he pretty much did was went to Vindalman and said, hey, build me one of these. And he's taking it back a step, you know, by using that. I gotta say hats off to you, Todd, if you're listening to this. I love people that resurrect history. If it worked back then, it should be able to work today. So that's my take on it.

And my understanding is that a lot of the rye was produced pre-prohibition this way and that it's kind of been lost, right? It's kind of been set aside for productivity and speed of production. And that if you really want to taste, this is what I've been told, if you really want to taste what a pre-prohibition rye tastes like and get you a bottle of Leopold Brothers Three Chamber Rye.

Yeah, and I think he kind of went into it with that his ride that they're using. They use everything for a reason, you know, and I love that. You were saying before, telling me what this ride was all about. You said it didn't have as much spice as a typical ride, right?

Right. It's a, it's not as spicy as you might expect. It has some notes in it that might surprise you. And we're going to get into those though. Aren't we? Yeah, let's do it. Let's do it. Cheers. Let's take the nose first though.

Man, that's some rich honey in this sucker right here.

Yeah. So the nose on this is very complex. It's very appealing. It's not a traditional ride nose. It's more a herbal.

Yeah. Like that. My wife drinks that camel tea. Um, and I get a little bit of that in this right here, maybe with just a little hint of the cream too.

Yeah. Camel tea. And, uh, you're talking about like vanilla cream kind of like vanilla cream.

Yeah. Yeah. A little bit of spice. Yeah.

Yeah. There's a little bit of spice there. It's a little sweet. Uh, but I think tea is the. Is the major note here, but you're still getting those, uh, those baking spice notes that you might expect, but you're not getting a lot of a traditional high Rye notes on the notes, right? It kind of, it would be very deceiving.

Yeah. I can get that, that malt is to me plays a major factor in this with 20%. Um, I think it's very unique. Um, I can't wait to taste it.

Yeah, me too. I am getting a little bit of light fruit. But, uh, yeah, the nose is, uh, for me, this is, this ranks right up there with the best noses I've ever had on rice.

So Jim, I hope the whiskey holds up to the nose. I'll say cheers.

Now that's got a one heck of an oily texture.

Good Lord. That's good, Jim. Um, honeycomb cereal right there in a glass. A lot of honey in it, isn't there? A lot of honey. You know what? I'm sugar smack.

Yeah, it's got a little bit of a. Well, you've got that, you've got that herbal spice coming across as well. Uh, but it's like I said, it's sort of an herbal spice. It's a, it's more of a, a flowery herb spice, like chamomile.

I'm getting a little bit of ginger there, like a gingerbread cookie or ginger snap. Um, maybe that's that spice. What I'm getting from is ginger snap.

Yeah, this, this really distributes well on the palette. It gives you a little something on every area of your tongue gets to experience this whiskey and gets to experience the flavor of this whiskey. Uh, and, and that's that, that's that oil, that's that texture. It's really making it settle in on the palette and, uh, and hold its own.

Silky sweet right here. Jim silky. Yeah.

You know, I'm getting a little bit of an earthy note to it. Um, I might say like a, a straw note or a hay note, but not, not overly too much, certainly not a grassy note, but, um, but kind of an earthy or raw. earthy note to it, which is really good. I like that.

Now I would say this has a, to me, you know, taking another sip of it. It, I was trying to sit here and think about what fruit I would get out of this. I'm getting a little bit of cantaloupe on this for some reason.

Wow. The finish on this is just tremendous.

Yeah. Once again, silky smooth. Uh, that finish, uh, is, it just stays with you. Um, long, all day long. I mean, it is to the T a nice little hug to it, Jim, I think. Yeah. Um, not overpowering. Um, but very nice. Let you know this there. Maybe that white peppercorn, um, spice a little bit.

I think the proof is spot on at, at 100 on this for a bottle and bond. Uh, I think the age is just right. I think, um, I think this has been expertly crafted. It definitely makes you think this is an ultimate sipping whiskey. It definitely will help you to develop your palate and search for a very complex character in whiskey. This is as complex as anything I've ever had. Mike, I might even put this very near the top for rise for me. Well, I think I'd have to agree with you. I'm trying to think right now, is there a rye I would prefer to have right now other than this? And right now in this moment, there's no other rye I'd rather have than this three chamber rye.

I can only think of one other rye that comes close to this. That mean you've drank before this like super candy super good would be for me and I'm not a right drinker at all. I mean I do drink it but would be leapers for try. Um, super, super good, but this right here is just a little bit above it. I think, um, this is something different. Maybe that 20% malt that's what it's getting to us, Jim and that three chamber. So obviously this thing's got so much oil in a glass. The legs on this is just amazing for a hundred proof whiskey.

Yeah, now Leopold Brothers has a number of other expressions that they make. I would suggest visiting their website, checking them out. I know that they have a collaboration expression with George Dickel and that is something I definitely would like to check out later on. I'm actually going to be in Denver here in another two months. Thank goodness, because I think this bottle will be gone and you can't get it in Kentucky.

Well, Jim, maybe we can get you set up to stop by and say hi and maybe do an episode out there. Yeah. If you have time.

Yeah, that might be good. Yeah. So they have a pretty wide distribution. They're in a large number of States. They're just not in Kentucky.

That's a, that's a shame. That is a shame. I, you know, um, you still buy it online though. Don't, don't give up on it. Jim, even at $250. That's like one of, I think that that'd be my max on whiskey right now for a bottle. Um, I would probably buy a bottle of this because it is so good. And you know, both of us enjoy craft whiskey so much. This just is, this is the, he's at the top of his game for sure. Like I said, folks, if you want to check out that video they have online, they have a link right there on their website. I'd say you go watch it so you can understand, um, the three chamber steel system. I watched it and I still don't understand it. I mean, I get the gist of it, uh, but it is a lot to take in. Um, I was infatuated with the history of it though, and that a giant distillery was using that process. So hats off to you, Leopold brothers, uh, an amazing bottle here. Yeah, if you can get your hands on a bottle, you can spend that $250. This is a bottle worth the pull right here.

Just for the record, we're drinking out of bottle 3947 of 5,280 bottles dated May of 2021. Uh, it is their collector's edition, three chambered rye. Uh, but it's nice to note that this is now a standard offering from them. So it's going to be something that's, uh, available on a regular cycle. So keep your eyes open. It's not one of those things that you didn't get it. You missed it. Forget about it. You'll never, you'll never get to try it. This is an amazing whiskey. He's at the top of his game, Mike, no doubt.

I kind of felt bad how I put a sample together for myself, Jim, out of that bottle. I couldn't find any sample bottles. I was digging around. I was like, man, am I out? And I must be. Uh, so all I could find was this little, uh, jelly Mason jar that my, that Viv has. Uh, and that's what I poured the whiskey into and sealed her up. Uh, but it didn't do anything to it. So that's as good as any, that's as good as any.

Well, folks, I think you probably, uh, you understand Mike and I are both thumbs up on this one. It's definitely, uh, for me, Mike, it's probably in my top two or three rise of all times. Uh, it's probably in my top. five or 10 whiskeys of all times. Uh, it is, uh, as it says on the bottle, it's a revival of a lost American tradition. So they're really, really digging for that history and those old ways of doing things. And if this is what pre-prohibition rise tastes like, man, those guys had it good back in, didn't they? Yeah. Yeah.

Well, they're, they're drinking. What, what'd we say last night, Jim over here? Uh, a 15-year-old man back then was drinking 18 gallons of whiskey a year.

Yeah, the average adult male. And they said that's 15 years old as an adult male. The average adult male in the 1890s and the 1880s was drinking 18 gallons a year of whiskey. So now when you go back and look at those old stills, you know, you go to Castle and Key and you go to um green river and you go to some of these older distilleries and you take a look at their old equipment what they were producing with back in the day you can understand why it's so big right because they were producing An awful lot of whiskey. And what did you say? Uh, Hiram Walker was making 100,000 gallons a day. Now, my goodness, how many barrels is that a day? I mean, well, I guess a thousand gallons is 20 barrels. Uh, we're still a long way from producing that kind of whiskey today, but Hey, this is a good step forward.

Well, Jim, another great review, man. Um, I, I can't wait till the next bottle to the next review.

I'm always looking forward to them, Mike. Uh, we've got a couple of them lined up some really good bottles. I think people will look forward to these Monday episodes for sure, but where can people find out about us?

Well, you can find us on social media at Twitter, tick tock, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Check us out all those places right there, but the main place is on our private Facebook group, the Bourbon Roadies. Check them out. Join that group. You got to be 21. You got to like bourbon, like we always say, hell, who don't like bourbon. If you don't like it, listen to us for a while and you'll start liking it. I guarantee you. You also gotta be great at play nice because we don't tolerate any rudeness in that group. There's other places for that. But if you're a listener and you've had a hard time in a Facebook group, come over to ours. If you'd like to drink from the very bottom of the shelf, all the way to the top, that's what we want. We want you to come in there and celebrate life, celebrate births, deaths, retirements, birthdays, anniversaries, whatever you're celebrating, come in there and celebrate it.

And we do two shows every week. Every Monday we'll do a craft distillery episode where we will highlight a single expression from a craft distillery. Like Leopold Brothers Three Chamber Rye. Every week you want to make sure you check that out because we're, we're definitely bringing some bottles to the show and doing some reviews that you'll want to know about. Every Wednesday we do a long episode, about an hour in length. We'll do two 30 minute halves. We'll have a guest on. We'll explore a number of expressions. We'll do a deep dive and we'll get you to working back. So it's a nice long episode every week, two episodes guaranteed. We haven't missed an episode in 280 some. I'm losing count, Mike, but we want to make sure you don't miss a single episode. And what do they got to do to make sure they don't miss a mic?

Well, what you want to do is scroll up on top of your app, on your phone, wherever you're on your computer, hit that plus sign, that check sign, that subscribe sign. That app will tell you, hey, these two jokers got an episode out and you're going to want to listen to it. Then you want to scroll on down, hit that five-star review, leave us some comments. You know what I'm about to say, the big bad booty daddy of bourbon will bring the little sample he's got left in the mason jar of this Leopold Brothers Three Chamber Rye. He'll drag some more whiskey with him. By the end of the night, you all have a big old smile on your face. You'll leave us that five-star review and those comments guaranteed. But seriously, those comments, those five-star reviews, open up doors to distilleries, gets great whiskey in our hands like this Leopold Brothers through Chambers Rye, and it gets us on down to Bourbon Road.

Absolutely does. And I, I would be remiss if I didn't give another shout out to Todd Ritter, a bourbon roadie, a follower of the show, a good friend, uh, who made this bottle available to us. We thank him very much. We don't expect our roadies to send us bottles, but every now and then it's awful. Nice one. When we get to shake their hand and have a drink with them in it, Mike.

Oh, yes, sir. Yes, sir. You know, that's, it is amazing. Uh, that's one of the best things about the, uh, bourbon community. The whiskey community is. how it builds relationships, people you would probably never bumped into before, um, share some whiskey with them. The next thing you know, they, they're willing to move heaven or earth for you to do something you need to do. So, um, you know, join our group, you'll find out.

All right. Well, Mike and I are very approachable. If you see us in town, if you see us at a liquor store, if you see us at an event or a distillery, make sure you, you holler our names, come over to us, shake our hand. We'd love to meet you. If you've got a great distillery in your hometown is doing it right. If you've got a bottle, you think we ought to try. If you've got a guest you think we ought to have on the show, we invite you to reach out to us. You go to our website. We've got a contact us page. Just fill it out and send it in. Mike and I will get right back with you. Uh, you can always send us an email. I'm Jim at the bourbon road.com. He's Mike at the bourbon road.com. Like we always say, probably the best way, hit up our DMS on Instagram. I'm Jay Shannon 63. I'm big bourbon chief and we'll see you down the bourbon road.