Orphan Barrel Scarlet Shade

Orphan Barrel Scarlet Shade

Cost: $199 at liquor store in Texas

Age: 14 years

Proof: 90

Mash Bill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn

Appearance: Vibrant amber with extremely slow, thin legs. She thicc!

Nose: Lots of rye spice and light fruit (apricot, pear, apple) sweetness with a little bit of charred oak.

Palate: This is full of flavor and runs the gamut of flavors. There's a prominent rye spice that’s accompanied by a range of fruits! Sip to sip I can pick out apple, fig, cherry, and blackberry. They’re not all too dissimilar flavor profiles I guess, but definitely makes it a complex sipper. And I don’t want this to sound sweet. It has some sweetness, but it’s still a spicy rye. It winds down with a predominant peppercorn note and a leathery, oak profile that lingers into the finish. (I’ll also mention that there is a herbaceous note to this that is very faint to me. Sometimes it’s pretty clearly mint like, but other times I don’t even notice it. I think it’s just that faint, and when I’m focusing on the other flavors so intently I’m missing it.) This has a rather oily mouthfeel that coats the palate well.

Finish: The rye spice continues to linger with notes of leather and oak that fade away slowly. It’s a medium length finish that has a very slight heat (probably mostly due to the 90 proof of this one).

Rating: 8.2/10

Overall: This is a mighty fine rye whiskey! A lot of people only get rye whiskey for cocktails. I know I used to. But bottles like this I think can really make people think differently about rye whiskey. It’s complex and has a lot of familiar but unexpected notes. It’s rather robust in flavor for 90 proof. My guess as to the why behind that is because it likely was a low proof at 14 years. It was probably aged down low in the rickhouse or somewhere the humidity was high, resulting in a lower final proof. Therefore, when diluting it for bottling, it really didn’t have to get cut with distilled water too badly, thus preserving a lot of the flavor. I think a lot of people would see 90 proof and $199 and say “F**k that!” I almost did that myself. But I really like the concept behind Orphan Barrel and haven’t had a bad product from them yet so decided “screw it, I’ll go for it,” and I’m really glad I did! This is a stellar rye whiskey. THAT SAID…no matter how you spin it, it would be really nice to see this at 100 proof for $199, or at least at a lower price point for what it is.

Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed Orphan Barrel’s Fable & Folly when it came out. While Fable & Folly was focused on being a blend of bourbons from Stitzel-Weller Distillery, it was never advertised or label as a “bourbon,” but instead simply as a “whiskey.” This is known because Orphan Barrel even stated on the label that it has rye whiskey in it. Fable & Folly also had a 14 year age statement. I’m convinced now that the base for Fable & Folly was a 14 year rye whiskey, thus the reason they had to give it a 14 year age statement. I’m also of the belief that that 14 year rye whiskey is what makes up Scarlet Shade. I’ve found some other details and reviews online that seem to corroborate this, but nothing substantial to say it with certainty. So for now, that’s just my opinion. At any rate, this is a damn fine rye whiskey that I don’t think is worth paying $199 for unless it’s a splurge or you’re really into the Orphan Barrel concept or line like I am, but it is still a damn good whiskey nevertheless.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect