menu
Rieger’s 2022 MONOGRAM WHISKEY once again showcases the rare and unique flavors from the gorgeous Oloroso Sherry Botas of our Whiskey Solera. Since 2017, Rieger’s Monogram Whiskey has been created using four nearly century-old 500-liter barrels (referred to in Spain as “botas”) that were removed from the actual solera of the Williams & Humbert Drysack 15-year Oloroso Especial and shipped to our distillery in Kansas City. For this year’s release, we chose to utilize just 5 of these 10 casks, all filled with Bourbon, marking the first time that our Monogram bottling will be a Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
On the nose is clover honey and red fruits. Nutty notes of toasted cashews & candied almond. Hints of dried mint & sage. Buttered toast and salted caramel, cigar tobacco, and fruity hints of black cherry and dried apricot.
Sweet and spicy notes, including cinnamon popcorn and burnt clove. Even with the complex and rich flavor profile, the mouthfeel is soft and elegant. The balance between smoke, earthiness, fruit & spice is reminiscent of BBQ. Long finish with deep earthy notes, espresso, and dark chocolate.
The opening aroma is reminiscent of spring flowers, which is surprising considering the age and intensity of this Whiskey. Bright, green and fresh there are fruity notes of tamarind, papaya and cola. On the first entry to the palate is charred honeycomb; a deep sweetness that is covered with ash and char, molasses, tar, toasted marshmallow and deep, dried, dark fruits like prune and raisin. Tobacco leads to decadent butter pecan ice cream.
The texture is creamy and elegant. Salty, toasted pumpernickel bread leads to chocolate-covered almonds. There is a deep, dry, earthy-leather quality that seems to echo throughout higher-note flavors of mint, eucalyptus, black tea, and clover honey. The complexity is so rich and layered that you hardly notice that it’s 110 proof. Years of aging add so much depth and a lingering finish.
On the nose is caramelized orange peel, nutmeg, and toasted marshmallow.Hints of dried mint & sage. Buttered toast and salted caramel, cigar tobacco,and fruity hints of black cherry and dried apricot.
Sweet and spicy notes, including cinnamon popcorn and burnt clove. Even with the complex and rich flavor profile, the mouthfeel is soft and elegant. The balance between smoke, earthiness, fruit & spice is profound. Long finish with deep earthy notes, espresso, and dark chocolate.
Reminiscent of a good pipe, with an almost Cavendish taste, it is also earthy, with mushroom and cedar notes. It starts as butterscotch barrels, but turns into sassafras, with the fruit of caramel apples, ripe apricots, chestnuts and savory caramelized root vegetables.
Some high note spices of nutmeg and clove, with perhaps a touch of cinnamon, but soft, with a hint of ginger candy, make it finish like pecan pie. This rich, deeply layered and complex whiskey is extremely well-balanced and has a very long finish.
Lovely, dark fruit and caramel notes, with an almost demerara and toffee tone lead, but the Whiskey itself is dry as a bone. Creamy, full, soft and rich. It is unctuous, dark and mysterious, and yet absolutely balanced and gorgeous. Dates, peaches, plums, figs, and chocolate-covered cherries are balanced with a touch of vanilla and high note spices of cinnamon and clove, and surrounded by the velvet of sweet caramel, maple syrup, coffee, toffee, cacao, honey, finishing very nutty, with the flavors of cashews and even pecans.
It is confectionary in the mid-palate, without being sweet, and has a long, almond marzipan finish. This is a true Oloroso-cask finished Whiskey. It is all about the Whiskey, perfectly balanced with the elements of the Oloroso, and the nuances of the oak Bota, with the depth of flavor that only these special old barrels can deliver.
