Mammoth Distilling’s Wooly Rye

Bottoms Up

By Janice Binkert | May 12, 2018

First, let’s get the technical stuff out of the way: Mammoth Wooly Rye Reserve is 92 proof, 46 percent alcohol, and contains 88 percent pure Michigan rye — the rest is brewer’s malt. The elegant (yet if you look closely, whimsical) label on its flask-shaped bottle flaunts handwritten batch and bottle numbers, appreciated by serious collectors. Got that? Now we drink! This rye is definitely on the drier side, but aging it for six months in smaller, five-gallon white American oak barrels with a No. 3 char increases surface area, allowing it to pick up sweetness and oakiness very quickly. Mammoth mixologist Nielsen Bell suggests sipping it neat or over a couple of rocks (for rye connoisseurs) or ordering a “Mammhattan,” a cozy blend of muddled orange, Mammoth rye, Cherry Bounce liqueur (produced in-house from local cherries), and a splash of bitters, finished with an orange peel garnish and rum/whiskey-macerated maraschino cherries. Even in its 375 ml bottle, this rye is monumental. $29 at Mammoth Distilling, 221 Garland Street, Traverse City. (231) 943-1073. mammothdistilling.com