Normally this is where I would give a little backstory on the brand and talk about any unique aspects or little nuggets of trivia about the brand, but since we now know that the story Templeton Rye has been trying to sell us is complete bullshit there’s really no point. Instead, as the above picture would imply, I’m going to use this section to hop up on a little soap box and do a wee bit of venting.
Since day one Templeton has lied about where its product came from and now they are even getting sued over it. I’ve already covered whiskey NDPs and how I feel about them so no sense in doing that again. Instead, let’s talk about why Templeton Rye Whiskey has received the first 00 in The Whiskey Jug history. I’ll give you hint… It all has to do with the recent admission of them adding a flavoring to their whiskey.
Yes you read that right, this is actually a flavored whiskey. I don’t cover flavored whiskey here on the Jug for a reason. Not because it isn’t possible for them to taste alright, but because I’d be reviewing nothing more than the ability of some guy in a lab to create a flavor and the ability of the producer to pour it into vats of whiskey and bottle it. Which is exactly what Templeton does.
They take the stock 95% rye whiskey from MGP up to their BOTTLING PLANT in Templeton, IA where they dump the barrels, mix in the flavoring and then bottle it. The only skill and craft on their part in this whole process has been in creating the web of lies that surround the brand.
Look at the label. It says that it’s made from a “Prohibition Era Recipe”, but Clarendon (the chemical company creating the flavoring) was founded about 60 years after prohibition ended. So how the famous Templeton bootleggers they espouse would have gotten their hands on those flavoring chemicals to add to their whiskey is beyond me.
Simply put, if you add it to the liquid IT’S PART OF THE RECIPE. I can’t add chocolate chips to my Grandma’s snickerdoodle recipe and say that I made Grandma’s snickerdoodles… it doesn’t work that way. I made Grandma’s snickerdoodles with added chocolate chips.
If you want video proof of their willful deceit take a look at Templeton’s own Chief Bullshit Artist Keith Kerkoff in a recent interview where he admits that he couldn’t call his Grandfather’s whiskey a rye whiskey “simply because of what was uh in the recipe”. He goes on to say how they went out and found rye (obviously not proprietary if they find it) and then added flavor to it to get it to taste like his grandpa’s whiskey.
He then goes on to say “With the heritage and the history of Templeton rye we wanted to keep the Templeton Rye name”… seriously? In 10 seconds he admits that the whole story is bullshit, that they’re not actually using the prohibition recipe they claim they are and that he’s just exploiting the history of the town by using its name. Now compare that to story on their bottles and site and there is a night and day difference. Yet he still claims that he’s never misled anyone and that the big bad Chicago Lawyers are the bad guys here.
The bottom line to me is that he’s a liar and his product can’t properly be evaluated because he adds flavoring so you don’t know which flavors and aromas you should be attributing to MGP and which ones you should be attributing to Clarendon. Either way, exactly none of the tasting notes below should be attributed to Mr. Kerkoff and his not-so-prohibition-era “recipe”.
Templeton Rye Review
Templeton Rye Whiskey price, ABV, age and other details
ABV: 40%
Age: 4ish years
Price: $36
Mashbill: 95% rye 5% barley
Distiller: MGP
Flavor Chemist: Clarendon Flavor Engineering
Bottler: Templeton Rye Spirits, LLC.
Templeton Rye Whiskey Tasting Notes
EYE
Orange caramel
NOSE
Spiced orange candy, dill, rye spice, clove, some earthy underpinnings, a bit of wood and a spice that reminds me Moroccan food. I can’t pin down exactly which spices it’s reminding me of, but that could have been the chemist’s or Kerkhoff’s intent all along… who knows.
PALATE
Ambiguous sweetness, rye spice, dill, gummy orange slices candy, cinnamon, clove, a touch of wood and raw grains. The dill in both the nose and the palate remind me of other MGP 95% rye whiskies like Bulleit rye, Dickel rye and some of the Willet rye releases which makes sense. Though I honestly don’t know what flavors come from the whiskey and which come from the added flavoring. There’s no way of knowing.
FINISH
Medium in length with notes of clove, cinnamon, dill, anise, wood, and rye which pops a bit as it fades out, or maybe that’s the flavoring chemicals popping on my tongue. Your guess is as good as mine.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
The overzealous spice shifts it a bit off balanced. It has more bite that an 80 proof should have and the medium body doesn’t really do much for it one way or the other. It’s drinkable neat, but the heavy spices and aggressive texture works better in cocktails.
Templeton Rye Whiskey Review – Overall
To state it again, the reason Templeton Rye scored a big fat 00 is due to their use of flavoring. If I were To assign a score it would be an 81, but that number wouldn’t have any bearing at all on the distiller and if they did a great job of managing their ingredients, the distillation process, barrel program, etc. It would be saying the folks down at Clarendon Flavor Engineering created a flavor that scored an 81.
First these jerks lie through their teeth about where the whiskey comes from, then they reveal that what you’re tasting isn’t even the whiskey at all but an artificial flavor slurry they add to the Templeton Rye Whiskey before bottling it. The prohibition roots of this whiskey? A lie. The flavor and aroma of their whiskey? A lie. Me ever trusting them, even if they make massive changes to what they do and how they produce their product? Not fucking likely.
SCORE: 00/100
Love it!
I love Templeton Rye! Reading this review it’s obvious to me that for some undisclosed reason the blogger has a real hard on for Templeton.
Definitely no hard-on for Templeton, they give me a big ol softie. But the reason I don’t like them is that even today they’re still a lying, crooked, bullshitting company that produces a flavored whiskey that profiteers off of deception. So you know… no reason at all.
Know your history
Iowa Legendary Rye is the original recipe for the rye recipe that made the town of Templeton, Iowa famous during prohibition. What Iowa Legendary Rye makes in Carroll, Iowa is the rye recipe that was preferred by Al Capone. They use sugar in the mash bill which is exactly how Iowa Legendary Rye makes their historically accurate rye.
At this time, I am not an owner in this company; however, I am the grandson of Lorine Sextro who as a matter of fact left behind a handwritten letter outlining her work as a bootlegger for Joe Irlbeck who ran the entire Templeton Rye syndication from 1920 to 1933.
If you want to taste the original recipe, which is exceptional, try Iowa Legendary Rye of Sextro Rye. The black label makes the best old fashioned according to most people who try it. The red label is one of the smoothest sippers you will every experience. The high proof is served in some of the finest restaurants in Las Vegas. The white makes the best bloody Mary I have ever had.
I looked them up in the TTB and looks like the only one they make that’s actually a rye whiskey is the blue label, the rest are a specialty product they label as a rye and cane sugar spirit. Sounds pretty interesting.
It is 2021. Templeton Distillery is open in Templeton, Iowa. From what I understand all producing and bottling are done here in Carroll County at Templeton. From their website, “Templeton, Iowa is a small town with a strong spirit, full of local stories and legends that come together to create a legacy of its own. In 2018, we recommitted ourselves to our hometown with the opening of the expanded Templeton Distillery and a goal to bring all production in-house. And there’s nothing we love more than sharing both local legacy as well as our limited production specialties with those who appreciate a good story over good whiskey. That, after all, is what we’ve come to call our whiskey way of life.” You can be bitter and angry if you so desire. But they have brought everything in house in Templeton, Iowa. Come and visit for yourself.
“You can be bitter and angry if you so desire”, what are you, some kind of Templeton apologist sycophant, out there trying to drum up some sympathy for a company that built itself on one outright lie after another? Or are you an employee who won’t identify themself as such?
I’m not bitter or angry, I’m disgusted. Disgusted by their actions, by the reactions of their owner, by their continued lying until they were all out of room. They’re a disgusting company run by disgusting people and will never get a dime of my money or a pixel of positive coverage. I don’t support businesses like that. End of story.
Side note: NO, not all of their production is “in-house” right now. It’s a “goal”, not yet a reality. The facility has been open three years so their own product isn’t out in the broad market yet. Especially the older-aged stuff (simple math proves that). So what consumers are still drinking is whiskey sourced from MGP, flavored with artificial flavors and then marketed with a total BS story… nothing has really changed.
Thank you Josh!
I am brand new to tasting whiskey, and unwittingly bought a bottle of this. Thanks for letting me know, I won’t do it again. In any case, what I think I will do is just drink this one first and try to learn how to pick up flavor notes, add a little ice, just mess around with it. Sort of like when you are doing wet chemistry you sometimes perfect your method with the blank. I have bottles of some of the ones you (and others) like better, and can start working on them when I have a baseline.
I do see that their distillery is running now, and they are barreling some product, But, it will be a long time before they are bottling their own stuff. And to your point, a lot of this is trust in the integrity of the producer, and they’ve already lost that forever.
Thanks Josh, and cheers.
Thanks for sharing this and how you’re turning it around, I think that’s awesome. Hope you enjoy the others and welcome to the site. Cheers Rob!
The Only Thing Wrong with Templeton Rye is the Price
Maybe the people at Templeton should have taken their flavoring agents and sloshed them into a wooden barrel and then, without rinsing the barrel, poured their un-aged spirit in there and left it for a few years. They could get the flavor profile they wanted and smug online reviewers wouldn’t bang on their high chairs so much. After all, the distillers in Scotland add flavoring in this way and are treated like their products are magical and date back to William Wallace. We pay extra for spirits aged in PX casks or Oloroso sherry casks and used bourbon casks. All impart an artificial flavoring into the whisky. Flavoring whiskey isn’t anything new. Neither is deceptive marketing. These people sell booze. Do you think Booker Noe or Pappy Van Winkle didn’t take liberties all the time? Its a time-honored tradition for the people down in Kentucky or up in the Scottish Highlands to laugh when they think about how old this barrel or that barrel really is compared to what it is sold as. Never forget that none of this business is honest or noble or anything beyond an alcohol delivery system. Templeton and Rittenhouse taste fine and basically the same and the second glass of either tastes better than the first. Rittenhouse costs less.
Let’s brush past the ridiculous “smug online reviewer banging on his high-chair” part of this off-base rant and get right to the more ridiculous part that makes severe stretches to try and brush off horrific behavior as “boys will be boys”… shall we?
Yes there is a history of deception in the whiskey industry and the reason to point it out everywhere you can is to shed light on it and get it to stop. I can’t help you if you don’t see how that’s good for everyone.
As for Booker and Fred, yes they’ve probably taken some liberties and all brands have tall tales around them. But Fred, Jimmy, Booker or any of the Scots and Irishmen we know and love have never bought whisk(e)y from another distillery – then put their name on the label – then completely fabricated a story about the source of the supposed mash bill – and then went on to say they distilled this sourced whiskey themselves.
Templeton went so far into their deception that on their tours they told people they had a still but they couldn’t see it working because it’s being cleaned or fixed or whatever. That isn’t spinning a yarn, an apocryphal tale or handing down a tall tale from the late 1800s. That’s multiple layers of outright purposeful deceit with an entire facade created for the sole purpose of deceiving the customer. And if you can’t see that, and tell the difference, I can’t help you.
I also can’t help you if you can’t see the massive difference between a Scottish whiskey tradition of using sherry casks and sherry treated casks (a natural product made from fermented grapes, not artificial) and some crap from a chemical engineering company. I also can’t help you if you can’t see the difference between the Scots, who proudly and openly talk about the sherry and the quality of their casks and so on vs a company that had to get sued to talk about their artificial flavor additive. If you don’t see a massive difference between the two scenarios I don’t know what to tell you.
Though Rittenhouse being tasty and affordable rye is definitely something we can find common ground on. Cheers, Padraig.
Iowa Legendary Rye is the real version. It’s a true small batch whiskey and uses the exact recipe Lorine Sextro used during prohibition. It’s 100% rye and the real deal. I highly recommend trying that over templeton lie
Thanks for the info Alec!
Don’t hold back man! Tell us what you really think. Lol!
I don’t want to lose my PG-13 Rating ;P
So, I’d never even heard of Templeton til I saw it on shelf in bar. I like rye, so ordered a double and googled. Being a craft distiller myself, I feel totally ripped off! Thanks for insight.
Sorry to hear you got ripped off by their shenanigans. Cheers Loren!
Hi Josh,
First, I love the site. I’m slowly trying various bourbons and Irish whiskeys (budgets are what they are), and I’ve been known to head to the Whiskey Jug on my phone while scanning the aisles at the liquor store here in NH.
Now, a question. My dad has been getting into ryes, but he’s discovered he really likes the Templeton. I don’t want to booze-snob him by saying he likes crooked stuff, but I’d like to gently steer him in a different direction. Can you recommend something with a similar flavor profile, but…you know…integrity? Preferably in a close (or better still, cheaper) price range?
Thanks.
Hey Sam,
Thanks! Try the Dickel Rye or the James E Pepper 1776 or even the High West Double Rye. All are MGP rye and should fit the bill :)
Ugh, I just purchased a bottle of this. I should have know better and read the back label details. I might have caught it was distilled in IN. And would have not purchased. Pretty bad.
Sorry to hear it :/
Hiya Josh,
As a somewhat new whiskey enthusiast, I’ve really enjoyed your content over the past few weeks, and in fact just switched to Dickel #12 as my go-to since learning from your comments section that Jim Beam Black had recently, and rather quietly, obfuscated its loyal customers with a minor label change…and a major corresponding change in quality. I’d simply assumed my taste buds aren’t what they were a few years ago… DOH! I’ve also been looking for the similarly bargain-priced McKenna offerings you and others here have recommended as solid bargains, but there’s not much I’ve found locally around Austin. Are there outlets you recommend from which I might order some, or does TABC prohibit that in TX? Also, I noticed lots of folks keep asking for your SBS of the older vs. newer Beam Black – hopefully the “shot” I just bought you will allow that to happen rather soon. Thanks again.
Now I’m reading here about Templeton Rye’s fall from grace, and it struck a *very* personal chord. You see, my parents both grew up in rural Iowa, one in Breda, the other in Denison, with Templeton not 30 miles away from either of them, as the crow flies. In fact, when my grandmother passed away a few years back, we visited several historical favorites: The old dance hall next to Storm Lake where they’d gone on their first of many dates there, Dad’s old home in Denison that, at the time, was just two doors down from governor L.W. Shaw, who would go on to serve as Treasury Secretary under Teddy Roosevelt, and of course, with so many stories and tastes over the years of Templeton’s “Good Stuff”, we had to visit the new distillery. Until then, the “legal” stuff was impossible to find in Texas, and hard to find even in Iowa, thus we’d only tasted the (arguably moreso, ha!) illegal variety. Indeed, I’d thought it quite peculiar how small the facility was, even having not visited a distillery of any kind before then. Now I know why.
Shame on you, Keith Kerkoff! SHAME ON YOU!!!
Keep fighting the good fight, Josh, and here’s to tasting many a good tastes along the way…
Best,
Nick
Wow, thank you for the great comment and sharing that personal story, I loved reading it! As for your question, I don’t know what the shipping laws are in TX, but I do know of a great liquor store in Houston called Nasa that carries a great variety and they might be able to ship inside of TX. If other states can ship into TX check out Ace online. Hope that helps.
Cheers Nick!
I like Old Overholt, and the Templeton bottle had a nice visual. After a second try and realizing my first impression was right, googled it and landed here. Need trust from companies who products you use, especially ingest. Drinking Yuengling now to push out the crap. Complain tomorrow to my liquor store to get it fully out of my system. A free nearly full bottle of the dubious stuff to the first taker.
Trust is vitally important and these guys still haven’t learned their lesson if you look at their recent press releases. Cheers Pete!
My usual day off from bartending:
Purchase whiskey. Evaluate whiskey. Visit Whiskey Jug.
Must say I gave a double take at the “00” and figured it to be an error! After reading your review and checking out some articles, I think it is great that you left this posted here instead of dismissing it all together. Thanks for the insight, as I don’t steer much further from your knowledge-bank of a site.
Thank you for this wonderful resource of educated opinion that has become a staple in my whiskey journey!
Cheers Brand, thank you :)
Thank you for this article. I’m sitting comfortably in my living room sipping on Tenpleton Rye 6yr and had been enjoying it until I read this. Now I just feel tricked and angry at them for misrepresenting what a true rye whiskey is.
I’m glad I know to steer clear of this stuff in the future.
Thank you for doing the research!
Cheers BenQ, I’m glad I could help steer you right in the future. These guys really piss me off… if you can’t tell :)
Haha. Tell is what you really think. You were so vague.
Ha, I’ll try to be more clear next time ;)
Templeton isn’t a rye whiskey at all, it’s a liqueur/cordial by TTB standards. Check TTB chapter 4 if you don’t believe me – it’s at best a “Rye Liqueur/Rye Cordial” due to the addition of (what i’d assume is <2.5%/vol) flavoring. The more ya know.
Love the website by the way ;)
Cheers, thanks!
Quick addendum – i’d not noticed they hadn’t tried calling it “straight rye whiskey” and simply call it “rye whiskey”, in which case I am wrong. Regardless, your thoughts on Templeton overall reflect mine 100%.
For rye, so long as they don’t state Straight they can add no more than 2.5% flavoring and still call it a rye. They’re taking advantage of a loop hole http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2015/02/no-additives-in-bourbon-no-way-no-how.html
Cheers Peter!
I hadn’t been drinking whiskey long when I bought a bottle of this and was impressed enough to visit the website, join the club, etc. Bought a second bottle even though it was pushing $40.I knew the backstory had to be 90% BS but I figured there had to be some truth to it, right? With the picture of the still at the “distillery” right there on the website I was correct in assuming it was being distilled in Iowa, yes? Then after hearing of the existence of LDI/MGP it was okay to forgive them as long as I was getting a quality (albeit overpriced) product, correct? I mean the number of NDP’s is growing by the day, many with BS stories just as outrageous as Templeton’s. Definitely not what I’d call lawsuit worthy. Then I find out they are adding flavoring? That’s the kicker. I’m fine with you selling me sourced juice as long as it is “honest” sourced juice. However, I’m definitely not okay with being served a chemical that’s not listed on the bottle. My box of cereal, can of soup, package of cookies, etc. may be packed full of chemicals, but at least they are listed on the package. Never again, and Mr. Kerkhoff…I’m still waiting on my check.
Cheers!
Always intrigued by the marketing of this product but never pulled the trigger as it always sounded a bit gimmicky. Any further interest in this product has now been permanently derailed. Thank you for your review with best wishes.
Thanks Al, glad I could dissuade someone from giving these blatant and unrepentant hucksters their money.
Cheers!
I just bought this and WAS excited to try it. Oh well, that’s part of exploring I guess.
That it is…
Cheers!
In all fairness, bootleggers put a bunch of bullshit chemicals in their whiskey to make it go further… maybe that’s the prohibition roots of the recipe Templeton is talking about???
Hahahah I think you might be correct!
My girlfriend and I used Templeton for Old Fashioned’s and we liked it. It was on sale the other day so I picked up a bottle. Something tasted a little off, so I decided to Google the ingredients. That’s when I found your review. Thanks for putting it online! I don’t like artificially flavored, falsely marketed products. I feel pretty ripped off. Wish I could return it.
Hey JW,
Hey JW,
So sorry to hear that happened to you, but that’s exactly why I put all that info in there. Glad it helpful at least to some degree.
Cheers!
If you don’t like it, don’t drink it!
Trust me, I don’t plan on ever buying another bottle, but thank you for stating the obvious.
Seriously? This is a site for reviewing whiskey and not an advertiser employed by Templeton. The author’s purpose is to evaluate a product and explain his evaluation. Disagreeing with a review makes sense, but your response gives the impression that you disapprove of the concept of reviewing itself. Why read reviews if, as your comment seems to imply, that people should basically try everything and stop drinking things they don’t like? Reviews are supposed to take some of the expensive and frustrating trial-and-error out of the process.
“If you don’t like it, don’t drink it” opens you up to the equally childish response that you should not read reviews if you don’t like them.
Golf clap.
If you put that in front of me, I’d sign my name to it (my real one).
Thank you :)