The New Whisky Frontier – Why You Should Be Trying European Rye BY HARRY BRENNAN
Don’t get me wrong - North America has its fair share of quality rye whiskey but if you didn’t already know, the Dutch also know a thing or two. Their Millstone 100 recently won 2023’s best rye whisky at the World Whiskies Awards. Personally, having visited the source myself and talking to rye experts in Canada and the US, I want to share with classic North American rye whisky fans what they can expect from the new European challengers. Canada, the US, and the Netherlands all have diverging histories which explain some of the many differences between their styles. Rye grain has been cultivated in the Netherlands dates back to the Roman times. Its enduring popularity owes to the same qualities which later made it popular in North America. It’s a hardy grain that grows in much colder weather and poor sandy soil such as those around Zuidam (ZAUW-dom) Distillery which only uses local rye. Until recently, this was all milled the traditional way in a local windmill, hence the brand name Millstone. Talk about a Dutch way of making whisky! Historically, what little wheat and barley could be grown was largely preserved for bread and beer respectively. Rye became a key part of traditional jenever-making, and Patrick Van Zuidam carried that experience forward with a laid- back and very characteristically Dutch “why not?” approach. By comparison, early Canadian distillers introduced rye specifically to add flavour and depth to their wheat or corn based spirits.
Millstone is by far younger than the big brands making rye whiskey in North America, only starting production in 1994. That said, it’s still the Netherlands’ largest whisky distillery and arguably at the forefront of European rye. One stand-out difference between Millstone and its North American counterparts is the 100% rye mash bill which provides a heavier grainy punch of flavour. This grain has a reputation for misbehaving badly.
Distilling it is a huge challenge because it loves to seize up, turning into an intractable pipe-clogging paste. Patrick tells of vivid stories of wading through overflowed rye mash but unhesitatingly declares that the results are worth it. Zuidam releases Millstone rye in two forms: 100 and the 92 (named after their respective alcohol proofs) and both made with 100% rye. Neither has an age statement, but the 100 is roughly nine to ten years old while the 92 is around five. Tasting both of them under Patrick’s watchful gaze, I found the 100 full of red fruit aromas, a light bready note, and a spicy palate of cloves, orange, and pepper. By contrast, the 92 was immediately fruity and smooth with a surprising greater depth of fruit opening up with the lower age and ABV.
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the whisky explorer magazine
WINTER 2024
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