Do you remember what we said about 2023 being the year of Rye Whiskey? We are continuing withour oldest one yet,and with less than 100 bottles available,this 12-year Hughes Belle of Bedford single barrel rye may not last very long. If you enjoyed the age-forward profile of our last Nashville 11-year, you'll be right at home with this one.\xa0 \xa0 Hughes Bros. Distillers burst onto the Seelbach's radar in early 2021. Great whiskey brand requires good whiskey and a captivating story. We often see "captivating" instead of a "true" story. The true history of whiskey in America is often overlooked. Kentucky is famous for Bourbon. American whiskey is actually Pennsylvania. Rye whiskey was first produced by Eastern European settlers in the 17th century. That's where John J Hughes got his start.
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Hughes founded the Hughes Distillery in 1872 near Schellsburg, Pennsylvania. The distillery was on a farm with a gristmill, 150 acres of forested land, and a productive spring-fed lake. The whiskey produced became well-known and was later renamed Hughes Bros. Distillers in 1890 by John J's sons. The distillery operated continuously until Prohibition began in 1920. During this time, "Monongahela Rye" was the style of whiskey produced. A Monongahela Rye mash bill, used in Pennsylvania, consisted of 80-100% rye grain. The remaining part made up of corn or malted barley.
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Cyrus Kehyari, the great-great-grandson of John J Hughes, revived the Hughes Bros. Distillers brand in 2020. They source straight rye whiskey from Lawrenceburg, Indiana. This is to recreate that historic Monongahela house style of Hughes Bros. We've released several private barrels from Hughes, including some 10-year ryes early in 2023, but we are loving what 12-years has done to this rye.\xa0 \xa0 The nose is deep and thick, more sweet than spiced but definitely carries caramel, dark cherry syrup, and elegant baking spices as well. Through it all is heavily aged oak. \xa0 The palate does not shy away from the age. Herbal-led vanilla cream, antique oak, pipe tobacco, dry but softly candied peppery and cardamom spices.\xa0 \xa0 The finish continues long and dry with black pepper, spiced apples and slightly raw oak, with the oak continuing to grow more and more prominent in the long linger. | 
