Kentucky is known for bourbon. Tennessee has its "sour mash" whiskey. And Scotland, of course, lays claim to Scotch.
Can New York state develop its signature distilled spirit?
A group of New York distilleries thinks they've found it: This month, they're starting to roll out a whiskey called Empire Rye.
It's not one specific version: Each distillery - including five located in Upstate New York - is producing a limited edition variation of rye whiskey that adheres to a set of standards but allows some creativity.
"We want a style that is uniquely New York," said Jason Barrett, owner and head distiller at Rochester's Black Button Distilling Co. "We chose rye because it has a historical connection to New York, and it grows well here. And although rye is getting pretty popular overall, we want to put a stamp on it that says, 'This is New York rye whiskey.' "
At Finger Lakes Distilling Co. in Burdett, just north of Watkins Glen, owner and president Brian McKenzie says this effort, while starting on a small-scale, could lead to something much more significant.
"It would be great to have this recognized as a style, not only in New York but nationally and even overseas," McKenzie said. "Of course we have a lot of work to do to make that happen. But if we can get even a fraction of the recognition and success of Kentucky bourbon, that would be something."
The initiative comes as New York's distilling industry is growing and maturing. The state now has more than 100 distilleries (up from 25 in 2011), most of them classified as "farm distilleries." Farm distillers must source at least 75 percent of their ingredients from New York.
Empire Rye goes even further: The standards set by the group calling itself the Empire Rye Whiskey Association include a minimum 75 percent New York-grown rye.
The standards also call for a minimum two years aging in new charred American oak barrel and aging at a relatively low alcohol level (115 proof in the barrel.)
"When you age at a lower proof, you get fewer of the harsh tannins and a more well-balanced product," Barrett said. "It highlights the rye flavor."
Enhancing the rye flavor is part of the Empire Rye signature.
To be labeled a rye whiskey in the United States, a whiskey must contain at least 51 percent rye (the rest can be other grains, like corn, wheat or malted barley). Bourbon, by contrast, must be at least 51 percent corn, with different grain making up the difference.
"So in bigger market brands, you get a lot of 51-49 ryes, and 51-49 bourbons, and there's not a lot of difference," Barrett said. That's one reason the Empire Rye producers set a minimum of 80 percent rye.
"Rye is bourbon's spicier cousin," Barrett said. "It should be distinctive."
The standards for Empire Rye, Barrett said, "are narrow enough to ensure consistency but wide enough to allow for the distillers' expression."
The distilleries involved in the Empire Rye project include Black Button in Rochester; Finger Lakes in Burdett; Coppersea Distilling near New Paltz; Tuthilltown Distilling in Gardiner; Yankee Distillers in Clifton Park; and New York Distilling Co., Kings County Distillery and Van Brunt Stillhouse, all in Brooklyn.
The initial launch is coming this week for New York Rye Week, featuring events mostly in the New York City area.
The idea for Empire Rye came in 2015 during a craft-distilled spirits conference in Denver. Representatives from several of the distillers who started the Empire Rye Whiskey Association spent a late night drinking and kicking around ideas to give the New York spirits industry an identity.
"I can't say I remember much about that night, but that's where the concept was born," McKenzie said.
It took just a matter of weeks for some of the distillers to start putting rye in new oak barrels and get the process rolling. They kept relatively quiet about the project until now when the whiskey has reached its two-year minimum aging mark.
Quantities will be limited in this first year, but the participating distillers already have larger future batches in production.
At Black Button, which had not produced a rye whiskey before, the formula (called the "grain bill" by distillers) is 95 percent New York rye and 5 percent malted barley. That makes it a very rye-forward whiskey.
Black Button plans to launch its Empire Rye on Black Friday. The distillery produced only about 600 bottles. They will be available at the two Black Button tasting rooms -- at 85 Railroad St. in Rochester and 149 Swan St. in Buffalo -- and at a few select other accounts.
Finger Lakes Distilling, meanwhile, already has a successful rye, called McKenzie Rye (a sister product to its McKenzie Bourbon). It's 80 percent rye and 20 percent malted barley, all from New York state. Unlike the McKenzie Rye, it is aged in new oak and not finished in sherry casks.
There are just 200 or so bottles in the initial batch, and they will be available starting next week at the Finger Lakes Distilling tasting room, 4676 State Route 414, overlooking Seneca Lake's southeast shoreline.
"This program is still a work in progress," McKenzie of Finger Lakes Distilling said. "But it shows what's great about the craft spirits industry in New York. We can work together, and hopefully, build an identity around this product. We want people to say, "Hey that's Empire Rye. That's New York.' "
