In addition to releasing its 10 Year rye, Templeton refreshed the packaging of its full line, making now as good a time as ever to consider Templeton Four Year. The whiskey is sourced from Indiana and distilled from a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, and bottled in the town of Templeton, Iowa.
The whiskey pours a light bronze in the glass and has a nose I’d summarize as “sweet but dusty,” with caramel apples, brown sugar, and hot oak. That caramel apple note is detectable from the first sip, and rich, round caramel goes on to define the rye in both taste and texture.
While that caramel apple dominates that first sip, the whiskey grows a bit more astringent at the center, turning into regular ol’ green apple, albeit with a side of brown sugar. The apple note continues toward the back, where it meets a confluence of rich vanilla bean and pie crust to transform to apple pie a la mode. Once the fruity, biscuity notes of apple pie burn off, we’re left with a manageable but substantial finish of rye spice.
In an Old-Fashioned, I must admit that some of the intricacies get lost, which might have to do with its 80-proof strength. Instead, I tasted much more of the bitters (using two shakes each of Angostura and Peychaud’s—admittedly heavy), though some of those caramel apple notes punched above the additional flavors.
To be clear, it was still a good Old-Fashioned—but I’ll prefer my Templeton Four Year neat to get into those satisfying notes of apple and caramel.
★★★
Stats:
— 40% ABV
— $30
