Leopold Bros. Three Chamber Rye - Collector’s Edition 1st Release

LEOPOLD BROS. - Three Chamber Rye - Commemorative 1st Release

750ml, 1 of 5,280 bottles.

This is a historic release — the first whiskey produced on a 3 chamber pot still since prohibition. Hard to believe that this type of still was the dominant still type before prohibition, and yet was forgotten by the distilling world until Leopold Bros.’ Master Distiller Todd Leopold discovered the designs in some old filings. They resurrected it painstakingly, and after 4+ years (it is “Bottled in Bond", 50% abv), it is finally here! So, how is a three chamber still different from a regular still? Well, for one thing, the process extracts more oils, which lends to more rose petal and other floral notes, and generally makes it feel like a much more full-bodied whiskey than you would expect from other whiskies of a similar age. Another key fact Todd uncovered was the evolution of grain — back when these stills were dominant, the grains used for distillation had something in the range of 60% to 65% starch. Over the decades, the industry has sought out higher and higher yield grains, so that today most whiskey is made with grains that have over 80% starch —resulting in higher yield, but by definition less flavor (starch doesn’t have any flavor). To address this, Todd sought out and found a rye varietal (abruzzi rye) that closely follows the earlier, lower-yield style (62% starch). This again results in higher oil content, which plays perfectly with a 3 chamber still, what Todd describes as an “oil extraction machine”. The mashbill is 80% rye, 20% barley. And, remarkably, this whisky is going into the barrel at a very low 100 proof, which allows it to come out at 100 proof which is also cask strength! More info on this process can be found at the link below. The result is remarkable, and you need only do a quick google search of reviews of this release to confirm for yourself how special and well-regarded it is.

Todd and the Leopold Bros. team created this video to explain what makes the 3 chamber still so unique, which you can see here.