PITTSBURGH — It's well documented that Fred Minnick loves whiskey, and now it's documented that he loves a Western Pennsylvania one too.
The expert tasted some 700 whiskeys of all sorts in 2021, and revealed his Top 100 on Wednesday via YouTube. Coming in at No. 50 is Liberty Pole Spirits Peated Rye, which is made and bottled in Washington, Pennsylvania.
Minnick said he was "so giddy" about the small distillery that "beat a lot of big-time whiskeys" because it "did something that no one has had done before and that was absolutely add the nuance of peat without losing the character of the rye. And that is one of the most exciting things I have seen in American whiskey in a long, long time." He encouraged viewers, "If you can find it, get it," but acknowledged that little was made.
And in fact, the most recent batch of peated rye sold out fast for $64 for a 750-milliliter bottle and is out of stock at libertypolespirits.com.
One other Pennsylvania rye made the cut: Dad's Hat Bottled in Bond Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey, which is distilled and bottled by Mountain Laurel Spirits in Bristol, the co-founder of which is Herman Mihalich, who grew up in an apartment over his dad's bar in Monessen.
Mihalich also is quite pleased with being recognized for helping bring back this traditional spirit and says, "No doubt that Pennsylvania rye whiskey is now on Fred's radar. It is great that he explores categories and whiskeys that are not the usual big-name brands."
See the entire 100 Best Whiskeys of 2021 list at bit.ly/3zW9Eud.
