Templeton 4 yr Rye Whiskey 1L

Templeton Rye Spirits was founded in 2006 in the small town of Templeton, Iowa, and built its early identity around a Prohibition-era story tied to local bootlegging history, including references to Al Capone as a fan of the original product. That marketing came under scrutiny in 2014, when a class-action lawsuit challenged claims of a historic Iowa recipe, since the whiskey was actually sourced from MGP Ingredients in Indiana. Templeton settled, adjusted its labeling to disclose the Indiana origin, and has since built its own distillery in Templeton, with plans to eventually bottle whiskey it distills itself.

Templeton Rye Aged 4 Years starts from a mash bill of 95 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley, distilled by MGP and shipped to Iowa, where it's blended with a small proportion of proprietary flavoring, cut with local water, and bottled. Because that flavoring addition exceeds what's allowed for a straight rye designation, the bottle is labeled simply as rye whiskey rather than straight rye. It's bottled at 80 proof, or 40 percent ABV, aged a minimum of four years in new charred American oak.

The nose leans dry and grassy with a note of Christmas spice, along with caramel apple, brown sugar, and warm oak. On the palate, caramel and butterscotch dominate early, joined by toffee and allspice, while apple and vanilla notes build toward the back before settling into a smooth, balanced finish. The overall profile favors easy drinkability over bold rye spice.