Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask: Review

Over the summer, I wanted to make a Rye Tai whiskey cocktail but I didn’t have anything in my liquor cabinets that I thought would make a good base spirit. I headed to the liquor store in search of a rye whiskey, specifically one that was finished in rum casks. I felt a rum cask-finished rye would make the perfect spicy base for our Rye Tai. My search led me to this bottle of Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask.

I have to admit, I’d never heard of Templeton before. I took a minute to read the label and found the spirit is produced and bottled in Iowa, but distilled in Indiana. If it is from Indiana it is likely produced by MGP. A little internet sleuthing reveals that Templeton Rye is indeed an MGP product.

Templeton Rye

Templeton Rye was created in 2006 and bottles several different expressions of rye whiskey. Templeton Rye honors the spirit of the American bootleggers who illegally distributed alcohol during prohibition as a way to make ends meet during the hard times of the great depression. Leave it to a marketing company to romanticize criminal activity.

Besides the interesting bootlegger origin story for the brand, Templeton Rye has experienced some legal woes of its own. When Templeton Rye was first released, the company promoted its rye as a made-in-Iowa product. Many of the company’s executives were intentionally misleading about the origins of the product. It led the company to be sued as part of a class action case to provide the source of their whiskey. Shortly after litigation, “distilled in Indiana” started showing up on the bottles.

Only recently did Templeton Rye make moves towards producing their own whiskey. In 2018, the company broke ground on a distillation facility that they hoped would allow them to produce their own whiskey. However, at the time of this writing, MGP bottles seem to be the only Templeton Rye available. Many writers hoped Templeton would have released their own 4-year expression sometime in 2022.

Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask Finish

The Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask is a limited bottling of the Templeton Barrel Finish Series. The rye whiskey inside is aged for 5 years, then finished for 6 months in dark rum barrels. It appears to be the 2nd release of their Barrel Finished Series.

According to The Whiskey Wash, Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask was released in late 2020. Seeing that I found this at my local liquor store in 2022, it is safe to say it wasn’t flying off the shelves. That being said, it is bottled at 92 proof and was very affordable at $32.

Tasting Notes

On the nose, I picked up hints of banana, which was very indicative of the rum cask finish on this whiskey. It was followed by notes of grass, and a hint of pepper. I noticed the grass, and pepper on the palate, along with a bit of stone fruit. Although there was a hint of the spiciness I associate with rye, Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask was generally sweet and pleasant.

Alie picked up grass and cedar on the nose. On the palate, she noted the grass and oak. She felt Templeton Rye was on the bitter side with a bit of rum spice more than the rye spiciness. Alie generally likes rye whiskey, much more than I do. However, she hates rum. Due to the heavy rum flavors of Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask, she didn’t care for it.

Although it is one of those rare whiskeys we didn’t agree about, we did like Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask in cocktails. Templeton Rye is perfect for our Rye Tai. You can find the recipe here.

Our Ratings

Drinkability: 3.6

Intensity: 2.7

Personal Preference: 2.5

Beginner Friendly: 3.4

Availability: 3

Overall: 3.3

Final Thoughts

Yes, Templeton Rye is an MGP whiskey. It probably isn’t unlike other MGP-sourced rye whiskey blends. However, Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask puts a different spin on the standard MGP offering. The sweetness and rum spice, likely from the barrel finish, made this an interesting whiskey to sample. It is one of the more unique whiskeys we’ve tried in recent months.

The Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask finish was perfect in our Rye Tai cocktail. Even if you don’t care for it straight up, it will make a great cocktail mixer. If you are able to find it for a reasonable price, you won’t feel bad using it as a mixer. However, if you are paying retail, which appears to be around $50, that might be too steep to justify mixing in cocktails. Templeton Rye Caribbean Rum Cask isn’t for everyone, but there is a chance you might enjoy it. For $30, it is hard to go wrong.

Happy Exploring!