Templeton Rye refers to rye whiskey originally made in Templeton, Iowa, during the prohibition era as a way for farmers in the Carroll County area to supplement their income.[1] Amber in color, it was considered to be of particularly high quality and was popular in Chicago, Omaha, and Kansas City speakeasies.[2] It was said to be the mobster Al Capone's drink of choice.[3] More recently "Templeton Rye" has been introduced as a brand of whiskey that its producer claims is based on a prohibition-era recipe. Distribution outside of Iowa began in August 2007.[4]
 | |
| Type | Rye Whiskey |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Templeton Rye Spirits, LLC |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 2006 |
| Alcohol by volume | 40% |
| Proof (US) | 80 |
| Color | Amber |
| Website | www |
Templeton Rye brand whiskey is distilled and aged in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, by MGP of Indiana utilizing a recipe shared with other brands. It is combined with an "alcohol flavoring formulation" from Clarendon Flavor Engineers referred to as “blenders”, which are added to make it taste as close as possible to original recipe from prohibition era[5][6] and bottled at the distillery in Templeton, Iowa.[6]
Pursuant to a class action settlement announced in 2015, Templeton added the words "distilled in Indiana" to the label and removed claims of "Prohibition Era Recipe" and "small batch." The settlement also afforded refunds to customers who bought Templeton Rye since 2006.[6] The company is commencing distilling operations in Iowa, with the first product to appear in 2022.[7]
References
edit- ^ Templeton, Iowa website, "The Story of Templeton Rye."
- ^ Ossian, Lisa L. (Summer 2006). "Bandits, Mad Men, and Suicides: Fear, Anger, and Death in a Troubled Iowa Landscape, 1929–1933". Agricultural History. 80 (3): 296–311. doi:10.1215/00021482-80.3.296. JSTOR 3744818. INIST 18458086 ProQuest 198067378.
- ^ Walker, Jason (July 7, 2009). "Templeton Rye of Templeton, Iowa". Heavy Table. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ^ Kilen, Mike (August 15, 2007). "Cheers, Chicago: Iowa rye makes its return". Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 25, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ Hafner, Josh (August 28, 2014). "How Templeton Rye is produced". Des Moines Register.
- ^ a b c Noel, Josh (July 14, 2015). "Templeton Rye reaches lawsuit settlement, will pay refunds". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
- ^ Hendee, David (April 9, 2017). "After $26M expansion, Templeton Rye will again be distilled in Iowa community where it started over a century ago". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
External links
edit- Templeton Rye Spirits LLC website
- Templeton, Iowa, website
- Interview with Scott Bush, et al. on the reintroduction and history of Templeton Rye[permanent dead link] (Iowa Public Radio, April 24, 2008)
- Templeton Rye: Iowa's Good Stuff Documentary produced by Iowa Public Television
- Gentlemen Bootleggers: The True Story of Templeton Rye, Prohibition, and a Small Town in Cahoots, Winner, 2014 Benjamin F. Shambaugh Book Award for Iowa history, State Historical Society of Iowa
- Whiskey Cookers: The Amazing True Story of the Templeton Rye Bootleggers 2016 Best Documentary Award Winner, Iowa Independent Film Festival