Dad’s Hat Vermouth-Finished Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Whereas most craft distillers make a handful of spirits, and some turn out a plethora of different spirits, a few focus on doing just the one thing. Dad’s Hat is an example of the latter, because the only thing they do is make Pennsylvania style rye whiskey. That isn’t to say they have only one expression under that hat, though. They have a handful of spins coming out of the singular distillate, and one of them is this Vermouth finished whiskey.

The Whiskey
For this one, Dad’s Hat take their staple rye, age it for nine or ten months in 15-gallon new oak barrles and finish it for three to six months in Quady Winery’s 15-gallon Vya Sweet Vermouth casks. The whiskey is then bottled at 94 proof.

A pour of Dad’s Hat Vermouth has a middling amber look in the glass, a bit darker than the usual color for a rye. Coating the glass leaves it awash with stubby tears.

The scent carries a mix of dried fruits, something like trail mix without the nuts, accented with spices and vanilla. Those spices run quite dry, giving some contrast against the fruitiness. The flavor turns sharply towards the spicy notes from the nose, running spicy and dry, with a strong current of pepperines and a chunk of barrel char sitting at the end of the road. The whiskey then winds down on that dry pepper and barrel char.

My take is that the sweet vermouth influence on the whiskey is limited principally to the nose, and makes but little impact elsewhere. Otherwise, the whiskey is quite like the other expressions on the youthful end of Dad’s Hat’s line.

The Price
Expect to pay about $47 for a bottle of Dad’s Hat Finished in Vermouth Barrels.