Glyph Spice Spirit Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: C-

Glyph Spice
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

As the craft whiskey boom really took off in the early 2010s, many small producers were on the look out for techniques to reduce maturation time or bypass it all together. The classic was to age in small or tiny barrels. The best examples of this tailored their production process to make a better new make, something that would be drinkable after a mere several months in a cask that was 10 gallons or less. Many did not, giving rise to the whole “craft whiskey sucks” meme that is still kicking around to this day. Others used the small barrel concept and took it a step further, such as Defiant using spiral oak cuts (maximizing surface area) and dropping those into the whiskey, with decidedly mixed results.

The most interesting have been attempts to take a more high-tech approach, such as the ultrasonic TerrePure process. Again, when one takes in the gambit of these more laboratory-oriented methods, some achieve results worth further exploration and others come as as being mere gimmicks. Cleveland Whiskey attempted to circumvent maturation by using pressurization, with notoriously bad results. Yet some, like Bespoken Spirits, show some promise.

Glyph Spirits says they “[craft whiskey] ‘note by note’ in less than 24 hours using flavor and aroma molecules extracted from more efficient sources in nature.” By that, they mean they extract flavors directly from “plants and yeasts” and then add this to neutral grain alcohol (corn vodka, basically).

That is all very interesting, but the label is somewhat more substantive, because it must be approved by the TTB and meet certain legal requirements. Glyph Spice is a “spirit whiskey with natural flavors,” and spirits whiskey is a blend of the aforementioned neutral spirits with 5% to 20% whiskey. Spirit whiskey was a creation of the Great Whiskey Bust of the 1970s, as big distillers scrambled to create lighter products that they felt the vodka, wine and lite beer drinking Boomers of the day wanted. So, this is a little actually whiskey of some kind, corn vodka and added flavoring. Glyph is also keen on calling attention to how environmentally friendly their process is, using less water and energy than traditional distilling.

The Whiskey
The pour has a dull copper look to it, and a nose that is light, but has a slight bite to it, despite being only 40% ABV. The scents are of pine needles and canned fruit medley. The flavor delivers more pine attached to allspice. This is a simple enough drink, and it might make for a good mixer in the right company.

The Price
One thing Glyph Spice has going for it is that it is pretty cheap. I’ve seen it listed with online retailers in the $16 to $22 range.