Distillery: Kennay Farms Distillery
Proof: 95
Age: 7 Months
Mashbill: 51% Rye, 44% Corn, 5% Wheat,
BACKGROUND: Kennay Farms Distilling is a family owned distilling company based in Rochelle, IL. Kennay Farms started as a family farm in 1986 by Rick and Doris Kennay after a long family lineage in and passion for agriculture. Rick and Dorris instilled a passion for agriculture into their three kids and when Kaleb, Aubrey, and a nephew Adam returned to the farm in 2016 after college, they felt that diversifying into distillation was a great opportunity to grow their business and passion for agriculture and spirits. Kennay Farms opened in 2019 with 3 spirits: vodka, gin, and rye whiskey all using their family farm grown and milled grains. They also do all of the distillation which means that the spirits in their bottles are taken from grain-to-glass all through the Kennay family. Their spirit portfolio includes a vodka, gin, rye whiskey, a limited cask strength rye in honor of local law enforcement and they are also in the process of aging a bourbon whiskey and 100% corn bourbon. Kennay Farms label boasts the image of the "Kennay Lady" which was designed in a way to honor women in the spirits and agricultural industries. The "Kennay Lady" was designed by Dusty Horner, a Rochelle native and lifelong family friend, used this inspiration to create the “Kennay Lady.” Dusty was an artist and sculptor for DreamWorks Animation and was the lead sculptor for Disney's Classic collectibles line.
NOSE: Sweet and spicy is the best way to describe this one! There are wonderful sweet cherry coke notes that lie on top of spicy rye notes. There is no burn but the rye spice really opens up your nostrils. Once you settle in on the cherry coke notes there is no denying it but it is made up of vanilla, coke, and sweet cherries along with some fresh lemon rind and oranges. This is a very unique nose with bold and sweet notes that was unexpected for a young whiskey. (22/25)
PALATE: As soon as the whiskey touched my lips I was immediately reminded of hard cherry candies. There is a chewiness and richness that I was not expecting marries by a smoothness and velvet feel. The cherry candy notes balance well with sharp rye spice and soft and delicate wheat notes. Together they form a distinct flavor profile that marries spicy rye, delicate wheat, and sweet corn. I never would've guessed this to be a 7 month old whiskey. (35/40)
FINISH: The finish is medium and wet with notes of rye spice, cherries, and a slight pure ethanol taste. It leaves a tingling sensation in your mouth and a slight tang. (21/25)
VALUE: Kennay Farms Rye Whiskey has a SRP of $36 which is an excellent value on this unique and tasty whiskey! We recommend you getting yourself a bottle (8/10)
Overall: 86/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Kennay Farms Rye Whiskey is a delicious, sweet, smooth, and enjoyable rye whiskey that is perfect neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. It drinks like a whiskey older than 7 months. We strongly recommend this bottle to anyone who enjoys sweet whiskey or spicy whiskey. Kennay Farms is a great brand and we recommend you visit their website or purchase a bottle here.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Sonoma Brother's Rye Whiskey
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Traverse City North Coast Rye
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
