Driftless Glen Rye Whiskey
Driftless Glen Rye Whiskey is the small-batch straight rye from Baraboo, Wisconsin — 48% ABV (96 proof), 750mL, distilled from a mash of 75% rye and 25% malted barley, aged more than four years in new American oak and batched at roughly twenty barrels at a time. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 48% (96 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Mash Bill: 75% rye, 25% malted barley (no corn)
- Aging: 4+ years in new American oak barrels
- Batch: Small batch, ~20 barrels, hand-selected
- Origin: Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA (Driftless Glen Distillery)
- Award: Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2022
Distilled Where the Glaciers Stopped
Founders Brian and Renee Bemis put their distillery in Wisconsin's Driftless Area — the corner of the Midwest the glaciers never flattened — for its aquifer, sandy soil, peat and weather, on the Baraboo River in what Aldo Leopold called Sand County. The rye is their grain-to-glass flagship style: a high-rye mash with no corn at all, the barley quarter bringing caramel and chocolate under the spice, and four-plus years in new oak before the distillers hand-pick each ~20-barrel batch. Find it on our rye whiskey shelf, or browse the distillery's bourbons alongside it on the Driftless Glen vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Palate: Spicy complexity with vanilla and honey, the malted barley contributing caramel and chocolate beneath the rye spice (distillery notes). Finish: The high-rye heat is described by the distillery as surviving the rackhouse years — spice first, sweetness under it.
How to Enjoy
Neat or with a splash of water to open the spice; it is built for a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned, where a 75% rye mash and 96 proof keep the whiskey in charge of the drink.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the mash bill? 75% rye and 25% malted barley — no corn — which is what separates this rye from Driftless Glen's softer 51 Rye (51% rye, with corn).
How old is it? Aged more than four years in new American oak barrels, per the distillery's product sheet, and bottled in small batches of about twenty barrels.
Why is it called Driftless Glen? For the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, a region that escaped glacial flattening; the distillery sits by the Baraboo River and chose the site for its water, soil and climate.
High-rye, corn-free, Wisconsin-made — pick up Driftless Glen Rye Whiskey online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.