J.W. Kelly Melrose Rye Whiskey
J.W. Kelly Melrose Rye Whiskey is the finished, premium rye of the revived Chattanooga house — 92 proof (46% ABV), 750mL, first aged in American white oak barrels and then finished in hand-selected Amarone wine casks from Italy's Valpolicella, which deepen its cherry and cinnamon spice. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 46% (92 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: Rye whiskey finished in Amarone wine casks
- First maturation: American white oak from wood air-dried two years, lightly toasted and charred
- Finish: Hand-selected Amarone wine casks (Valpolicella, Italy)
- Origin: Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA (J.W. Kelly & Co. / Keeper's Quest)
Chattanooga's First-Born Rye, Finished in Amarone
When Keeper's Quest revived J.W. Kelly & Co. — the Chattanooga whiskey house James Watt Kelly founded in 1866 — Melrose was the rye it led with, introduced in September 2018 as Chattanooga's first-born rye whiskey. At the launch, the owners described the whiskey as distilled in Kentucky and aged, blended, cask-finished and bottled in Chattanooga. The finishing casks are the signature: Amarone, the rich red wine of Valpolicella near Venice, lends the rye a dark-fruit depth that straight oak alone does not. Compare it with the house's core rye in our rye whiskey collection, or browse the range on the J.W.Kelly Whiskey vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Brand owner: The ageing adds spicy, dry flavours and heightens the cherry and cinnamon notes. Review notes (The Whiskey Wash, via retailer): Clove and ginger rye spice with vanilla, dried stone fruit, prune and raisin on the nose; sweet caramel building to clove and nutmeg on the palate; a raisin, molasses, oak and orange finish — dessert-like in character.
How to Enjoy
Sip it neat first — the Amarone finish is the whole point — then try it in a Manhattan, where the cask's cherry depth meets the drink's own cherry garnish, or with a single cube to open the dried-fruit notes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Amarone cask finish? After its first maturation in American white oak, the rye rests in casks that previously held Amarone — the rich, dried-grape red wine of Valpolicella, Italy — picking up dark fruit, cherry and spice from the wine-soaked wood.
How old is Melrose Rye? The house publishes no age statement for Melrose. The "two years" in its story is the air-drying of the oak the barrels were built from — wood seasoning, not the whiskey's age — so treat any exact age claim for this bottle with suspicion.
Where is Melrose made? It is a Chattanooga house whiskey: at its 2018 launch the owners described it as distilled in Kentucky, then aged, blended, finished in Amarone casks and bottled in Chattanooga by Keeper's Quest.
Amarone-finished and Chattanooga-born — buy J.W. Kelly Melrose Rye Whiskey online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.