James Oliver Rye Whiskey

James Oliver Rye Whiskey will stand up and teach your next cocktail what for.

Indio Spirits was incorporated back in 2004 by John Ufford of Portland, Oregon — before he had a single product or employee. What he did have was a vision and desire. He was smart enough to know that he needed help, so in 2005 he brought on Robert Turner who had industry chops. Soon, they released their first products, a pair of flavored Vodkas. Boom goes the dynamite!

Each year since they have created and innovated their way though a slew of new product offerings. How many you ask? Well, they have 6 flavored Vodkas, 4 Whiskeys, 3 Rums, 2 Gins, 1 specialty Liqueur, and a partridge in a pear tree. OK, we made up that last part, but the point is that Indio Spirits in a craft distillery that keeps the still humming day and night to keep up with demand.

James Oliver Rye Whiskey is named after Robert’s grandfather — James Oliver Turner — and the bottle bears a story about his life. That’s kind of cool, right? But let’s get right to the Whiskey.

Most Rye Distillate comes from Canada these days. Can’t blame ‘em. Rye is a fickle mistress and those Canadians do a good job taming the fiery spirit. But James Oliver Rye is 100% American Rye distillate barreled, aged, and bottled at the Indio Spirits headquarters in Oregon. And the barrels that they use are American white oak with a dark #4 cha r— sometimes called an "alligator char" because of the burn pattern on the inside of the barrels.

A lighter char tends toward a fruit-forward, spicy Whiskey and a darker char tends toward vanilla flavors and a richer color. So James Oliver Rye has a natural Rye-forward spice and infused vanilla character to it. And it is bottled at a full 100 proof — 50% ABV— so it will stand up to your favorite cocktail recipes and teach it what for.