We had to wait a century, but it was worth it. A couple years ago, Tattersall introduced the first bottled-in-bond bourbon to be made in Minnesota since before Prohibition. They even doubled down on the release, offering both wheated and high-rye versions of their BIB bourbon. To qualify as bottled in bond, a whiskey must be made at a single distillery from a single distilling season, aged at least four years, and bottled at 100 proof. Surdyk’s has bumped that singularity up a notch with the purchase of our own single barrel of Tattersall’s high-rye bourbon. A locavore’s dream, it was distilled just up the road from us here in Northeast Minneapolis, using corn and rye grown on a fourth-generation family farm in Cambridge, and aged in a 30-gallon white oak barrel made in Park Rapids. With a mash bill of 55% corn, 45% rye, and 10% malted rye, this bourbon pushes the percentage of rye nearly to the legal limit. Bursting with spice and baked fruit flavors, it’s eminently sip-worthy on its own, though it also makes a truly outstanding Old-Fashioned. And at this price, it’s a steal by craft distillery standards. - David Mahoney, Staff Consultant