Corbin Cash 1917 Merced Rye Whiskey
Product details
| Management number | 253637235 | Release Date | 2026/10/24 | List Price | CA$31.60 | Model Number | 253637235 | ||
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Some rye whiskies lean polite; this one shows up with its boots dusty and its sleeves rolled. Corbin Cash 1917 Merced Rye is a cask-strength, farm-to-bottle California rye made from a 100% Merced rye mashbill grown on the Souza family farm in Atwater, California. Aged six years in custom-charred American white oak and bottled at 123 proof, it channels both the heat of Central Valley summers and the patient quiet of the rickhouse.
Beneath the stats, there’s a story of terroir and stubborn grain. Merced rye was initially planted as a nitrogen-fixing cover crop for the family’s sweet potato fields. Yet, it turned out to make remarkably characterful whiskey: intensely spicy, earthy, and naturally drought-resistant, with roots that dig deep into California soil. That single-grain focus gives 1917 a distinct identity, one that differs from the corn-heavy Kentucky crowd and even from most American ryes.
In the glass, the whiskey feels big but not chaotic. You’ll find smoky caramel, dark cherry, toasted rye bread, and burnt oak, with whispers of cacao and pecan circling underneath. It smells like a bakery at closing time, sharing air with a working rickhouse: sweet, grainy, a little dusty, and edged with char. On the palate, that 123 proof arrives in a slow, deliberate wave. Dark cherry, caramel, cinnamon, and roasted nuts envelop a dense rye core, accompanied by bitter chocolate, black pepper, and a hint of medicinal herb. A splash of water coaxes out more toffee, apple, and vanilla while softening the heat just enough to let the grain sing. The finish is dry, grippy, and long, with tannic oak, leather, rye spice, and cocoa lingering like the last shadows of a Central Valley sunset. This isn’t a background sipper; it’s a conversation piece for rye lovers who want intensity, texture, and a definite sense of place in their glass. Neat in a Glencairn, or with a careful drop of water, 1917 Merced Rye rewards patience and curiosity in equal measure.
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