Whiskey from New York state and New York City often invokes an image of rye before anything else. Rye cultivation and the subsequent distillation of rye whiskey have been significant in the Empire State’s history, owing to its climate that is favorable for growing hardy rye grain. Recently, the state’s distilling industry has been striving to fine-tune this legacy into a unique style, termed the “Empire Rye.” This term indicates that the whiskey must be distilled from at least 75% New York state-grown rye. Despite the lack of federal support, this definition is propelling numerous small distilleries to innovate, sometimes with neglected or revived rye varietals. An example includes the NY Distilling Co., located in Bushwick since 2011, focusing on producing spirits in NYC. Their latest Jaywalk Rye Whiskey series unveils a rye varietal rarely seen in the industry, Horton Rye.

This distillery was previously known for producing their Ragtime Rye whiskey, a younger product also made with NY-grown grain. Reflecting on the fact that the Ragtime Rye is no longer among the products listed on their website, it could be inferred that the new, more mature Jaywalk series is the successor, repackaged to better portray the company’s mission.

The Jaywalk series includes three distinct expressions: a “standard” straight rye at 92 proof with an impressive 6-8 year age statement, a bonded variant at 7 years and 100 proof, and a rare “Heirloom Rye” variant that is cask strength. Each of these is distilled from a mash bill of 75% New York rye, 13% New York corn, and 12% malted barley. The highlight of the series, however, is the unique rye grain itself. The mash bill merges Field Race rye, previously used in the Ragtime Rye, and the newly accessible Horton rye. The Horton rye is an heirloom varietal dating back to 17th century New York. It was almost wiped out before the NY Distilling Co. partnered with Cornell University’s College of Agriculture resurrect from seeds. The five-year revival began in greenhouses, transitioning to fields, and resulted in a rye that added special flavors to their whiskeys.

What we are looking at with the Jaywalk Straight Rye Whiskey is a well-aged, 92 proof rye expression with an extraordinary grain history. The $50 MSRP stands out too, considering it’s a huge bargain for a 6-8 year old rye from a craft producer. That price point for such well-aged rye from mainstream producers is already a kick. If it’s from a craft distillery, it’s an even bigger steal. As an aside, although I generally don’t dwell on package design or aesthetics, the octagonal bottles strike me as particularly elegant.

So let’s dive into the tasting.

The aroma of this rye represents a mix of familiar and more unique elements. The peppery notes common in rye whiskey are visible, yet they are coupled with a more earthy-sweet feature that isn’t found as often. The fragrance can be a bit musty intermittently, yet it is nicely balanced between sweet deep caramelized toffee and complex herbal/floral tones. Along with that, I’m also sensing pine, rye bread, and a distinct touch of mint. There are indeed many flavors, however, identifying all at first can be difficult.

Upon tasting, the mint resurfaces substantially, coupled with milk chocolate creating a hint of mint chip ice cream. The pure rye grain flavor merges with cracked pepper and also a peach/apricot fruitiness, mixed with a sweet, minty herbal character. However, the savory overtones of tobacco and cigar wrapper, in addition to damp grass, generate a more intricate profile. The flavor spectrum of this grain ranges from fruity, herbal to sweet which is absolutely captivating. Even at this proof point, the flavor is quite strong, punching a bit beyond its expected proof. If had to take a blind test, I would probably presume this to be 100 proof or even higher, considering the boldness of its flavors.

In conclusion, this is a very robust rye from NY Distilling Co., specifically remarkable for delivering exceptional value at a $50 price point, especially when considering the extensive effort invested in the revival of the Horton rye. Those interested in exploring the Empire Rye concept might want to give it a try.

Distillery: NY Distilling Co.

City: Brooklyn, NYC

Style: Straight rye whiskey

ABV: 46% (92 proof)

Availability: 750 ml bottles, $50 MSRP

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.

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TV and radio personality Art Linkletter is presented with an honorary degree from Elizabethtown College President Morley Mays, as seen in this image from March 16, 1974.

This section features selected extracts and summaries of news articles from the former Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster New Era, and Sunday News. It highlights significant, newsworthy, or simply bizarre events from the county’s past.

In March 1999, it was announced that schools within Lancaster city were gearing up to transition to full-day kindergarten. School District of Lancaster Superintendent Vickie Phillips did not just make a private note of this but vocalized it publicly using a megaphone to ensure everyone was informed.

The School District of Lancaster was the first in the county to implement this change. Phillips had initiated a “Kindergarten Round-up Campaign”. The aim was to get all eligible city children registered for the upcoming school year’s kindergarten curriculum ahead of time.

Phillips anticipated to journey across the neighborhoods, street by street, through a van equipped with a bullhorn, publicly broadcasting the registration drive. She planned to be joined with different city officials, including Mayor Charlie Smithgall.

The big deal about this? Consider that kindergarten registration isn’t required by the law until the start year of school, leading to schools being unprepared for the influx of registrations. Thus, the push to achieve registration or be as near to completion as feasible during April.

Furthermore, if the mayor’s bullhorn didn’t provide enough motivation, a lucky draw for a 25-inch TV was also a part of it – everyone who registered a kindergartener in April was eligible.

In the headlines:

General admits sex with wives of subordinates

Serbs stand firm against Kosovo peace deal

Stuffy AOL taking charge of freewheeling Netscape

Check out the March 17, 1999, Lancaster New Era here.

Art Linkletter, a pillar of radio and early television, graced Elizabethtown College in March 1974, addressing almost 1,000 persons and receiving an Honorary Diploma.

Linkletter, who climbed to nationwide recognition with a 40-year stretch in broadcasting, is most remembered for the game show “People are Funny” and the talk show “House Party.” Both shows premiered on radio in the 1940s before transitioning to TV, where they ran well into the 1960s.

He talked about a documentary he had recently shot on the subject of refugees across the globe and his career as an entertainer. Additionally, he conveyed the anti-drug message he has been associated with during his later years by sharing the story of his daughter Diane’s demise, which he attributed to the use of drugs.

(On the 4th of October, 1969, Diane flung herself from a sixth-floor window, an act her father accused drugs, LSD specifically, of causing. Despite Diane’s public admission to drug usage, toxicology findings did not trace any LSD in her at the time of her death.)

In the headlines:

U.S. firms offer kidnap insurance

Ireland’s troubles go on and on

Israel, Syria duel flares in fifth day

Check out the March 17, 1974, Sunday News here.

In March 1949, Lancaster was preparing for the installation of its first parking meters.

State legislation had recently passed allowing third-class cities, like Lancaster, to establish parking authorities. Following this decision, Lancaster was taking the first preliminary steps towards an organized approach to parking regulation and revenue.

The initial steps included a comprehensive study of loading and unloading zones across the city, coupled with curb painting.

Later studies would determine how many parking meters the city would install and at what locations. 

In the headlines:

Spy suspect indicted for looting U.S. files

House committee approves cut in liquor licenses

Magazines assail postal rate hike

Check out the March 10, 1949, Intelligencer Journal here.

In Prohibition-era booze news, a group of Harrisburg-based rum-runners were arrested in Lancaster County on March 16, 1924. 

The three men were arrested near Florin while in the process of delivering 10 five-gallon drums of illicit liquor to a Lancaster man.

Following their apprehension, the suspects admitted to law enforcement a significant adjustment to their plan of action – due to the strict liquor laws in Lancaster city, they (including assumed other illegal alcohol providers) had moved to the county’s rural areas to deliver their “wet goods,” setting up rendezvous points with their Lancaster intermediaries, rather than directly transporting their products.

News highlights:

Charges are brought against the Attorney General

Flight around the globe commenced by U.S. airplanes

Check out the March 17, 1924, Lancaster Intelligencer here.

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Ramsbury Estate Vodka takes home the top prize at the Tasting Alliance World Championship.

Last month we went into extended detail about the new “World Championships” launched by the Tasting Alliance. You can catch up on the full story here. In short, it’s pretty much the Olympics of liquor tasting. The top-rated boozes from three of the industry’s most coveted competitions all square off against one another, to arrive at the best-of-the-best from any specific category, in any given year. We’ve already revealed the 2023 winners for bourbon, tequila, and scotch.

Today it’s time for vodka (drumroll please…):

Ramsbury Vodka is your World Champion of 2023. The award-winning product is blended and bottled on a bucolic British farm in the quiet countryside of Marlborough, about an hour’s drive south of Oxford. Distilled exclusively from wheat grown on the sprawling property, it exists as one of the UK’s only single estate vodkas. In fact, you can trace each bottle’s lineage back to a precise field of origin.

But that’s not the only distinguishing factor of this vodka. Its alcohol content is 43% ABV, a tad more than the usual 40% (or 80-proof mark) of many modern competitors. This provides the vodka with a stronger edge. Plus, it enables a more noticeable delivery of the citrus zest and aniseed undertones, enriching its overall flavor. In essence, you are experiencing the origin stories of the vodka in every sip.

This vodka’s competitive edge is the wheat used in its production and the clean water source, an ancient aquifer from the accompanying Ramsbury valley. Despite all the focus on its flavor, it might actually be the texture that genuinely captivated the esteemed Tasting Alliance judges.

This is an incredibly creamy vodka. Its high viscosity becomes even more pronounced when served super cold, simply garnished with a lemon twist. As a Martini, you would want it as dry as possible, eliminating the need for any vermouth-based alterations.

Overall, this is a refined spirit worthy of royalty. And we’re quite serious about that. King Charles—then the Prince of Wales—paid a visit to Ramsbury in 2017. So, they had that feather in their cap, even before they scored their own victory in the recently sanctioned Booze Olympics.

You can also visit the operation yourself. The estate houses a working brewery and produces several fine gins as well. A full immersive experience is offered on the last Friday of every month between April and September. Of course, if you want to capture the experience in liquid form, you hardly need a passport. Ramsbury Single Estate Vodka currently sits on American shelves for around $60 a bottle.

MARLBOROUGH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 15: The Prince of Wales, Charles, tours Ramsbury Estate on December 15, 2017 in Marlborough, England. During his visit he met local school children and attended a reception for the estate’s tenants.

WHEN Simon Thomas lost his wife Gemma six years ago, he was struggling to cope and trying to raise their son Ethan alone.

But thanks to his second wife Derrina Jebb, the family has been pieced back together and Simon credits her with saving his son.

Now the pair have one-year-old daughter Talitha and another baby on the way.

In an exclusive interview, Soccer ­Saturday host Simon, 51, who admits to drinking heavily after his wife’s death, says: “Without a doubt, she’s the reason Ethan is on a level footing.

“Derrina has been a massive blessing to us after everything that happened.

“She is a mother figure who came into his life, and it’s an amazing sacrifice to love someone else’s child.

“So, despite everything that’s happened, Ethan is incredibly lucky and blessed, which is a weird thing to say.

“But Derrina loves him like he’s her own.”

Gemma, 40, died just three days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 2017 when Ethan was eight.

It left her husband and son understandably devastated, and Simon struggled to go on after the loss but kept trying for his son’s sake.

But as he continued to struggle with grief, his boozing got out of control.

He admitted previously: “For months every single night was a battle not to drink. Occasionally I would win, mostly I lost.

“I would sink a litre of vodka in an evening, disguised in a coke can.”

“In social situations, where I felt more paranoid than I had ever done before, it became an even bigger mask.”

Simon found himself “on the verge of losing everything” as he tried to “numb the pain”.

He has now been sober for more than two years and is able to fully embrace family and work. Talking about his lifestyle change, he said:

“The biggest benefit is the joy of being present.

“I know for parents it’s hard on a whole number of fronts — there is a battle for our attention.

“I’ve really enjoyed just being there. It’s without a doubt one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

He met Derrina, 31, a pastor’s daughter, a year after Gemma’s death and she has been by his side ever since.

It was a challenging journey, but I consider myself fortunate to have both of them in my life.

Derrina became a part of Ethan’s life when he was just ten years old, and since then, they have formed an inseparable bond. She is his primary source of support whenever he struggles with his homework.

Simon expressed: “Stepmothers often have a negative image due to their portrayal in some children’s movies, however, in my view, the most wonderful gift you can present a child is they should be loved as if they were your own.”

“She opted to love him even though he does not share her biological bond. That’s an extraordinary commitment to a child.”

Simon is collaborating with Konnie Huq, his former Blue Peter co-worker, on Talking Futures, a platform that promotes discussions between parents and children about the future. He frequently shares pictures of his new wife and their son online.

Derrina, Simon’s wife, ensures that the family does not forget Gemma. They commemorate Gemma’s memory through actions like releasing balloons on her birthday and speaking about her at home.

About eighteen months ago, Simon and Derrina welcomed their first child, Talitha. Now, they are awaiting the birth of another child, which Ethan, their son, hopes will be a boy.

They have chosen to keep the gender a surprise until the birth, as Simon pointed out, “there are so few surprises left these days.”

Simon was attentive to ensuring his son’s comfort with the new addition to the family, acknowledging the vast age difference after years of being an only child.

He, along with Gemma, longed for another child, but the struggle with fertility problems stymied their efforts to conceive.

In a 2023 conversation on Streams Studio via social media, Simon reflected: “Post Ethan, Gemma and I wished to provide him with a sibling but we discovered that Gemma was facing significant fertility troubles. Following two attempts at IVF and experiencing a miscarriage, we realized it was not destined, but one child was indeed a blessing.”

Simon recounts how a young Ethan would inquire about getting a sibling, and how he transitioned naturally and readily into his renewed responsibilities as an elder brother.

Simon states: “He’s greatly enjoyed it. It represented a significant shift for him, given that he had been an only child for 13 years and was accustomed to that lifestyle.

“Talitha was born eight weeks prematurely, which was unexpected. Despite the age difference, they have a wonderful bond.

“It’s a joy to see Ethan’s expression light up when he returns from school, and she always enjoys waving him goodbye in the morning. Ethan has been taking guitar lessons for some time and is making progress.

“He typically practices for twenty minutes before school, and Talitha invariably runs over to watch him perform.”

The final weeks of the birth were tough as Derrina suffered pre-eclampsia, a dangerous condition for both mum and tot.

Posting about the birth of their daughter, Simon said: “One moment we think we’ve got eight weeks until our little one arrives, the next, after Derrina fell rapidly ill, we’re suddenly welcoming into the world a very tiny, but hugely precious, baby girl weighing just over three pounds.”

Thankfully, both mum and baby recovered well after the “fear-filled” labour, but it did mean a stressful adjustment period at home.

“We had a teenager in the house and a premature baby in the hospital,” Simon said. “It was a steep learning curve but I count myself lucky to have them both.”

Simon discovered that having a newborn is like exploring a new area.

He stated: “The cries of a newborn cannot be predicted or prepared for. The gap between when Ethan was that age and when Talitha was born was substantial. I had essentially forgotten most of it.”

Since stepping into his teenage years, Ethan has exhibited the typical characteristics of becoming less talkative. However, Simon and Derrina have noticed a significant transformation in him after he enlisted in the Army cadets three months ago.

“Being part of this organization has enhanced his sense of responsibility and initiative at home,” remarked Simon.

“We believe in teaching kids to take a role — I don’t want him to go to university and not know what a washing machine is. I’d be so embarrassed.”

Ethan is incredibly lucky because she loves him like her own. Stepmums get a bad rep but that’s an amazing gift to give a kid

“The cadets is helping him grow up a bit. It’s certainly triggered his organisational gene.” It has led to one bittersweet moment for Simon — no longer having to pack his son’s lunch.

Since the passing of Gemma, the former Blue Peter presenter has slipped a note into Ethan’s lunch box each day to remind his son how much he loves him.

Simon recently told The Sun, “I can’t recall the last time I prepared a sandwich for him. He now makes his own lunch every day.”

Ethan, the son, is considering becoming a journalist, not following in his father’s footsteps into television as either a children’s host or sports correspondent. This provides numerous topics for father-son discussions.

Simon shared, “We’ve had numerous discussions about his future career aspirations. At present, he’s inclined towards print journalism over TV. However, I’ve encouraged him to understand that it’s a competitively intense field.”

“I’ve suggested that he could begin his journey by proposing an idea of a school magazine to his school authorities.”

“He’ll soon be 16 and picking GCSEs and what direction to go in after. I think having these conversations with him is empowering, and it’s so important we don’t just avoid it.

“Some of my best conversations with Ethan have been in the car or on a walk. It makes it less intimidating than doing a version with lots of eye contact.”