Beverly High Rye Introduces Blended American Whiskey To Los Angeles Luxury

For years, “blended” has existed as a dirty word in the world of American whiskey. That’s because the United States’ unique labeling laws allow for domestic blended whiskey to contain as little as 20% actual whiskey, with the remainder of the bottle often being filled by neutral grain spirit. Throughout the 20th century this gave rise to a category best described as whiskey-flavored vodka.

But it’s a new era for blends. And over the past decade a fistful of brands have helped raise the style’s stature by refusing to allow inferior filler to creep into the mix. Under these circumstances, a blend can actually be an enviable genre for unlocking innovative flavors in whiskey; the blender is free from the more restrictive parameters encumbering bourbon and rye.

This is exactly what inspired Andrew Borenzweig to launch the latest entry into American blends: Beverly High Rye. Although the LA-based founder and CEO has long been a fan of both bourbon and rye, he is frequently turned off by the sweetness of the former and rarely craves more than a single pour of the latter. So he partnered with Cedar Ridge Distillery, an award-winning craft operation out of Swisher, Iowa to formulate something that blended out what he didn’t enjoy in either.

The result is something that he sees—and tastes—as the best of both worlds. According to Borenzweig, it took several years of experimentation to get there. “I worked with [Cedar Ridge] head distiller Murphy Quint to refine a majority-rye recipe and it was a rigorous process,” he recalls. “But ultimately we created something complex that invites the optimal interplay between the spices in the rye and the sweet flavors in the bourbon.”

Borenzweig is largely transparent about what goes into the bottle: a unique blend of non-age-statement straight rye and straight bourbon sourced primarily from Cedar Ridge, with a little less than half of the juice coming out of MGP in Indiana. On the tongue Beverly High Rye impresses with a satin-like mouthfeel which carries hints of bourbon hallmarks: caramel, toffee and cinnamon. But they’re tempered by a savory edge. This is the beauty of the blend and it all goes down entirely easy for a 96-proof spirit.

He’s clearly trying to make that case with luxury consumers. The brand takes its name and identity from the Los Angeles neighborhood that’s synonymous with affluence. The liquid itself sits in an elegant, faceted decanter—the shape of which we haven’t quite seen in the world of bourbon or rye.

The bottle already features on the backbars of some high end eateries across LA including Nobu, where it is being worked into a signature cocktail called the “Smoke Over Beverly.” You can also find it at the Beverly Hills Hotel and the nearby Waldorf Astoria. Later in the month it lands in New York—also at the city’s two Nobu restaurants—as well as at Gabriel Kreuther and Park Avenue Liquor Shop, where it will retail for $60.

Although some consumers might remain confounded by the “American Whiskey” it proudly wears on its label, Beverly is busy adding another term to its packaging that anyone can easily understand: award winning. “Our whiskey has earned three coveted gold medals in under six months,” says Borenzweig. “We nabbed two golds at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition— one for the whiskey, another for product design—and a third at the New York World Spirits Competition in September.”

A dirty word no more, it’s safe to say that for American whiskey today blend is on-trend.