J. Rieger & Co. launched the 2023 expression of Monogram Whiskey, the seventh release in the Monogram series and the first under the moniker “Kansas City Whiskey – Solera Reserve.” This Solera Reserve bottling celebrates the deep, complex terroir of legendary sherry botas and its effect on American whiskey.
From the early days of J. Rieger & Co., oloroso sherry has held an extremely important role at the distillery. Dating back centuries, sherry was regularly added to the blend of American whiskies; J. Rieger & Co. picked up this historical practice and made sherry a key ingredient in the blend of its flagship whiskey, Kansas City Whiskey.
The love for sherry did not stop there; in 2015, the distillery obtained several rare 500-liter oloroso sherry botas – which are large, very old sherry casks – from Williams & Humbert Solera Especial in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and have been using the solera method for an annual Monogram Whiskey release ever since. The solera method uses fractional blending to age the whiskey. It is a continual process of removing a portion of the whiskey from the barrel, then topping it off with another batch over many years. This “never-ending barrel” approach creates a unique yet consistent mixture of ages.
J. Rieger & Co. recently expanded its solera to ten casks between 50-100 years old, which adds layers of flavor and complexity to what is already a very special bottling. Straight bourbon, straight rye, and light corn whiskeys have been aging in the J. Rieger & Co. solera since as far back as 2015. Annually, J. Rieger & Co. blends, proofs, and bottles Monogram Whiskey from a combination of these botas. This year, for the first time, the recipe has been adjusted to a blend that qualifies as Kansas City Whiskey.
This limited 2023 expression of Rieger’s Monogram Whiskey features notes of buttered popcorn, French toast, and maple syrup with aromas of woody tobacco and smoky cedar. With hints of black pepper, caramelized orange, and tropical fruit, this unique and complex combination makes the 2023 edition unique.
Rieger’s Monogram Whiskey, coming in at 100 proof, will be available on a very limited basis in select markets and at the distillery in the Electric Park District of Kansas City.
