By Michael McElroy, Head Distiller, Open Road Distilling Co.
Quick answer: Looking for fall whiskey cocktails and not sure whether to pour bourbon or rye? Reach for Independence Bourbon when you want vanilla, brown sugar, and orchard fruit. Reach for Eagle Eye Rye when you want baking spice, orange, and toffee. Recipes for both are below.
Bourbon, rye, and a few good reasons to reach for either.
The first cool evening has a way of changing what sounds good in your glass. Apple cider finds its way into the fridge. The patio needs an extra layer. And the whiskey bottle starts getting a little more attention.
At Open Road Distilling Co., we spend plenty of time thinking about what makes a whiskey worth sipping and what happens when you put it in a cocktail. Our roots are in restaurants, where a good drink has to earn a second order.
For fall, two bottles give you plenty of room to explore: Independence Bourbon and Eagle Eye Rye. Both are blended in Reston, and both bring their own personality to the glass.
Which one should you reach for? Start with the flavors you enjoy.
Independence Bourbon opens with vanilla and brown sugar aromas, followed by gentle cinnamon and oak. On the palate, it has a soft, rounded feel, with vanilla, light wood tannins, and a finish that brings green apple and pear into the picture.
That fruit character makes it a natural starting point for an apple cider cocktail. The vanilla gives the drink some richness, while a little lemon keeps everything bright.
It’s also a good bottle to pour over a large ice cube when you want the evening to slow down a bit. Give it a few minutes, take another sip, and see what you notice as the ice begins to melt.
Reach for Independence when: you’re in the mood for rounded vanilla, orchard fruit, and a cocktail with a softer landing.
Fresh cider, bourbon, and ginger beer. Easy to make while dinner’s in the oven, and good enough to keep in your fall rotation.
What you need:
How to make it:
Add the bourbon, cider, and lemon juice to a tall glass filled with ice. Stir, top with ginger beer, and give it one gentle stir to bring everything together. Garnish with an apple slice.
Use apple cider rather than clear apple juice for a fuller apple flavor. Since cider and ginger beer vary in sweetness, taste before adding anything else. This drink usually has all the sweetness it needs.
Eagle Eye Rye brings baking spice, orange, brown sugar, and vanilla, with hints of walnut and black tea. There’s sweetness here, too, carrying through to a finish with oak and toffee.
That combination gives you plenty to work with. Orange highlights the citrus notes. Maple adds richness. Bitters bring another layer of spice.
If you usually order bourbon, Eagle Eye is worth a look. Rye can have a reputation for being all sharp edges, but this one offers a rounded, layered introduction to the category.
Reach for Eagle Eye when: you want baking spice, citrus, and a whiskey that keeps its personality in a richer cocktail.
A fall take on the Gold Rush, trading its usual bourbon and honey for rye and maple. Fresh lemon gives the richer ingredients a lift.
What you need:
How to make it:
Add the rye, lemon juice, maple syrup, and bitters to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Squeeze the lemon peel over the drink and drop it in.
Use pure maple syrup, the same kind you’d be happy to put on pancakes. Start with the recipe above, then adjust to your taste. A little more maple rounds it out; a little more lemon sharpens it up.
One of the best ways to find your preference is to keep the cocktail the same and change the whiskey.
An Old Fashioned makes that easy. With just whiskey, a little sugar, bitters, and citrus, there’s room to notice what each bottle brings.
For each drink:
Stir the whiskey, syrup, and bitters with ice until chilled. Strain over a large ice cube, then squeeze the orange peel over the glass.
For the simple syrup, dissolve equal parts sugar and water, then cool before using.
Try the bourbon version for its rounded vanilla and fruit character. Then try the rye version and look for the baking spice, citrus, and deeper oak notes. Keep the syrup, bitters, and ice consistent so the whiskey gets to tell the story.
You might find a clear favorite. You might also find that your favorite depends on the evening. That’s useful information for your next drink.
Under U.S. law, bourbon has to be made from a grain mix that’s at least 51% corn, while rye whiskey has to be made from a mix that’s at least 51% rye. In the glass, corn tends to read as sweetness and vanilla, and rye tends to read as spice. Those are the broad strokes. Every whiskey lands somewhere on that spectrum, which is why pouring the two side by side in the Old Fashioned above will tell you more than any definition.
Recipes are a good starting point. Tasting is where you discover what you actually like.
Visit Open Road Distilling Co. in Reston Town Center to explore Independence Bourbon and Eagle Eye Rye, ask questions, and find a bottle for your fall rotation.
And if your ideal evening involves one glass, one ice cube, and absolutely no measuring, our barrel aged Maple Old Fashioned has that covered.
The road is open. Find your fall pour.
It depends on the flavors you like. Independence Bourbon, with its vanilla, brown sugar, and green apple and pear finish, is a natural fit for apple cider drinks like the Orchard Highball. Eagle Eye Rye, with baking spice, orange, and toffee, works well in richer drinks like the Maple Gold Rush.
Neither is better. They just taste different. Bourbon gives you a rounded Old Fashioned with vanilla and fruit. Rye gives you baking spice, citrus, and deeper oak. Keep the syrup, bitters, and ice the same and change only the whiskey to find which one you prefer.
You can buy both at the Distillery Store at Open Road Distilling Co. in Reston Town Center, and at select Virginia ABC stores. Independence Bourbon and Eagle Eye Rye are hand-blended in Reston from carefully sourced, aged American whiskey. You can also shop online.
Yes. The distillery offers tastings and tours in Reston Town Center, and you can book a tasting on our website.
Our barrel aged Maple Old Fashioned is made with Eagle Eye Rye and Grade A maple syrup, so there is nothing to measure. Pour it over a large ice cube. It is available at the Distillery Store and at Virginia ABC stores.
Shop Independence Bourbon and Eagle Eye Rye · Book a tasting · Follow @drinkopenroad
Make an evening of it. After your tasting, head to Heirloom, the speakeasy inside the distillery.
Open Road Distilling Co. is located at 1871 Fountain Drive, Suite 100, in Reston Town Center, Virginia. Independence Bourbon and Eagle Eye Rye are hand-blended from carefully sourced, aged American whiskey.
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