REVIEW: Stellum black rye FIBONACCI Blend

Stellum black Fibonacci blend. Before we break down the nose, palate, finish, let’s get right to the meat of it.

Yes, it’s different than the standard black, yes it’s worth the extra money over the standard Stellum Rye, yes it’s a killer addition to the rye world, and if you are any kind of serious rye fan, this is one you should put on your bar. Fibonacci is a very different blend of cask strengthTennessee and Indiana rye, and clocks in at 115.12 proof.

I recommend checking out the recent Bourbon Alliance YouTube with Stefanie Bair, director of sales for Stellum Spirits, for a deeper look (I was sadly absent, Tales of the Cocktail got in the way). She shares some of the future plans of the brand as well.

NOTE- These media samples were graciously provided by the fine folks at Stellum Spirits, with no obligation to say really nice things. The bottles were purchased with my own scratch, yes, we are big fans.

Nose- heavy citrus think lemon peel, savory, not sweet, grassy. Some faint notes of leather and tea leaves. This one is unapologetically rye whiskey, and one would not mistake it for anything but. A very rich herbaceous scent coats the nose and heightens the anticipation of what’s to come.

I will spare you all the Fibonacci sequence here, we aren’t total math nerds.

Palate- high levels of lemon twist, so prominent in fact that it hides some of the other notes until it calms down. This excellent savory rye punches hard and effectively up front with some raw honey.. Yes, I said savory and honey in the same sentence. Try it, you’ll see what I am talking about. It evolves into astringency, with some dark chocolate, slight clove and orange peel on the back palate and into the finish.

I don’t get oak as much as I get barrel char, but one can see that the age average shows off some of those wood fats on the very back end. It comes in hot at first, but calms down into a lovely finish. Stellum’s website recommends a few drops of water, and with the first glass, we highly recommend it, as this is an untamed beast on initial pour.

On revisiting I prefer it without water, as the air settles it just enough, but you should try it with drops anyway, just to see the contrast.

If you like cask strength, extremely well blended ryes, this one is for you.

Finish-the finish just keeps on going and going, I think it passed the Energizer Bunny at one point. It really hits all the right savory notes, and all the prominent notes on the palate get a delightful encore on the finish. The clove, char, honey, lemon twist, orange peel, and chocolate all get their own curtain call. I’m not sure how all the notes get their moment in the sun but they do. It’s one of the easiest transitions of palate to finish that I’ve had in a long time, and it surprised me how easy it was to forget where the palate ended, and where the finish began. The note that emerges on the tale end of the finish is eucalyptus.

Overall- this is a compelling release, and worthy of its existence. The innovation that Stellum is delivering is remarkable for such a young brand, (calm down, we know they come from Barrell) and these kinds of releases really separate it from it’s parent at Barrell Craft Spirits. There are few companies out there that revere rye as much as Stellum/Barrell, so when a new blend style comes out, rye fans should take notice.

- Mickey Pinstripe