Produced at the Kyrö distillery, most famous for their award-winning Napue gin. Known was the “adventurous rye-rye gentlemen”, Kyrö distillery have shown they are worthy of that name with this marvelous aged rye spirit. Verso translates from the Finnish as “sprout”, representing the budding seed of the rye grain, and this spirit, which one imagines will be allowed to age further to become a fully fledged whisky. Indeed, this spirit is the sequel to the younger “Juuri Rye”. This is a single malt rye, in that its made of 100% rye malt. It is not old enough yet to be called a whisky, though it looks, smells and tastes like one, as it as only had 4 months in new American white oak casks. This aging rounds out the spirit somewhat, but still allows the spicy, aromatic qualities of the resilient grain to shine through. This is a really fascinating spirit, particularly for seasoned American rye drinkers: the malted rye offers up something quite different. On the nose, this spirit opens up with bright oak aromas of vanilla, toasted wood, honey, and caramel. Soon the spicy nature of the rye takes old, with a little chilli, liquorice, anise, cinnamon and nutmeg. The palate is faithful to the nose, but introduces a slightly herbaceous note and a touch of menthol, before a wonderful, spicy, bready quality takes hold. The finish is medium in length with honey and bright cinnamon notes. Definitely one for rye fans to try.