This Whiskey Is Distilled With Rock Candy

We never turn down the opportunity to taste-test a new whiskey — in the name of journalism, of course. So when we were offered the chance to sample Hochstadter's Slow and Low Rock and Rye, we had to say yes.

Billed as a pre-Prohibition-style rye, this spirit is brewed with honey, oranges, Angostura bitters, and rock candy. As liquor legend has it, the recipe originated in the 1800s when bartenders would serve rock candy alongside a shot of the harsh unaged rye. As temperance took hold in the States, the concoction moved to pharmacies, where it was sold as a cure-all for the sniffles and colds.

As we barrel toward cold season, As we move into cold season, I have to say: If this is the cure for what ails you, then perhaps the winter won't be so bad. The hint of sweetness from the honey and rock candy make Slow & Low quite sippable [hiccup].

The spirit is distilled by Philadelphia's Cooper Spirits, whose founder created St-Germain. With this whiskey in hand, I'm braced for the cooler months ahead.