Filliers 5-Year-Old Single Rye Whisky: Vanilla and Chocolate Notes

In 2019, the Belgian Filliers Distillery launched its first whisky. A few expressions later, you can now find, among others, a pair of rye whiskies on the shelves. One of them is a 5-year-old, spice-led dram that you can pick up for just a few tenners. In this review, we’ll tell you exactly what kind of treat you’re bringing home.

Filliers Distillery has been active since 1880, but only started making whisky later on. Their production of the water of life is no small feat: a whopping 250,000 liters run through the stills each year, a small portion of which is rye whisky.

In this category, the distillery offers two options: an eight-year-old Single Rye whisky and a five-year-old Single Rye. Both expressions matured in new American oak casks before bottling.

Age is the key factor that sets the two apart. But what do those extra three years do to this Belgian whisky?

The rye whisky comes in a sharply contoured bottle that spotlights its light copper hue. Designed specifically for the brand’s Rye expressions, it’s refreshingly straightforward. The glass is clear with a short neck, finished with a classic cork stopper.

The Single Rye Whisky label sits on the lower half of the bottle, making the profile appear taller. The only other break in the glass is a smaller neck label. Both labels are predominantly white, with the age statement and other details in contrasting colors.

Even as you pour, it’s clear this is a creamy expression. The whisky leaves elegant legs that trail down the glass in tiny droplets.

The initial aroma evokes freshly snapped pine twigs and a hint of chocolate mousse. Soon after, brown sugar, vanilla, and baking spices like nutmeg and cinnamon drift in, joined by sweet fruit notes such as banana.

The sweet profile on the nose carries a subtle spicy edge, which really comes alive on the palate. The rye steps forward with spice up front while the sweetness retreats into the background. Beneath it all lies a layer of nutmeg, oak, and airy vanilla.

There are distinct notes of pepper with hints of ginger, but it never turns truly hot or heavily malty. The Filliers 5 Years Old Single Rye is anything but a textbook rye whisky.

As the finish approaches, more oak-driven tones emerge alongside a touch of chocolate.
After that, it bows out rather promptly.

This Belgian whisky brings rye’s signature spice in all the right places, yet marches to the beat of its own drum.
It’s not aggressively spicy, instead, it balances those notes with a gentle sweetness.

For anyone new to rye, this is a great way in, especially at this price point. And who knows, this Belgian bottling might just broaden the horizons of many a whisky lover with a whole new segment: Rye Whisky.

+ Not a typical rye in terms of flavor

+ Excellent value

+ A surprising contrast between nose and palate

- The finish is fairly short