Nestled in the heart of Boston, Bond Restaurant/Lounge has a very cool and stylish vibe. The restaurant itself is Located in the Langham Hotel and it is mainly known for it’s bar scene, however I feel that might be about to change.

Two weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the very first Bond200 Dinner Series. If you live in Boston and have never heard of the event, it’s a new event and boy is it a treat.

It is called the Bond200 series because this soon to be monthly event, starting in January 2016, features ingredients sourced within a 200-mile radius of the hotel, paired with a notable local wine, spirit or beer. The dinner includes a 3-5-course prix fixe menu created by their culinary staff. Chef Sean Morrison created the menu for the one I attend.

I’ll be honest; I was very excited to attend because the dinner was featuring amazing cocktails, to include a rye whiskey, from the Gloucester-based Ryan & Wood Distillery. Not only did we get to enjoy the cocktails, but Chef Morrison also used some of the spirits to cook the food he prepared for us that night.

The Ryan and Wood distillery was first established in 2007. Their products include rum, gin, vodka and rye whiskey.  Each dish at the dinner was paired up with a cocktail using each of these products and, Doug Ryan was on hand to tell us about the cocktails and the spirit it contained.

Dinner Portion
The food was nothing short of amazing. If you have gone to Bond before just for drinks/bar scene and not the food, then I highly encourage you to visit again to have a meal there.

The whole menu for this dinner was brilliantly put together. You have to understand, I don’t eat duck, but you better believe that the Charred Barrel Oak Smoked Duck Breast that appeared in one of the dishes was wiped clean from my plate. It was smoky, tender and absolutely delicious. Truthfully it wasn’t just the duck; I cleaned the plate on all the dishes served to me.

For $65 you get a delicious quality meal and great cocktails. That’s not a deal you see everyday and it’s also not a menu that’s just thrown together on a whim. Each dish is thoughtfully put together and it simply inspires you to try eating new things, i.e. for me, duck. So, although I was initially excited to be there for the spirits, the food blew me away.

The Whiskey
Ryan and Wood rye whiskey was featured in the cocktail called Autumn’s Apple and that happened to be my favorite cocktail of the evening. Although their other spirits are great,  I want to mainly talk about the actual rye whiskey itself, as whiskey is what my blog is all about.

If you like rye whiskey and you have never tried the rye whiskey from Ryan and Wood… you are missing out. I loved this whisky, so much so that I even included it in my 2015 Holiday Gift Guide.

The whiskey is aged in new charred American White Oak barrels and the mash contains rye, wheat and barley. It is aged close to three year.

Tasting Notes
Nose: sweet with notes of wood and fruit
Palate: very smooth and sweet with notes of vanilla, cinnamon and rye
Finish: it’s silky and a light burn

It is a young whiskey that taste much older than what it really is. This is the first whiskey in their product line and bravo to them for creating something I think whiskey lovers can truly enjoy.

For my non-whiskey drinkers, rye is expensive so most rye whiskies also tend to be a bit expensive in some cases, that is not the case with this rye. This rye whiskey will cost you around $30-$40 depending on where you buy. You get a quality product for what I think is a really affordable price. It’s a win win.

It’s delicious, creamy and smooth. It is a whiskey I will continue to have in my collection. I also ended up using it for my whiskey ham glaze on Thanksgiving and that dish was an absolute hit with my family. It is a whiskey I highly recommend trying.

Cheers!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.