Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye

Dad's Hat
Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey
"Genuine Small Batch"
Aged a minimum of 6 months in new oak quarter cask barrels
45% ABV
$35-40

Color: light golden brown

Smell: it smells exactly like fresh pumpernickel bread...freaking amazing smelling. Fresh, crisp, vibrant. There's a bit of a dill pickle thing working in the background as well. I've had ryes that really bring the spice box (clove, tobacco, etc.), but this is much more about the grain itself.

Taste: it's pretty in keeping with the nose. However, it's a bit harsher/hotter...particularly on the finish. A little bit of sweetness upfront, then the woody tingle comes into play on the mid-palate. The finish brings in some hot oakiness, and the aftertaste is a mixture of sawdust and dill notes.

Overall: like it, don't love it. I think the nose is one of the best pure rye noses I've smelled (along with Lot 40). Straight up pickles on a slice of fresh pumpernickel bread. I am not crazy about the oak influence that comes through on the palate. It's pretty harsh, and this is where the "at least 6 months in oak quarter casks" rears its head. What's strange about this rye is that the nose has almost no oak influence that I can detect. Which makes me wonder what their new make tastes like, as the oak seems to be contributing nothing but heat (and color). For me, oak is the only crappy thing about this whiskey. The nose and entry are beautiful, and then it gets really sawdusty, hot, and disjointed on the finish.

All that said, I have no doubt that if this distillery is aging their new-make rye in normal sized oak barrels for years and years and years, this will be every bit as good as Sazerac 18 and the other "pantheon" ryes. Until then, get a glass of this at a bar and just smell it all night.