Rye Whisky
Charcoal Mellowed
45% ABV (90 proof)
~$25 (sample provided)
Color: Light brown, golden tint.
Smell: very pleasant. Sweetness (caramel), with just a little bit of the rye showing through with slight pumpernickel bread aroma and a dill pickle smell.
Taste: herbal sweetness upfront - what hits me isn't so much straight caramel sweetness as it is seared bell pepper slices. The transition brings in a little alcohol heat, and the short-medium finish is driven more by the supplementary notes from the nose: again, pumpernickel bread and a little bit of dill.
Overall: this does not disappoint. Great flavors, relatively smooth sipping, and a great value. Solidly in the "B" range and worth keeping in your stable for cocktails or enjoying neat. There isn't a ton of complexity here - no leather, cloves, allspice, etc. that you can sometimes find in old ryes, but that's not what you're going to get in this price range. It's also slightly hot on the finish, but not at all unpleasantly so. Altogether solid, and worth the money in my opinion.
