Michter's 10 Year Rye (2017)

Michter's
Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey
10 Years Old
46.4% ABV (92.8 proof)
from barrel No #17A35
~$150 (sample provided)

Michter's limited edition 10 year rye is scheduled to be released in the coming month. Very excited to dig in here!

Color: light brown, orange/ruddy tint

Smell: Coming in on the spicy/hot side of rye in terms of aroma. There is a faint caramel sweetness, but it's more driven by mint/herbs and even some evergreen/pine notes for me. I'm also definitely getting some pumpernickel bread. Very interesting.

Taste: Soft caramel sweetness on entry, quickly joined by oak spice and a full complement of the funky herbal notes (in a good way). I get a lot of mint, some of that pumpernickel bread from the nose, and black pepper. The finish has a big, spicy rye kick along with some leather.

Overall: I like this quite a bit. For me, it's straddling B+/A- territory. There is no mistaking that this is a rye in terms of both aroma and mouthfeel. The only knock is that it's not quite as whisper smooth as I was expecting. Last year's release was much different stylistically and, while I slightly preferred its smooth sweetness, this year's punchy release is more characteristically "rye" in its delivery and very impressive in its own right. Recommended if you can get your hands on it!

2016 BTAC Lineup: Review

At long last: the 2016 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection whiskies. Let's dig in!

Sazerac: complex, old dusty rye spice on the nose (not a huge deviation from the stainless steel tanked version of the previous few years). Allspice, cloves, nutmeg, herbs, leather, and dark caramel sweets. Tons to appreciate on the palate and a long, complex finish. So smooth, yet will haunt your dreams - there's something magical about old-ass rye. Easy "A"

Eagle Rare: restrained on the nose at first, but once it opens up, it's equal parts sweet and woody - like bourbon perfume. This is soft, sweet stuff - pleasantly floral and whisper-smooth on the palate, with just enough oak influence (intriguingly smoky!) on the finish to remind you it's been in barrels for 17 years. Somehow not overoaked: vibrant...fresh, even. Very enjoyable. Some people will always think it's underproofed, but if I was a big-shot corporate executive, this is the bottle I would pull out to impress clients. "A-/A"

Handy: herbal tea on the nose, with pumpernickel bread, pickles, and caramel sweets underpinning everything. It drinks really smooth and sweet, especially considering the proof, with enough spice to keep things interesting. I know Handy has played the "red-headed stepchild" in previous lineups, but I really dig this. It's not super complex, but it's very enjoyable. "B+/A-"

Weller: massive on the nose - burnt caramel, vanilla bean, roasted peanuts, latex paint (in a good way!), and toasted oak. The palate is pretty much exactly what you'd expect given the aroma, with loads of hot and resiny wood influence. This is a bruiser: a bit, hot, sweaty bourbon in the vein of of Booker's, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and the like. Impressive. "B+/A-"

Stagg: somehow both bigger and smoother than the Weller on the nose. Dark caramel sweets, peppermint, cinnamon, leather, and furniture polish. This has an absolutely preposterous depth of flavor, and the finish does not quit - tons of oak tannin that slightly overtake the secondary elements. I think it's the bourbon equivalent of a "very important novel" - worthy of study and awe-inspiring, but not necessarily all that enjoyable. The oak influence is just a bit too much for me. "A-"

Huge thanks to Buffalo Trace for the samples - obviously they don't need the help selling these :)

Booker's Rye

Booker's
Rye, "Big Time Batch"
Aged 13 years, 1 month, 12 days
68.1% ABV (136.2 proof)
~$300 - sample provided

Color: rich, medium/tawny brown

Smell: "big time" indeed. It smells old and dusty, in the best way. There's definitely some rye spice, but this doesn't have either the allspice/clove attack of Sazerac 18 or the dill/mint party of Lot 40. Instead, it hews much more closely to old, smooth bourbon - at least on the nose. Lots of oak, some furniture polish, and plenty of caramel and vanilla like "regular" Booker's bourbon. The tertiary, "just a whiff" aromas I pick up are anise and mint. Lots to unpack, and very enjoyable. Remarkably smooth-smelling, given the teeth-melting proof.

Taste: yeah, this is really good. The palate is where the rye elements really shine - tons of toasted rye grain, along with much more anise and mint. And - no surprise - a massive wood influence. It is definitely a bit of a proof monster - I recommend a bit of water to really open things up. After a few drops, I get much more caramel sweetness and leather to complement the rye spice and oak. The finish is massive.

Overall: what a whiskey! In typical Booker's fashion, this is an absolute bruiser. But the flavors are undeniable. Being nit-picky, the oak is a little too prominent for my taste, but overall it's still pretty well-balanced. Summing up, I've had smoother-sipping, more complex, and (frankly) more enjoyable ryes - Michter's 10 year comes to mind. However, this is as viscerally gripping a whiskey as I've come across. Totally unforgettable, and well worth a taste if you get lucky enough to find it. A- for me.

Michter's 10 Year Rye (2016)

Michter's
Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey
10 Years Old
46.4% ABV (92.8 proof)
from barrel #16A113
MSRP $150 (sample provided)

Color: medium brown with an auburn tint.

Smell: really, really nice. Damn. It's doesn't punch with lots of rye spice - instead, what hits first is layers of complex sweetness. Clover honey, brown butter, and caramel. Beyond this (especially after it sits for a while), leather and dill come to the aroma party. Total package - smells amazing.

Taste: yup, really nice. Rich, creamy sweetness (caramel, brown butter) upfront, quickly joined by dill, leather, and toasted oak on midpalate. The finish is long and spicy, with allspice and mint coming into play.

Overall: absolute stunner, easy "A." I wish it wasn't $150, but this is every bit as impressive (if not more so) than the Sazerac from fall 2014 BTAC. Smooth, creamy, sweet, but yet still complex and rye-spice driven - go for it, if you're lucky enough to get the chance!

Michter's Barrel Strength Rye

Michter's
Barrel Strength
US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Limited Release 2016
Barrel 16D432
111.8 proof (55.9% ABV)
~$75 (sample provided)

Color: medium brown, orange tint.

Smell: big. Plenty of oak and spice, including big hits of clove, dill, pumpernickel, and leather. Although very spice-driven and racy, there's also some nice barnyard sweetness - sort of a burnt caramel/hay combination.

Taste: big on the palate - no surprise. Although packing a wallop, you can drink this straight...no problem. The primary notes are exactly what you'd expect: burnt caramel sweetness and tons of rye spice, including most prominently (for me) herbaceousness - dill, mint, and even eucalyptus. The finish is strong and lasting, with lots of leather and cloves.

Overall: really impressive. Great depth of flavor, yet still smooth sipping. Recommended!

Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye

Smooth Ambler
Old Scout Rye
Straight Rye Whiskey
Aged 7 years
Batch No. 54, 1/21/15 bottle date
49.5% ABV (99 proof)
paid $37

Color: medium brown, with a ruby tint.

Smell: soft and approachable, and quite sweet for a rye. There's some caramel at first most noticeably, but after nosing it for a while, a lot of characteristic rye aromas come to the fore. I get dill and pumpernickel bread for sure, along with cucumber mint soap and leather. Very nice.

Taste: slight sweetness upfront (caramel), but then it's all about the rye spiciness. Waves of dill and pumpernickel bread, allspice, wood tannins, and some leather. The finish is medium and features more wood and a little bitterness - slightly off-balance for me with this astringency.

Overall: this is solid, but not great. I'd throw it comfortably in the B-/B category. The nose is really nice, but on the palate it gets a little too tannic. The sweetness doesn't shine through the oak influence, which would be fine if the rye spiciness had mellowed into a smooth leather/allspice/clove spice bomb characteristic of old ryes - but it hasn't. It may eventually get there with more barrel time, but for now it's a little raw. All that said, this is fine to drink straight, would be fine for cocktails, and makes me very excited to try other Smooth Ambler selections.

Old Overholt Rye

Old Overholt

Straight Rye Whiskey

40% ABV

Cheap - $15-20/bottle

Color:

Pale gold/yellow. Definitely lighter than the shade of brown glass that the bottle is made from.

Smell:

Pretty mild overall, not picking up a whole lot on the nose. I guess vaguely spicy/peppery...a little bit minty, too, along with some mild herbal tea-like smell.

Taste:

Definitely a little harsher in the mouth than its smell lets on; noticeably astringent at first. Unlike bourbon, no big sweetness or caramel comes into play for me. Little bit of oak, but pretty mild flavors overall.

Swallow:

Not a huge burn, but not super smooth, either. Overall, nice warmth. Pretty clean finish, doesn’t leave any huge aftertaste.

Overall:

I like it, but nothing to write home about. Pretty undeniably great value for a rye whiskey, and great for cocktails.

I use this all the time for Manhattans: stir 2 oz of this, 1 oz of Dolin Rouge, and a couple dashes of Angostura bitters with a ton of ice until it’s cold as shit and then strain into a glass. Garnish if you’re feeling fancy.

Also great for an Old Fashioned-ish cocktail: coat a teaspoon of sugar or ½ teaspoon of agave syrup with a few dashes of bitters in your final drinking glass, add a tiny bit of warm water, and stir as best as possible. Add 3 oz of rye (2 if you’re not feeling frisky) and some cracked ice, stir to dilute, and then throw in a few bigger ice cubes to keep you company while you drink. As before, garnish if you have it.

Finally, a simple Hot Toddy or, as I like to call it, “whiskey tea.” The lazy man’s approach, if you don’t want to go “full Wondrich” after working all day: nuke an almost-full coffee cup of water for 1:30, pour in a teaspoon of sugar and stir, pour in 2 oz of whiskey, squeeze in a lemon wedge, stir a little bit, and then put a dash or two of powdered cinnamon on top of the whole thing. Yay, winter!

What others have said:

Lots of varying opinions over on BourbonEnthusiast; maybe my palate isn’t all that sophisticated. For what it’s worth, people smell - variably - sharp fruit, sharp spice, leather, tangerines, corn sweetness, oak, honeysuckle flowers, grass, and yeast. They taste fruit, spice, cinnamon, vanilla, tobacco, cereal, and nut bread. The finish is described as long and lingering for some, with a characteristic rye spiciness.

S.D. Peters over at The Whiskey Reviewer gives it a “C” rating. For what it’s worth, he/she provides a pretty interesting background on the whiskey and, particularly, some historical context. Peters waxing poetic about its smell:

“A few dashes of white pepper impart the spiciness for which Rye is known.  Sprinkle it over a bouquet of ripening summer fruit, scented with trace of cracked vanilla beans, and you have a fairly standard Rye.  Step away, return, inhale again: similar notes return, but now… is that fruit specifically late summer apples, lingering in an afternoon meadow?”

I totally agree with Peters’ overall assessment of Overholt as “an average rye.”

Josh Peters at The Whiskey Jug rates it an 83/100. The nose for him is caramel frosting, spice, graham and cinnamon. The taste is spice, lemon pepper, grains, wood, fruit. And the finish is green apples, graham crackers, and sugared oak.

Mike Flaminio at Whiskey Lately harshes all over Overholt, bestowing upon it a 1.0/5.0 rating and noting that its phenolics are off-putting and it’s otherwise thin and shitty.

I found a really interesting horizontal tasting comparison by Sku, in which he tasted a 1984 Overholt against the current version, noting that “Modern Overholt is sweet, light and fruity without any of the deep complex notes of the older version. The Beam version lacks the depth and richness of flavor of the older version. Indeed, it is a completely different whiskey, which bears little resemblance to its older brother.”

Finally, Chuck Cowdery goes into the history of Old Overholt without diving too deep into his impressions/tasting notes. Interesting read, though!

Lot 40 Rye

Lot No. 40

Single Copper Pot Still Canadian Rye Whisky
2012 Release
43% ABV
$55-60, but potentially tough to find

Color:
Mahogany (reddish-brown)

Smell:
Holy shit, this smells nice! Really unique and - for me - tough to place. Definitely a pronounced sweet mintiness...spearmint aromas instead of the in-your-face peppermint aroma of something like Altoids. Eucalyptus is really coming through as well. Also some traditional barrel flavors of vanilla and oak, but they're actually in the background.

Taste:
A little hot at first, no big rush of sweetness or any other punchy flavor to speak of. It kind of just mellows softly for me until I swallow, at which point it's basically just the flavor from the nose all over again in a short/medium finish. The lingering aftertaste is a great combo of fresh mint and warming wood - very smooth.

Overall:
I like this a lot. The smell-taste-finish sequence for me is wow-okay-slightly less than wow, which is to say that I think the taste falls a little short of the amazingly perfumed nose. This is definitely a lighter-bodied whisky, but it's very elegant and - I think - singular to anything else out there. I've always read that rye is typically peppery and/or spicy, but this is just smooth as silk and minty. Really impressive stuff, and I definitely recommend trying it if you can find it.

What others have said (lots of love out there for Lot 40):
Nathan at The Scotch Noob rates this a "Must Try!":

• "Nose: Oh my God. Delicate cherry blossoms, crushed eucalyptus, sticky dried golden delicious apples. No dusty spice cabinet. Instead, the “rye spices” smell like freshly-opened seed pods of clove and allspice. I now know what rye whisky is supposed to smell like. This is -amazing-.

• Palate: Soft. The spices are slightly more predominant on the tongue, with clear cinnamon and clove. Gingersnap cookies. Soft rye grain with a touch of oakiness and some vanilla-flecked caramel. Nice, but not as earth-shattering as the aroma.

• Finish: Mild, medium-length. The eucalyptus returns, with a ghost of fresh mint leaves. Finishes totally devoid of bitterness.

• With Water: Oddly, a few drops of water dulls the aroma. The palate is sweeter, with some nice fleshy stone fruit. I’d avoid the water here, just because of the disservice it does to that lovely aroma.

• Overall: This isn’t saying much, but this is the best Canadian whisky I’ve ever had. It’s also the best nose I’ve ever smelled on anything with rye in it. Hell, I’ll say it, it’s even better (on the nose) than any bourbon I’ve tried, including those from Van Winkle. The palate doesn’t quite live up to the promise of the nose (what can?), but is soft and subtle in its own right. The finish is sedate and unobtrusive. Really, though, I could sit here and smell this all night."

John Malatino at Smokeypeat rates this a 9.3:

• "Nose: Apple cider, dill brine, peppermint, black pepper, molasses, oak, cotton candy, pizza dough, rye bread and cream soda. Waking up after an evening at the carnival with no memory of the night before, but you are quite sure you had your first kiss.

• Palate: Restrained rye spices merging with creamy pot still character. The smoothness here is unexpected for a 100% rye. All the complex rye notes from the nose are here but expressing themselves with a light touch. Creamy and delicious. It’s like a rye version of Redbreast. Unabashedly rye yet balanced and complex with warm fruit, dried apricots and cinnamon over French vanilla ice cream. Butterscotch pudding with a touch of sea salt. Hard Italian ribbon candy. Peppermint Christmas bark.

• Finish: Endless. This will linger around in your mouth for a long time. Spicy, woody and sweet dying out in such glory. Dry warmth and clover honey."

Sku reviews this favorably, as well:

"The nose on this has a strong rye, very reminiscent of the herbaceous rye notes on Whistlepig and the other Canadian straight ryes. Then some cocoa notes emerge.  The palate is both drier and less aggressive on the rye than I expected with some brandy notes, cherries, chocolate and a more muted rye than the nose.  The finish is the first time you get more traditional Canadian Whisky notes with some honey joining the rye spice.

• This is a very nice whisky.  It has the nice, spicy rye notes of the Canadian straight ryes but with more complexity.  I've been skeptical of recent talk about a Canadian Whisky revival, at least based on we've seen in the US, but this whisky gives me hope that we will start to see some real gems coming out of Canada."

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.

1910 Canadian Rye Whisky

1910
"Aged 12 Years"
Canadian Rye Whiskey
Imported and Bottled by Hood River Distillers (Oregon)
40% ABV
paid $34

Color: medium brown with a slight reddish tint.

Nose: really interesting. Syrup was the first thing that came to mind. And strawberry/cherry fruit snacks. There isn't a ton of information listed on the bottle or online regarding the specific components or aging philosophy, but to me it almost smells like it's seen time in sherry casks. There's also quite a bit of a leather smell, as well as something musty and almost ashy. Complex, but not as pleasing as it is...jumbled.

Taste: syrupy sweetness upfront. Same mix of imitation cherry/strawberry fruit snacks shows up as well. And...that's pretty much it. At 40% ABV, it goes down really smooth, and nothing more comes into play on the midpalate or on the finish aside from a slight "poof" of subtle, tired old wood in the aftertaste.

Overall: I had never seen this whiskey before, so picked it up out of curiosity and the age statement. Their advertising (website) claims:

"Featuring round, rich notes of tobacco, charred oak and butterscotch with a spicy rye kick and peppery heat, Pendleton® 1910 Rye Whisky is rounded out by the smoothness of maple and sweet cherry to provide a weighty and balanced, yet complex, flavor profile."

Of this, I would say maple, cherry (imitation cherry), and tobacco are fair. That said, they are not anywhere close to in balance, and the whole thing is just really awkward. If there was any spicy rye kick or peppery heat/oak for contrast, it could be a different story. However, my best guess is that they got a sweet deal on sourcing some old okay whiskey, and are trying to market their way to a compelling offering. I'm going to mix this with the 6 month Dad's Hat to see what happens, as this super sweet rye could do interesting things to the oak bomb that goes off during the DH mid-palate.

Sazerac Rye

Sazerac Rye
Straight Rye Whiskey
45% ABV
paid $27

Color: light gold with orange tint.

Smell: there is definitely a rye backbone of dill and pumpernickel bread, but it is joined by fresh orange citrus notes. There seems to be a small hint of clove/allspice, but it's much more in the background.

Taste: some sweetness on the entry - citrus and dill in equal parts. Introducing air brings in a bit of the spice box. The transition injects some leather/oak influence as well as an herbal tea taste. Relatively brief finish with some lingering leather/spice warmth. Smooth sipper.

Overall: It's good, not great. Despite all of the tasting notes above, it is a bit too muted and thin in its delivery for me to recommend it as a complex sipping whiskey in its own right. You could do a lot worse for the money, however. This is shoulders above Dad's Hat Rye (albeit not on the nose), but nowhere close to Lot 40 in terms of an overall complex package. The BTAC Sazerac (18 years old), which I was lucky enough to taste, retains this whiskey's sweetness, citrus, and rye character (dill, etc.) while injecting more than a decade of barrel influence in the form of leather, allspice, clove, cinnamon, etc. flavors.

Michter's Barrel Strength Rye

Michter's
US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Barrel Strength - Limited Release
Barrel 15C261
55.1% ABV (110.2 proof)
~$75 (sample provided)

Color: russet. medium brown with red tint.

Smell: robust, with very little alcohol heat and many layers of flavors. I get some caramel as well as a chocolate fudge-like sweetness alongside a big leather note. As it opens up, there's more traditional rye spiciness: clove and cinnamon. The leather and spices remind me of a fireplace.

Taste: pretty consistent with the smell. Subdued and balanced sweetness on entry, with a little alcohol heat - not surprising given the proof. The transition brings in the spicebox - cinnamon most prominently. The cheek-puckering (in a good way) finish for me is driven by leather. Very well-balanced on the palate - nothing rises too high.

Overall: this is really good stuff. Although a bruiser by proof, the integrated smoothness and balance is impressive. Great depth of flavor, and very sippable. Hate or love Michter's, they seem to know what they're doing. Highly recommended. $75 is a big ask, but I'd put this right alongside Sazerac 18 in terms of the total experience (albeit with a slightly shorter finish).

Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel

Crown Royal
Hand Selected Barrel
Canadian Whisky
51.5% ABV (103 proof)
~$55 (sample provided)

Color: bright gold

Smell: Sweet, with an oak backbone. I definitely get some caramel and butterscotch sweetness. There's a marshmallow creaminess, as well. Not a huge overpowering nose, but what's there is really nice.

Taste: Lovely. The entry is like a marshmallow dipped in caramel. Creamy, smooth, sweet - but not cloying - this is then supplemented by just a touch of oak influence on the midpalate and finish. To me this slight char finish brings to mind the perfect golden crust you get on a marshmallow when you toast it on a fire.

Overall: I'm blown away...this is one of the best whiskies I've had in a long time. Solid A. Great, pure flavors that pop, all with a signature creaminess I haven't had elsewhere. It's one of a kind rye, but to me this comes closest in style to a wheated bourbon or a Tennessee whiskey. If you're a fan of regular Crown, Jack, Dickel, and/or other "smooth sippers," reach for this the next time you splurge or need a birthday gift. $55 isn't cheap, but it's worth it in this case.

Their front label description is "One of the 50 finest whiskies that go into the Crown Royal De Luxe Blend" and the back reads "Crown Royal is proud to present you with the opportunity to savor the raw magic of its unique Coffey Rye Whisky. Flavorful creamy notes combined with rich oak undertones give the whisky the exceptional smoothness that is unmistakably the heart of the Crown Royal Deluxe blend."

George Dickel Rye

George Dickel
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.

Lot 40 Rye 2012 Release

Lot No. 40
Single Copper Pot Still
Canadian Rye Whisky
2012 Release
43% ABV (86 proof)
paid $42

I had originally picked up a bottle of this last fall/winter and included it in one of my earliest reviews, during my "execution video" whiskey photography phase (see here). I thought it would be interesting to review this again after being lucky enough to taste a ton of whiskies between then and now. Shockingly, I talked to a guy at Virginia ABC who said they have cases of this available at their warehouse and on the cheap, no less (thanks, crumbling exchange rate!).

Color: light/medium brown with a slight yellow tint.

Smell: this is a stunning and yet restrained rye nose. Dill and mint stacked high on top of a base of malty pumpernickel bread. Also accented with a touch of toasty wood influence. As it sits, the sweet mint builds and I get some caramel as well.

Taste: initial sip was marked by some mild herbal sweetness and then a rush of cracked rye spiciness and oak on the midpalate and finish. As I spend time with it, the oak and spice smooths out and the finish features more leather and dill.

Overall: this is a hands-down winner of a rye, easy A-/A for me and a great value. Highly recommended. For whatever reason, this doesn't (yet) seem to be a cult whisky, so I'd grab a bottle if/while you can find it.

Bulleit Rye

Bulliet Rye
Small Batch Frontier Whiskey
Straight 95% Rye Mash Whiskey
45% ABV (90 proof)
~$25

Color: light golden brown

Smell: light and pleasant rye delivery - I get a dill pickle sweetness, mostly, along with a little bit of mint and a subtle vinyl smell like raincoats.

Taste: a little bit of grain sweetness upfront, but then it gets hot in a hurry. A big blast of unbalanced woodiness takes over midpalate and lingers into the medium-length finish. The initial and fleeting sweetness in the mouth is very reminiscent of the nose, but the oakiness is new and overpowering. A bit of pepper and dill try to assert themselves on the finish, but it's quickly back to feeling like I'm licking furniture.

Overall: it's not terrible, but I'm not crazy about it. In the "C+/B-" range for me due to the woody hotness. The smell and the initial entry are really quite excellent, but this is definitely a whiskey that could benefit from many more years in the barrel to mellow. I'm sure this mixes just fine for cocktails, but with the ryes available in this price range (Sazerac, Rittenhouse, even Overholt), it's tough to recommend. Would be interesting if they released a 10 year old version of this like they do for the bourbon - the nose leads me to believe this could age well.