Our Favorite Affordable Ryes

Van Brunt Stillhouse, located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, is named for Cornelius Van Brunt, one of the founding fathers of the neighborhood. The distillery harkens to the days before the Prohibition, when distilleries dotted the Brooklyn waterfront. Made with NY rye and unfiltered. 375 ml bottle available only.

This brand is named after Abraham Overholt, a Pennsylvania farmer that had switched his focus from farming to distilling in the early 1800s. At beginning of Prohibition, the whiskey was granted a medicinal license and the popularity of the brand surged. The Pennsylvania brand has survived, but has been produced in Kentucky for some time now and is currently owned by Beam Suntory.

This 81-proof bottling was released in early 2012, in part to stretch their rye stock from running completely out as the 101-proof had been embraced and bought up by bartenders for classic cocktails. This blend of 4-5 year olds keeps the crisp, brightness of a mash-forward bottling while still being in the barrel long enough for the char #4 to do its job. This rye holds up to cocktails, but is good enough to enjoy neat or on the rocks (for those who are used to a bit more heat and spice). Its label and packaging was redesigned in September 2016.

While Michter’s can trace its roots back to Pennsylvania in the 18th century, today it boasts two distilleries in Kentucky. This Kentucky Straight Rye bottling is offered as a single barrel expression so slight variations may occur from barrel to barrel. Aged in fire-charred new, American white oak barrels, this is bottled at 42.4% ABV.

A no-age statement straight rye whiskey from Jim Beam. Bottled at 80 proof. Note: As of January 2015, this Jim Beam Rye has been replaced with Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Style Rye.

First introduced in Philadelphia in 1934 and named for the city’s historic Rittenhouse Square, Rittenhouse Rye originally debuted as a two-year-old whiskey. In 1948, it was reintroduced as a four-year-old Bottled-in-Bond expression. After Heaven Hill acquired the brand in 1993, production moved from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, where it is now made with a mash bill of 51% rye, 35% corn, and 14% malted barley. Produced according to Bottled-in-Bond regulations, it comes from a single distilling season, is aged for a minimum of four years, and is bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV).

This straight rye whiskey has over 90% rye in its mash bill. Aged in new, charred American oak, it is non-chill filtered and bottled at 100 proof. James E. Pepper is an American whiskey brand which was relaunched in 2008. The whiskey is currently contract distilled by MGP in Indiana and aged and bottled in Kentucky. As of December 2017, the former James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky has been renovated with distillation currently in progress. Expect the distillery to be open to the public by summer 2018.

Named after the Sazerac Coffee House on Royal Street in New Orleans (and subsequently the cocktail), Sazerac Rye is produced at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. It is aged from four to six years and formerly had an age statement of six years. It's bottled at 90 proof.

Redemption Rye is produced and bottled for Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, with blending overseen by Master Blender Alan Kennedy. It is made from a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The whiskey is bottled without chill-filtration and is presented in updated packaging as part of the brand’s 2026 refresh. Available nationwide beginning April 2026. (SRP $29.99)

Russell’s Reserve 6 Year Straight Rye is matured in the deepest no. 4 char barrels. Aged for six years in the “center cut” of the rickhouse. It is hand-selected by Jimmy and Eddie Russell. Bottled at 45% ABV.