Wallet-Friendly Straight Rye Whiskeys

Whiskey drinkers craving more spice than sweet can look to rye whiskeys to satisfy their need. Here are our favorite straight ryes, all under $50.
Aug 27, 2019
  • 10
    85
    Sweet & Spicy
    Launching February 2019, Old Forester Rye is the first new mash bill for the brand in 150 years. It is inspired by a historic recipe for Normandy Rye, a brand acquired by Brown-Forman in 1940. It has a mash bill of 65% rye, 20% malted barley, and 15% corn -- a fairly higher amount of malted barley than is typically seen in a rye. This Kentucky Straight Rye is bottled at 100 proof.
  • 9
    86
    Spicy & Vanilla
    That's right, folks, a Bonded version of Old Overholt. Distilled in one season, at one distillery, and bottled at 100 proof. This straight rye whiskey is aged for four years in new, charred American oak. Product launched in February 2018 with availability limited to the US.
  • 8
    87
    Spicy
    Available beginning October 2017, this straight Tennessee Rye goes through the standard charcoal mellowing process prior to barreling as is required for Tennessee whiskey. The mashbill of the whiskey is 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley. This whiskey bares no age statement and is bottled at 45% ABV.
  • 7
    88
    Spicy & Sweet
    WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye Whiskey launched in select US markets in 2019 as a permanent addition to the WhistlePig core range. Crafted by the late legendary master distiller Dave Pickerell who passed away in 2018 and master blender Pete Lynch, WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye is a 6 year-old 100% rye whiskey. The shape of the bottle was changed from the standard WhistlePig wide shape to make the bottle easier to handle for bartenders. The pig that adorns the bottle is not wearing the standard WhistlePig top hat, but rather a Stetson hat, Dave's trademark.
  • 6
    89
    Full Bodied & Rich
    Released in the middle of 2012 this small batch straight rye is the first from Knob Creek, and joins a line of ryes offered by its parent company Beam Global. Knob Creek Small Batch Rye is 'patiently aged' with a blend of up to 9 years old. Bottled at 100 proof. Note: As of March 31, 2023, Knob Creek has added an age statement of 7 years to this flagship Kentucky straight rye whiskey. Look for separate listing for details.
  • 5
    90
    Sweet & Rich
    Introduced in 2007 and hand-selected by Jimmy and Eddie Russell, Russell's Reserve 6 Year is a small batch rye whiskey from Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Barrels are drawn from the center cut of the rickhouse, floors three through five of seven-story warehouses, where consistent temperatures are known to produce some of the distillery's most gracefully aged whiskey. Aged a minimum of six years in deeply charred new American oak barrels and bottled at 90 proof.
  • 4
    87
    Fruity & Sweet
    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.
  • 3
    90
    Spicy & Vanilla
    Answering the call for a bolder, burlier rye, Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe has turned to one of the distillery's oldest recipes. Pre-Prohibition Style aims to recreate the rowdy frontier style of a rye from the days before the Roaring '20s.
  • 2
    92
    Oily
    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).
  • 1
    94
    Sweet & Rich
    As of early 2015, Woodford Reserve Rye is the latest member of the Woodford family of American whiskeys to join the party! Master Distiller Chris Morris has been working on this project since 2006, as an answer to fans who for many years have been requesting a rye from this historic distillery. It's made from a 53% rye mash bill, produced and aged at their distillery in Versailles, Kentucky.