Tastes

Assuming these "blends" vary to some degree I will make the assumption that my sample is an "average" representation of this brand label and from that you can assume your mileage may vary. First off there is a lot I like about this dram, from the nose to the final finish the quality is abundantly consistent. You would assume an 8+ year bourbon should be able to bring something appealing and this does, from the nose of sweet nectars, old leather and honey to the spicy middles and malty finish, what I get is a lot of good bourbon notes and as importantly nothing offensive or out of place. Forgiving the manufacturer for the enmity of the meaningless "very small batch", the dry middle and lack of in your face sugars make this a somewhat unique offering in the bourbon world. The vanilla so present in the nose is lost under the spices and cereal grain middle mass with only hints of a meady sweet influence finishing out. Feint mild dark sugars, and a small citrus note also add to the melange. All of this remains a smooth reminder of "aged liquor" void of bitterness carrying through to the end. Certainly you don't get the complex sugars from a higher proof offering like Bookers, in fact you don't get a lot of sugars at all, as this is much dryer bourbon than most, but there are still pleasant and appealing notes here for such a low proofer. At a reasonable price this is an all around recommend. Cheers!

Jeff Arnett you sir are a genius, A GENIUS... never mind the argument between Rye vs Tenn. Whiskey. 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malt @ 47 abv,, turns out to be the secret setting, clearly you found the sweet spot. The nose gives me a distinct bourbon feel due to the extra sweetness and yet still says "rye". A solid warm cinnamon bread and honey are apparent. This rye has an incredible smoothness on the tongue with a sweet round profile and soft approach, a pleasing mouthful, it's like finding Jane Russell in a soft black velvet bath robe sitting on your bed. With that, "you want me, you know you want me, and you know there's not a DAMN THING you can do about it" look on her face. This is going to the Top Shelf Rye list for me, also not coincidentally my top JD product, so sorry it took me this long to get around to trying it, but occasionally good things do come to those who wait. Lynchburg has finally done it.

It's 12 year old Bulleit Rye, (or MGP), it's the 95-5 bill, you would think this is the ultimate contender in the MGP 95 style rye, and you'ed probably be right. For me this is something of a deciding moment, I've been on the edge of the "pure rye" vs the high corn rye debate for some time, and it's a toughy. I like both for different reasons. First off, 12 year Bulleit rye is VERY good rye. The nose has a wonderful sweet rich purity to it, dill, caraway, pumpernickel whatever the "rye spice" is, it is certainly present in rich warm quantity. On the palate you get that hot spice bite that is trademark rye and while it's clearly strong it stays clean and pure. The extra barrel time yields an evident sweet wood note that is hardly or not at all noticeable in standard 3-6 year 95 ryes. Not quite a vanilla or caramel, it's more of a general sweetness. While it lacks some of the character and sweetness of the 3 grain ryes, that doesn't detract from the fact this is just some damn good and tasty rye. Being one of the priciest offerings in the line it at least lives up to some of that high expectation. What you won't get is an overly complex profile or any really unexpected notes, my assumption being that a 95-5 rye is simply incapable of undertaking some of the more serious barreling factors that create some of the more esoteric and elaborate notes in well aged bourbons. For all the extra aging this still tastes like 95-5 mgp rye. Thus the conundrum, is it really worth it to seek out and pay extra for a fairly acceptable and easy to find rye taste that's only marginally upgraded? That's for you to decide. Cheers!

-2007 stamp @ 27$ Single barrel EW has a rich nose and hearty profile on the palate. Finish is moderate heat with some spicey after taste. Standard vaniallas and caramels and oak in abundance give it a good traditional bourbon character. This comes as no surprise considering it's heritage and pedigree. Finding such a bourbon below the 25$ price point is ALWAYS a good thing and EWSB is no exception. The 2007 seems to have developed something of a rep so if you can find that one all the better. You could easily pay twice as much to get a bourbon of this calibre, but why would you? The 2007 has a great bold flavor: Nose: Sour candy apple small oak and assorted citrus. On the palate you get the citrus mango orange and lemon peel and then loads of the sour apple., this is the sweet green jolly rancher sour apple that almost says "Im an apple flavoured bourbon" yet it is clearly just a ester fruit flavor coming through. There is nothing flavored here, just a fantastic bourbon that stands out as unique. Finish is smooth with little heat and more of that great jolly rancher sour apple.

Adding to the Heaven Hill rye offering. the EC rye comes in at both the lowest proof and lowest price next to Rittenhouse and Pikesville. I was intrigued that HH was adding yet another rye, both with the EC label and at a entry level price. Judging it by the cover,, this book has a lot of potential. Something that can compete with Northern Harvest and Old Forestor rye's which are both already living in the "rye deal" category. There is something distinct about Pikesville and the other lower rye bills like Old Forestor, the sugars that blend from the corn and malt do some magical things and right off the top I was reminded of Pikesville when getting a nose full of the new EC rye. Just a bit of the lemon grass-dill rye and some of that cola nut sweetness that balances out the rye spice. Nose: Promising Once we get this on the tongue it reminds almost as much of the Old Forestor as Pikesville, a softer rye spice tingle and nice notes of dark caramel sugars or even a little butterscotch to go with the typical dill and caraway seed spices. Again this bill balances out nicely and your tongue won't get stepped on with clove heat so common with those higher 90+ rye bills. It's soft on the backside leaving a little salty bitters with nothing else rough to complain about. Conclusion: I would take this rye over the standard MGP ANY day and will easily call this one a winner. It's easy to sip, rewarding and easy on the wallet all the things I look for with nothing to complain about. I was skeptical that Heaven Hill would deliver something more, but that really seems like just what they've done. A good quality rye and the industry standard low end price range will always be welcome, another well done for Heaven Hill. Cheers!