Tastes

Strawberries and cereal on the nose, with spice behind, but very light and dry. Big roundhouse punch of grassy spicy rye and vanilla oak, then sweet cereal, fruit, and a little damp char smoke in the mouth. Oily coating mouthfeel and good ethanol burst for a 45 abv (yes, my bottle says 90 proof). Grassy and floral finish lingers, but dry, not sweet. This whiskey softens and rounds with an ice cube. Nice rich auburn color. At this price point a great mixing rye (think a Manhattan), but it's also worth drinking with a little ice.

Grapefruit citrus and vanilla oak nose. Citrus and vanilla in the mouth. Sweet followed by cereal, oak, and then grassy rye--but not too spicy--in the finish. Medium mouthfeel, orange color, orange label, short finish leaving a vague orange peel aftertaste. A very respectable bottom shelf bourbon with a high rye content, but BIB 4 yr straight whiskey credentials, and grand-dad staring at you after every pour. Not going to WOW your friends, but more than respectable as a mixer, and campfire metal cup worthy.

Batch 3, Bottle 1579/3500. Light banana, dry grass, and ethanol on the nose. Spicy rye, vanilla oak, sweet grain, and dried fruit in the mouth. Sweet and spice battle each other in the long-ish finish. Medium mouthfeel, dark golden straw color. Pleasant to sip neat or with a cube. A solid brawny straight rye at 50 abv with a great local production story, farm to barrel to bottle. Cheers to that! And that wide, squat, and thick bottle has an extra-thick glass bottom, plus a heavy oversize metal top on the synthetic stopper. All that makes this a surprisingly HEAVY lift to carry and pour. That presentation has gotta contribute some to the cost, $58, which is substantial. That said, it's still a rye worth finding and trying.

Batch: Rye10020-2, date 6/10/2020. Foreboding dark brown color. Spicy rye and cinnamon all over the nose, with a rotting apple scent underneath. Burnt rye grain, burnt brown sugar, smoked leather, astringent raw oak (some people noting this as a bitter dark chocolate or cacao flavor), and vanilla in the mouth, with tart hard fruit underneath. Medium light mouthfeel, and then a short grassy rye finish. Feels young and burly, burned and a little raw. Would love to try this at four years in oak. As is, at 50 abv this will work well in cocktails with other strong flavor components, but... that's a VERY pricy mixer! Further tasting 6/2021 and again 11/20/21. Not enjoying this even as a mixer in cocktails. Really strong acrid burnt flavor and astringent oak comes through, even in a strong drink like a Manhattan or Black Manhattan. Taking this from 3.25 to 3 rating, and that's generous. One more try 1/11/22. Dropping this to 2.25. The burnt astringent flavor and bitterness is ruining more cocktails, even using sugared mixers like Q sparkling grapfruit or Fever Tree ginger ale. I like smoky oaked whiskeys, and I like bitter flavors (like amaros or gentian liqueurs), but something is wrong with this rye. Aacck!

Sweet corn, vanilla, and red fruit on the nose. Caramel and corn, some grassy rye, but any spice bite from the rye is softened by a jammy fruit cover. Medium light body, beautiful auburn color. From soft mouthfeel to a quick finish-- soft fruit and then gone. The wheat content and wine barreling really smooths this without oak taking over. Easy to sip at 42 abv. Would love to see this at 50 abv where I think it would have more substance and make the wine barreling impact less dominant. I like wine barreled whiskeys, and this is very good KY/TN juice treated in barrels from a storied vineyard. Just gets better and better with each glass.

Floral, light licorice, and dusty sweet cereal on the nose. Wow, unusual first flavors, caught me by surprise even after reading some reviews. Exotic spices, light oatmeal, but big eucalyptus, floral, and ethanol flash in the mouth. Long finish, oily, grassy spicy, and slightly sour grapes from the wine barreling. After a minute, I'm picking up an astringent wood resin flavor. Light straw color and light body that grows bigger and richer through the finish. But this does have that "spare" quality of Japanese whisky that differs from Scotch or Irish whiskey. I'm going to try it in a classic Japanese highball (whisky and soda) to see how it fares--I expect it will shine. (Later, It did!). I can see why people report this is like a barrel-aged gin, very unusual profile for a single malt. Light oak and no smoke. I'm already a fan of St George whiskys and gins. They have really pushed the bounds in all their products. This is an unusual taste profile, and should be treated as such-- it's not something you'd reach for without thinking about it first. All their bottles are graced with great label art, but this is arguably the BEST art label out there.

Vanilla and oak nose. Sweet and light, little smoke. Floral vanilla orange, then tannic oak and rye spice in the mouth. Sweet grain base flavors, but light (rather than "buttery" as mentioned by other reviewers) mouthfeel at 45 abv. Makes the Wild Turkey Rare Breed barrel proof better/more complex flavor profile? Or just a different flavor entry point for a WT product. Beautiful strawberry rose color. Quick finish that's kinda disappointing as the oak and rye spice (10 years!?) fades quickly. Ice exacerbates that short finish. Definitely NOT a long finish as per Distiller's taster's review. A very good bourbon, easily accessible, and not badly priced for a 10 yr small batch. Tried this over two evenings with the same response. Felt even less substantial this second round.

Red fruit and graham crackers on the nose. Sweet grain, cherry berry, and vanilla, full and robust in the mouth, with rye spice in a lightly astringent oak finish. Beautiful rich auburn color, medium body. Ice stretches and thins the flavors--may be better imbibed neat, or produced at a higher ABV, 100+. I like wine or port-finished bourbons, and this one is... I'm going to return to it and retaste before making final judgment. Ok, so after a few days of tasting, this remains a very drinkable bourbon, but one without great complexity. Add ice and its flavors thin immediately. It's easy and accessible and delicious, and that should be enough, but... I can see why people like it, I like it, but one can always want more.

Really smoky and oak wood in nose and tongue. Rye spice holds up across the pallet. Leather and wood finish. An acquired taste perhaps, but worth it. It's not going to be great in every cocktail, but straight with ice, or with amaro like a Manhattan... Ahhh Yes! Retasted 2/2021. Profile remains the same--oak and leather, smoky, corn but not super sweet. It is an unusual profile, and maybe not the 4.5 I gave it three years ago, but still enjoyable. Batch 6, Bottle 2676.