Tastes

I purchased this bottle following the distillery tour and sampling. According to the guide, the thing that makes this rye whiskey unique is that it's 100% malted Rye. It has a very soft mouth feel and a very Floral flavor. This is a nice addition to my collection in that it's taste stands out from a number of the other younger Rye whiskeys that I've tasted. Hatch does clearly disclose that the whiskey is contract distilled from another Wisconsin distillery while they're homemade product is still aging.

Nose is dusty toffee with cocoa. Thin mouthfeel, somewhat hot. Tastes of fresh baked bread, peat, earthy. Finishes with heat again, lingering earthy gain, like standing in an oat field in fall as the grain is being cut. Overall, not bad. I put this closer to the scotch-like end of whiskey.

The Angel's Envy Rye hasn't been available in my market for years. I had the pleasure of tasting it once in Kentucky and just had to buy a bottle. I found one and have been hoarding it for nearly a year. Yesterday we celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary, making it a perfect occasion to open it up. Great whiskey tastes better with great company. This is such a unique blend. I can easily pick out the spice and heat of the rye, but it is pleasantly mellowed by the rum barrels. I get sweet honey and fresh bread on the nose. The honey is present with the rum on the taste, but neither is overpowering. Undernieth is a robust and spicey rye. The finish lingers with a slightly herbal and sweet aftertaste. This is certainly a dessert or special occasion whiskey. It's too sweet (and WAY too pricey) to be a daily drinker. I will be on the look out for another. It may be a while before this one is gone, but I love it and wouldn't mind having a reserve bottle on hand (it may make me less stingy when enjoying this bottle). Cheers!

Picked this one up out of the discount bin at a local liquor store. I’m all for trying something new and local, and for the discount price I decided to grab the bottle having never tasted anything from La Crosse Distilling before. Tonight I pulled the cork... The website describes this as an organic locally sourced grain to glass rye plus wheat whiskey that that is intentionally only aged for a few weeks in used charred and toasted barrels to give it a “kiss” of oak. On to the taste. The nose is incredibly floral and sweet with a faint scent of alcohol. Since it’s hardly aged, I expected the the smell to be overwhelming alcohol, but this has been a pleasant surprise. Thin buttery feel on the tongue followed by pepper. The floral aftertaste lingers well beyond the drink. Overall, I’m happy to have tried it. Honestly, you could have told me this a was a gin finished in whiskey barrels, and I would have believed you without question. Granted, I don’t have that much exposure to gin. Not sure where to go from here. Part of me likes it, but I don’t see revisiting it soon because it’s so different from my usuals. If you like gin and whiskey, give it a try!

I occasionally like to stop into the local mom & pop liquor and look through their selection. It’s a small store packed to the ceiling, but they always manage to get the unique and hard to find bottles. While they didn’t have the bottle I was hoping for, I opted to pick this one up. Up front is an alcohol taste immediately followed by Smokey oak. The 100 proof is clearly present. The aftertaste of smoked corn really lingers. Unfortunately, I overpaid. This would serve as a good bourbon for mixers, but for the price, I feel there are better bourbons out there.

Wow, one one of the most complex and best pours I’ve had. The cherry wood is up front, subtle but noticeable. It gives a sweetness that rounds out the taste and mellows the heat. The follow up is the smoke. A strong but not over powering char. I loved this, just too bad for the price. This was a one time deal. I’ve never managed to find a bottle for sale, but the silver lining is that means I have not had to face the hard choice or whether or not to buy at over $100 per bottle.