Tastes

I didn't expect to find this Rochester NY product in Maryland but I lucked out at Pine Orchard in Ellicott City where I picked a bottle from Batch #5 for about $45. I was intrigued by the mash bill that suggested I might be able experience bourbon, rye and scotch in a single product. First the bottle - it is heavy and thick, and it made me want to pull the cork with my teeth and splash a pour into an unwashed glass ("Barkeep! I'll take the whole bottle. And you better have another one ready"). With my nose in the glass, I found the same bread-yeasty fragrance that I noted in other fast-aged maverick, American single malts, such as Defiant and Kopper Kettle. There was also a hint of flax seed, mint and vanilla as the glass set awhile. It tasted young and oaky with a hint of sweetness just before the rye spicey burn came through. A few drops of water allowed more of the bourbon vanilla and caramel notes to come through. The rye continued on through the finish. I'm not sure I picked up on the malted barley (I better have another pour), but this whiskey is every bit as good as I had hoped. Not-Quite-So-Dry glass: this smells exactly like what I remember as a kid of the scattered glasses and soaked table cloths after a house party that always made my mother so mad. Dry glass: vanilla and dark Karo syrup.

This was offered at a wedding I recently attended, so what the heck, I tried it. It was not bad at all, absolutely perfect given the circumstances. I mean I wasn't going to get it in a Glen Cairn glass and savor it slowly. The pours were very generous (3-4 fingers) and after a couple of rounds I was looking on it quite fondly! But seriously, before my taste buds and my perceptions were completely dulled, I found the smokiness, fruitiness and vanilla very similar to a Chivas 12 that I had tasted recently. I probably would not buy a bottle but I wouldn't turn one down.

Not a bad rye at all, but not up to Rittenhouse