Tastes

Nose: oak, banana. Palate: spicy, but sweet baked goods, not dry or peppery. Fruit persists on the back end, banana and cherry. Hint of smoke at the finish, which is medium length and warming. This batch seems to lack the bite that I’ve experienced in previous years where I found it a little harsh and off balance, this is well-rounded and enjoyable.

Somple and straightforward. Soft and sweet, honey and vanilla, hint of apple. Relatively thin mouthfeel, short finish, but pleasant and enjoyable at the price point.

A step up from the standard rye offering. Nose starts out much the same - earthy/grassy (hay?) and behind that, more fruit and spice. Like the standard offering, on this one, the spice comes out enough to suggest it’s a rye whiskey. Decently viscous mouthfeel. Tastes like a younger rye - minty, some spice, but a good amount of fruit to go along with it. Definitely benefits from the extra 12 proof compared to the batched rye, where there’s just too little going on. That said, this isn’t a punchy rye, it’s an easy sipper, and it finishes out much the same.

If I didn’t know this was a rye, I probably would never guess it’s a rye. Nose is an initial wave of grassiness, but behind that, a fruity nose that belies its rye mash bill and just a hint of mintiness. Unfortunately the palate is rather uninteresting compared to their bourbon. At 80 proof there’s not a ton to latch on to. On the finish, the fruit blossoms first, then a burst of minty spice - the first time this really says “I’m a rye”, and then it’s gone with a somewhat drying note.

Nose: cereal grains and ethanol forward. On the palate, a more easygoing wheater than the ethanol on the nose suggests. Clearly young, but not harsh like many young wheaters can be. Not overly complex, corn, caramel, hint of dark fruit (cherry?). Relatively short and simple finish, just fades away, no surprises.

Nose: Actually somewhat subdued for a high rye bourbon. Caramel, a bit of mint. Palate: dark fruit, peppery. Actually sweeter than their wheated bourbon, which is interesting. Viscous mouthfeel. Medium-long finish.

Nose: maple, cherry, cinnamon, apples. Palate is soft but not overly sweet for a wheated bourbon. Oak, vanilla, and baking spices. Finish is short.

Wow. This one is complex yet approachable. There’s so much going on, but it’s not the kind of complexity where you have to hunt and grasp at what you’re experiencing. If you sit there with it, note after note after note will slap you in the face. So much fruit, mainly darker fruits, plum, black cherry, grape, but also strawberry. Sweet with a warming heat towards the back end. A very pleasant sipper for 122 proof.

Predominately wood notes, even piney. Tart, bright fruit. Medium body. Spice builds as you go. Finish is spicy/piney wood notes, leather, tobacco. Medium duration.

Nose: A dose of mint and baking spice. In contrast to its bourbon counterpart, the rye has a viscous mouthfeel. Buttery, caramel, vanilla, blossoming spice. Minty, spicy finish holds on for quite a while, but never too minty. This could be a flag bearer for a solid, nicely aged traditional rye.