Tastes

Beautiful. Almost perfectly executed. A unique creature in offering family. Really something special. You can almost count the individual staves on the palate, there a lingering, top end port tingle. Straddling the edge of over-oaked, playing chicken with it. Perfect nose.

Straightforward, no nonsense rye squeezin’s that you must try/buy when given the opportunity. I solid rye baseline at rock bottom prices. OO Rye is sassy. Oak and grain are showcased in a way that is humble and hardworking. The nose is sweet and unassuming. I’ve never seen a bottle being sold for more than $16 but it beats out bottles priced at 2-3x that.

I used to be a fan of Peerless Rye without being impressed by it, but honestly, I feel the product has improved dramatically. I may have had a young barrel a year ago but this new bottle has made me a believer. Rye spice nestled in a syrupy, cotton candy fluff. Tannins need not apply. Golden, soft, it neither takes nor doles out any offense. They’ve done what they’ve set out to do.

Clear as a bell and delicate on the nose. Just like pulling hearts straight off the still. No funk, nothing you don’t want... no tails whatsoever. Really, quite beautiful. Soft, light, fluffy corn on the nose. I can’t fault this shine.

Rich, velvety maple glazed banana creme brûlée on the nose, hue and palate. That same Jack Daniel’s vibe with the rye spice sparkle. I’m nervous to rate this so high, but I’d be willing to give it an additional quarter star. Sometimes with big names it’s hard to trust that they aren’t doctoring the end product, but skepticism aside I’d call this very good. I’m excited to read more reviews to see how others rated and reviewed.

Hot hell, this is one of the best readily accessible rye’s on the mass market. It is the bourbon drinker’s rye that exclaims “and now for something completely different!” It’s oaky, big time. But oddly so. Like all the oak, none of the tannin, none of the acrid. Just like walking through oaks, and not climbing oaks. I don’t know how they do it, actually. And the rye itself is really well behaved, and house trained. It’s like a miniature Doberman. All of these things I say, I mean in a good way, (otherwise I’d say so.) Good rye. Bring this to a party of whiskey fans. Or drink it while playing a long, contentious game of Monopoly or Risk.

It’s always a delight when my blind rating lines up with the group consensus. Personally, I find this a beautiful bourbon. I had someone sharing this with me say it was too heavy handed for his tastes but I’ve been drinking so much bad whiskey lately that this was a welcomed, beautiful and I’d even say elegant departure. Like a newborn baby on the frontier, I’m the local dentist who helped deliver it, and based on my basic understanding of human anatomy, proclaimed “yep, everything’s where it’s supposed to be.”

Peated holds up best to ice, and I’d say wakes up with the cold. Color suffers, but that’s about it. Everything else is as it should be, if anything more sweetness shows up than I previously noticed... all’s well that ends well.

I think I love Sherry Wood more in my head than on my tongue. I’m revisiting my Westland bottles with a shard of ice and a fresh perspective. SW on ice stubbornly maintains its color until the 25th hour, but the nose absolutely blossoms into this rich landscape. The palate wants to open up as well but just barely doesn’t and it keeps that astringent finish that I’m too much of a baby to ignore. That said, nothing ventured, nothing gained... we’re back at the rating we started and I’m not mad at it.

With one splinter of ice American Oak doesn’t quite crack open; but rather, is tamed. Neat vs rocks is like breaking a horse or taming the frontier. Wow. This was a special taste... if you prefer neat and thought Westland was just so-so, take a walk on the mild side with a chunk o’ H2O and I promise you’ll get it.