Tastes

Brassy Color, pretty sticky. Nose shows tons of Rye spice and fruity notes. Some Barn must and plenty of wood. Reminds me of a spiced German apple cake... Caramel covered Granny Smith apples with grains to boot. Soft mouth feel that warms gently all the way down. Sticky at the back, leaving a great finish. This can pretty near hang with the rum aged rye from angels envy.

Dark copper with reddish hue. Quite sticky with numerous but slow legs. Nose is rich leather, ripe fruit. Chocolate covered cherries. Sweet up front, with lots of heat immediately after. More chocolate and fruit on the finish, with lots of the barrel coming out late. Dark chocolate covered peanuts come to mind as well. Dark caramel and butterscotch cream. A few drops of water open it up nicely and bring out some of the accompanying grains beyond corn. Softens the mouth feel dramatically and really stretches it out.

Light amber color. Medium number of speedy legs. Nose is a little bit hot. Caramel dominates, with a little bit of malt hiding in there. A bit of a smokey note and a hint of cacao and ripe fruit. Plenty of warmth. Some spiciness shows up mid palate and gives way to a moderately long finish. It's a bit immature, kinda woody, almost cardboardy, but it has enough going on to make it interesting. All the bourbony stuff is there. This, as a $35 bottle is a very solid value.

Dark but vibrant copper body. Really sticks to the glass leaving behind slow moving but numerous legs and a nice ring of beads. Nose definitely indicates it's a Russell product: notable spice notes and Rye contribution among the vanilla, barn must and oak sawdust. Faint hint of rosemary or eucalyptus in there, too. Sweet up front followed immediately by a bright tart fruitiness (think granny smith apple pie) sliding into tons of spice and contributions from the wood. An explosion of flavor coats the mouth and stays for a while, leaving carmel, cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom and butterscotch. Terrific long finish. Warms the chest and mouth. A few drops of water bring out some coconut and really amplify the vanilla. This is everything I look for in a Russell family bourbon, but turned up in magnitude, and lengthened out over the finish. Second only to their 13 year in any offering I've had from them.

Vibrant gold and copper body with lots of medium speed legs. Nose shows the apple wood smoke immediately. Plenty of fresh oak and a hint of vanilla and pecan. Musty, earthy character and a grassy note sneaking in there, too. Lots of barrel, accentuated by the smoke, but not overly charry. Medium to soft mouth feel coats the mouth with a sweetness and helps to carry the flavor. Short to medium finish that leaves more smoke and a return of the vanilla and apple wood. The wheat shows on its own, outside the smoke Deep and earthy, it shows the youth, but is still quite pleasant. Neat idea and a nice take to a traditional bourbon.

bright copper/brass color. virtually no legs, but does leave behind a nice ring of beads. the nose is bright and lively, and getting too close really hits. The combined spice/tart fruit and high proof are notable from a ways away. light caramel, butterscotch candies, orange peel, golden raisins and an earthy grain character are first to peek. Cardamom, eucalyptus/resinous pine undertones, and a definite citrus quality to it... the finish rolls out for some time and leaves with a back and forth between a sweet toastiness and the bright, spicy rye notes. terrific complexity, great balance and stands up well to a rock or a splash of water, and I'd imagine it would make a wonderful old fashioned. The Rare Breed has never let me down, and continues to impress!

Picked up a second bottle and I just can't stick with a 3.75 soft, golden hay color. really really sticks to the glass. first impression is that it's young... nose shows a solid contribution of rye. a bit of burnt orange oil and spices abound: clove, a bit of eucalyptus. a bit of a corn flake richness or sweetness comes to mind as well as candied apricots. it's sort of all shows up on the front. sweetness exists throughout, but the oak and nuance rolled themselves out shortly thereafter. short to medium finish with a bit of stickiness in the mouth left behind buttered toast sprinkled with cinnamon. it's well balanced and delicious, even if a little young outstanding value

Golden body, light amber hue. Quite sticky on the glass. Sure he is immediately noted on the nose: Cherry lozenges, stone fruit and rich barley malt and leather. A hint of vanilla. Big, syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet throughout, mostly ripe fruit. Reminiscent of milk chocolate covered cherries. Pretty long finish, bringing a return of the black cherry lozenges, and a roasted malt/ barrel char note to wrap it up. This is very solid, but I definitely prefer their American Oak single malt.

Light, bright brass color. Plentiful but slow running legs. Lots of spices, tart fruits and an almost resinous, hop-like character on the nose. Soft, mid sized mouthfeel. Finish is mid length, but wild with action: pine notes, spices and intense floral and citrus. A bit of a butterscotch backbone throughout helps balance it a bit. Solid value, for sure! This will make an amazing rye old fashioned. Confirmed that it makes a great old fashioned on 9.24.21

Golden-pale straw color. Lots of quickly appearing legs. Nose is loaded with rye notes: baking spices, tart dried fruits, golden raspberries, candied oranges, and a bit of semi sweet barn funk. Slowly building warming effect starts early and magnifies after the swallow. Larger than anticipated mouthfeel, coats the mouth with light caramel, immediately replaced with a bit of oakey dryness and plenty of that tart fruit and spice. Big with plenty going on. A bit more Barrel contribution would really round it out. Incredible value and I suspect that this distillery will only continue to produce more, and more well-balanced and nuanced products.