Tastes

Of all the store picks I had last year, this was the store pick I was most blown away by, and it encouraged me to look into the standard issue high-rye bourbon. Begin soap box: If you can’t find the redemption high-rye bourbon locally, look in your rye section. I can’t figure out why the hell multiple chains in my area, stores that *should* know better when it comes to stuff like this, keep putting this next to the Redemption Rye in the rye section rather than the Redemption Bourbon in the bourbon section. I felt strongly enough about this that I discussed it with the manager of a major chain out of curiosity (let’s just call them Wise Guys for the sake of argument). She tried to tell me this was both a bourbon and a rye because it was a bourbon that had rye in it. I discontinued the conversation. Unless I’m missing something obvious here, “high rye bourbons” are… you know… bourbons. They’re not ryes. And fun fact: Ryes aren’t bourbons. They’re ryes. There’s no such thing as a whiskey that is both a bourbon and a rye, unless you figure out how to simultaneously have 51% corn and 51% rye in your mashbill. Even if you were to mix a rye with a bourbon (which is distinctly not what is happening here) it’s not a bourbon anymore. This is a “high rye bourbon” because it has a mashbill with 36% rye (60% corn). For comparison, Four Roses mashbill #2 uses 35% rye (60% corn), but you don’t see people attempting to label it as some weird, innovative, fusion product. Put the delicious Redemption High Rye Bourbon where it belongs. Which is with the bourbons. Because it’s a damn bourbon. End soap box. Barrel No: 21-196 ABV: 52.5% Barreled: 10/10/16 Bottled: 5/25/21 Nose hits you upfront with a musk. Dusty. Basement floor. There is still sugar, apple, tangerine. I don’t get the honey that I do in the standard issue, and this is overall less sweet. There’s a new perfume note too, something like a fabric softener or a detergent. Cider too. In comparison, body is less complex than I had hoped. There’s loads of caramel and apple. Strong bitter leather note. Walnuts. It’s solid. Finish is cinnamon, more sugar and caramel. I can stretch the apple, but it’s only barely there. Mild orange note at the end of the finish. Cinnamon is the champ here. I hate it is when this happens. This is solid, but now that I’ve had the standard issue, it’s impossible not to be let down by this whiskey. It really is good, it’s just not as good as I want it to be. I think there is some default expectation that a “selection” will in some way be better, and it’s just not the case here. I’m going to enjoy this bottle, but when compared to it’s cheaper counterpart, this is shallower and steers it’s focus away from that caramel apple profile that was so amazing in the high rye bourbon. Probably won’t buy this pick again, but I will buy different store picks of this label in the future. This product line is just too exciting to me. P.S.: These are bourbons y’all. They’re not ryes.

One of the better local store picks I found last year was a Redemption high rye bourbon, and I bought this bottle specifically to figure out what was going on with this juice. Nose is sugar, apple, tangerine. Honey. Bottle is incredibly sweet, but it works. There’s powdered sugar, tart apple, orange. Maple syrup. Hint of something bitter, possibly cedar, but the sweeter notes win for me. Very good. Finish is cinnamon, more sugar, bit of caramel. Mint. The apple carries through, and I just realized this finish is the taste of the Dutch apple pie from Burger King. I mean that as a good thing. I can’t overstate how much this bottle punches above its weight class. Phenomenal value, phenomenal flavor. A new permanent shelf member for me.

Barrel# 3170 Nose is solid. Sugar, caramel, vanilla, lemon. There’s gingerbread too, snicker-doodles. Holiday pastries. Body is cedar, cinnamon, caramel, sugar. Sawdust. Mild cherry, but it’s not well done. Think cough syrup. There’s grape juice here as well, and that note is well done. Finish is hot, buzzes the lips. Tastes like much more proofage than there is. Bitter chocolate, more cinnamon. Coffee. More grape juice. The more I drink this, the more I like it. The grape notes are growing on me, and given it’s price point (just under $50), I think there’s room for this whiskey. Still, some of the ryes produced by New Riff are so amazing that it’s hard not to be let down by this merely-good-tasting bottle. What’s that called, being a victim of your own success?

Nose is peanut brittle, nougat, chocolate, sugar, lemon. Body is salt, caramel, sugar, walnuts. It’s funky, but pretty classic bourbon notes. It’s a Kit Kat bar. Very sweet. Heavy brine note. Finish is cinnamon, praline, cream. Bitter dark chocolate. This seems like a solid dessert whiskey. It packs a punch for a bottom shelfer. Big thanks to @freeeeeeeedom for this bottle. This is not the type of thing I would’ve hunted on my own, but I’m very happy to have it. This one is right up there with WT101 and Benchmark in a “top of the bottom shelf” kind of way. It’s bottom shelf with mid shelf aspirations.

This was one of my first reviewed whiskies. Going back tonight for a long overdue revisit. Original notes: “I get a honey smell on the nose. Body has vanilla and citrus. Sometimes, as an alternate, I get caramel instead. Never both profiles at once. Finish is mild, with a solid wood flavor and only a hint of pepper. This is a very smooth and mild bourbon. 4 stars.” Tonight: Nose is sourwood, honeysuckle, mustiness. Bit of lemon. Body is apple, must, lemon, cedar. Finish is cherry, cedar, and sugar. Very little heat. Overall very sweet. Very gentle. This bourbon is substantially better than I thought it was 4 years ago. I also just realized that at some point, I came to prefer this to BT in a blind comparison. Solid whiskey.

It’s December 31. Rye whiskey month is done. Let’s wrap it up! Goals: I wanted 5 ryes, 4.5 stars, readily available. I found 6 that currently qualify: WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12, Old Riff, VOSN Summer Rye, Willett 4yr. I’m going to call this one a win. I’m not certain all of those will always be readily available, but I could also include a High West barrel finished product, a Barrell Rye single barrel, or Alberta. I think there’s enough there to fill 5 spots. I wanted to be able to recognize the conceptual difference between bourbons and ryes. I’m not there yet. But I do think it’s possible. My palate made a shift during this project, and it’ll take some rebalancing to get to where I could do this reliably. I wanted an Empire Rye. (1/1, Hudson). Check. I wanted a rye that’s the worst thing that my youngest kid could think of. I wanted the one that tastes like being ignored by your siblings the last weekend of winter break. On that last goal: I came in with a prejudice that some ryes were too intense to be pleasant. By the palates of friends I trust, the Willett 4yr should have fit the bill. However, as of last night, not only was that Willett delicious, but one of my all time favorite bourbons (Hancock’s) tasted terrible. After a month of drinking nothing but ryes, that BT mashbill #2 goodness was sickeningly sweet, and I know from years of fandom that this problem will not last. For this project, my palate has shifted. I think that last goal was accomplished, and I’m going to view the “rye intensity” prejudice in the same category as “high proof” or “aged beyond 15 years.” Those things take some getting used to, but can be rewarding when you get there. Other discoveries: Can you recreate the magic that is the High West Double Rye PX Sherry finish by adding PX sherry to a regular double rye? The short answer is: no. However, I added some PX sherry to some Double Rye (about 10% sherry) and I got a solid result. The flavors are good and reminiscent of the real thing. The problem is that this version is much too sweet, and the balance is off. It’s almost like someone messed up the ABV and exposure to oak. Still interesting, and it’s worth a go for entertainment value alone. Whistlepig is largely overpriced and overrated. There are exceptions, but there are enough examples to make that prejudice justified. Preservation Distillery ryes are not the place to go hunting for quality. Even more so than Whistlepig, there are enough examples to make that prejudice justified. Canadian ryes are legit. Most of my favorite ryes this month were Canadian or sourced from Canadia. I never would have guessed this, and I have no idea why this is the case. But it is a thing. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< I wanted to end with a yearly limited release. I believe this fits the bill, although I have absolutely no idea if it’s any good. Here’s the details on this little guy: 2021 Release Proof: 115.9 Barrel: 2809 Age: 2.5 yrs Cooper: Speyside Nose is promising. Caramel, honey, lemon. This is going to be juicy and I can’t wait. Body has green pepper, sugar, olives, brine. Lemon too. Finish is cinnamon and lingering olive oil. The heat builds up over time. There’s almond there too. I think the nose is the best part of the drink. The vegetable notes honestly surprised me, but they were well done. It’s good, but nothing that I must have in my life going forward. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Thanks to all who played along this past month and made this fun. Wishing you all the best New Years and lots of fine whiskey. Here’s to 2022!

It’s December 30, and I’m going to try a new rye whiskey every day this month. And while my rye game is not as weak as my Scotch game was this time last year, I’m always up for suggestions on good rye whiskies. Goals (abridged): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (6/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12, Old Riff, VOSN Summer Rye, Willett 4yr) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. (1/1, Hudson) I want a rye that’s the worst thing that my middle kid can think of. I want the one that tastes like being banned from Roblox. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Nose is corn starch, lemon, syrup. Banana. Body has tangerine, banana. Sugar. Coconut. This is tropical and delicious. Finish is mild, and the banana and coconut carry on. Hint of black pepper, but it’s not hot at all. Ice adds a nice creamy note and feel, and transitions the whole drink toward a delicious tropics milkshake. Notes of milk chocolate as well. I get why folk love this. It not even my flavor profile, and I love this. Solid rye.

It’s December 29, and I’m going to try a new rye whiskey every day this month. And while my rye game is not as weak as my Scotch game was this time last year, I’m always up for suggestions on good rye whiskies. Goals (abridged): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (6/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12, Old Riff, VOSN Summer Rye, Willett 4yr) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. (1/1, Hudson) I want a rye that’s the worst thing that my eldest kid can think of. I want the one that tastes like being tortured for all eternity. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Nose is caramel, orange, sugar, honey. Sweet tarts. Smarties. It’s astringent, but I love it. Body has floral and fruity notes. Perfume hits first, followed by brine, salt, orange, and cherry. Flowers and perfume are the main notes for me. Finish is pepper and orange. That orange note in the finish is my favorite part of this drink. Phenomenal. A little ice makes a big difference here. It really shifts the drink toward orange and sugar and away from the floral. I think it’s better neat, but far more approachable and easy on the rocks. I can see other fruit notes this way too, like apple and lemon. This is another rye whiskey I can’t find fault with. It’s outstanding.

It’s December 28, and I’m going to try a new rye whiskey every day this month. And while my rye game is not as weak as my Scotch game was this time last year, I’m always up for suggestions on good rye whiskies. And now that I have goals (it’s good to have goals), there are some key players I could use your help finding. Send me your favorite, readily-available rye. Goals (abridged): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (6/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12, Old Riff, VOSN Summer Rye, Willett 4yr) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. (1/1, Hudson) I want a wtf rye. I want the one that tastes like killing Eskel for literally no reason at all. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Although not explicitly advertised as such, this is a Preservation Distillery product. So. Temper expectations. Nose has marshmallow, sugar, burnt rubber. I am terrified. This is going to be Rare Perfection lite, isn’t it? Body delivers on the marshmallow. There’s a wicked bitterness that I would call black coffee. Cedar. Finish is burnt coffee and black pepper. Cigar ash. Dark chocolate. I was joking about this being Rare Perfection lite, but that turned out to be precisely what this is. It’s not good, but it is an order of magnitude better than its RP kin. If you’re flirting with the RP Canadians, you should really track down this bottle first. At a fraction of the cost, you can get the flavor profile here. If for some reason you absolutely love this whiskey and want to know what these notes taste like dialed up beyond reason, the RP gamble may be worth it for you.

It’s December 27, and I’m going to try a new rye whiskey every day this month. And while my rye game is not as weak as my Scotch game was this time last year, I’m always up for suggestions on good rye whiskies. And now that I have goals (it’s good to have goals), there are some key players I could use your help finding. Send me your favorite, readily-available rye. Goals (abridged): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (5/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12, Old Riff, VOSN Summer Rye) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. (1/1, Hudson) I want a siren rye. I want the one that tastes like a liar and a thief and a damned old fish. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Big thanks to @ScotchingHard for recommending this. Apparently I tried this about 2 and a half years ago, but as I have literally no memory of that happening, I’m going to count it as “new”. What I love about all of this is that in my review from years ago, I had trouble detecting flavor notes because of its intensity. I specifically said: “I can tell that I have some room to grow on what I can detect on ryes.” Let’s find out if the past month helped me out at all. Nose is maple syrup, sugar, watermelon. Red apple. So good. Body is watermelon, honey, strawberry, orange. There’s praline and caramel on the end of the body. I could see cherry, but the other fruits are better descriptors I think. Finish is sweet and spicy. The watermelon comes back, and a mild cinnamon. Bit of walnut as well. Milk chocolate. Cream. This is a juice bomb. Phenomenal flavor, and I absolutely love it. I hope this qualifies as the “intense rye” I’ve been looking for, because if so, I have come to a place where I can enjoy ryes to the same extent that I do bourbons. This is going to be a whiskey I try to keep in stock at all times.