Tastes

It’s December 26, 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 burning rye. I one the one that feels like Tabasco sauce on chapped lips. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Big thanks to @Anthology for recommending this rye! Nose is brine, salt, pear, yeast, dust. Melon. Body is anise, licorice, leather, sugar, mint. Finish is heavy on mint, with a bit of dark chocolate. This one screams Heaven Hill profile to me. It’s not an arrangement of flavors that I’m crazy about, but like all HH products, I can’t deny the talent in the bottle. I could see this being an amazing mixer, but not something I’d reach for neat on a regular basis.

It’s December 25, 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. (4/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12, Old Riff) 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 nauseating rye. I want the one that went to Scotland to escape a scandal but falls in love with a castle, thereby having to deal with and/or fall in love with the grumpy but kind duke who resides therein. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< What would Christmas Day be without a St. Nick? A Very Olde one at that. Nose of this is fantastic, and honestly a relief. You never know with these people. I get sour apples, lemon, honeysuckle. Perfume, flowers. Sweet tarts. Orange peel. Body is green apple. Brine. Syrup. I could see a really sweet grapefruit. Delicious. Finish is cinnamon, caramel apple. Citrus comes back, orange this time. This is quite possibly the best VOSN out there right now. By comparison, the VOSN 12 antique has a bit of an odd aftertaste, and the 16 years are all prohibitively expensive (albeit arguably worth it still). If you like these types of notes, this whiskey is balanced expertly. If you feel compelled to buy VOSN products (and I understand why you may not) let me be your guide to the VOSN universe. I have now officially had all of them since the reboot, and would like to share the following advice: 1) Buy the VOSN 12 yr bourbon. I prefer the antique over the estate, but both are good. 2) Need to treat a friend and have that Whistlepig 18 money? Buy them the VOSN 16 yr antique. Bonus points for the unicorn bottle. It’s a truly special experience. Overpriced, but it is (read: claims to be) bourbon history in a bottle. 3) Buy this bottle. It’s delicious. 4) I can’t emphasize this enough, though I will try. AVOID ALL OTHER VOSN PRODUCTS LIKE THE PLAGUE. AVOID RARE PERFECTION LIKE THE PLAGUE. THEY ARE TRASH, NOT WORTH THE COST, OR BOTH. I feel better now.

It’s December 24, 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. (3/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) 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 an insulting rye. I want the one that tastes like a Christmas bonus in the form of a $25 gift card to Walmart. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Wow! Nose has honey, sour wood, lemon, dill. Body is butterscotch, apple, sugar, lemon, honey. Dough. Delicious. Juicy. Finish has more sugar and peaches. Very gentle finish. On ice, the body becomes this delicious caramel apple note, with a sweet, tart apple finish. This is amazing. I can’t tell you how refreshing this whiskey is. I could see this becoming a “daily drinker” for me, and I can’t wait to try it in an old fashioned. I know I am biased toward these types of notes in whiskey, but given that, I can’t find fault with it.

It’s December 23, 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. (3/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) 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 an insufficient rye. I want the one that tastes like a 2021 George T. Stagg. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< From the official website, to create an Empire Rye your juice must: 1) Have 75% New York grown rye in the mashbill (raw, malted, or total combined) 2) Be distilled to no more than 160 proof 3) Be barreled at no more than 115 proof 4) Be aged for at least 2 years in charred virgin oak barrels 5) ”Be mashed, fermented, distilled, barreled and aged at a single New York State distillery.” Note: UNLESS your just is blended. Then every component in the blend must be an Empire Rye. How does this differ from other American straight rye whiskies? 1) State restriction 2) Grain sourcing restriction 3) Requires 75% rye instead of just 51% 4) No more than 115 proof in the barrel instead of 125 proof Based on my reading, this makes every Empire Rye a straight rye, but not necessarily the other way around. On to drinking. Nose, body and finish is iron. Blood. Gravel. This is gross. Mild heat on the finish. Cinnamon. Cloves. That iron note dominates this drink. If there were complex notes in the peripheries, they’re dominated beyond recognition. When I breath in with and open mouth and then close, I still get that metal aftertaste 5 minutes since my last swig. I literally just poured this in the sink and am going to go chase this with something decent. This is poor man’s Journeymen. If that metal taste doesn’t bother you, this one might be fine for you. There is something in my DNA that rejects this flavor profile. Disclaimer: I am not judging Empire Ryes wholly, just this little guy. I’ve found this flavor profile that I hate in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, and now New York. I actually love the concept of distinct, regionalized spirits like this, and I want more of them. Hudson just missed the mark here.

It’s December 22, 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. (3/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. I want a nasty rye. I want the one that tastes like opening up a 5 am - 1 pm bakery with your unnecessarily judgey mother-in-law. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< This was part of a free sampler pack. From Flaviar. I cannot think of a scenario that could present lower expectations. Nose is weird. It’s peaty. It has a iron scent like a whiskey of young juice or poorly sourced water table, but there’s a distinct smoke in the background. For degree, think Talisker. Body is caramel, maple, sugar, more iron. Mostly iron. A roast beef note sneaks in on the very back, as it transitions to the finish. Finish has a nice peat. It’s reminiscent of a fine cigar, and while I don’t usually go for that note, I actually enjoy it here. It’s well done, but it might also be because it covers up that iron note. This is the furthest thing away from what I was expecting. It’s not terrible. It does have that metallic note (think Journeyman, Cleveland, etc) but the application of peaty notes compensates slightly and makes this interesting as hell. From their website, this appears to be how they do it: “2/3 rye, 1/3 barley, hand-malted and kiln-dried with applewood and cherrywood smoke.” I can’t say I enjoy it, but I do find it intriguing. Very interesting, very unique. Most distinct flavor profile I’ve had this month.

It’s December 21, 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. (3/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. I want a dank rye. I want the one that tastes like failing a final exam that was so hard, the curve ends up boosting your grade to an A anyway. In other words, I want to suffer but retain my dignity. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Nose is strawberry, sugar, lemon, oak. Bit of dust. Bit of formaldehyde. Very reminiscent of Old Forrester 1920. Body has walnuts, latex, strawberry jam, vanilla, spruce, salt. Dill. Leather. Orange. Finish is extremely long, and it works here. It’s cinnamon, sugar, hint of strawberry. That rubber flavor comes back as the final aftertaste, and that’s unfortunate. If you can mentally mute the industrial notes (formaldehyde nose, latex body, rubber finish) what’s left is genuinely enjoyable. I find it hard to do that, especially if I’m focusing on other things, which limits the role this rye will have in my life.

It’s December 20, 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. (3/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. I’ve been asking for an intense rye. One that has the “essence of rye” dial turned up to 11. The community seems to like this whiskey. I think it‘s nasty. Nasty with my respect though, not like that VOSN 7 year abomination. Is this my nasty rye??? Let me know what you think. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Nose is brine, honeysuckle, sugar. Dill. Cut grass. Smells like my preconception of what a rye should smell like. Body is pear, dill, gummy bears. Salt. Apricot. Finish is grape jelly. More salt. Dry and savory. I feel like I just ate a full bag of pretzels. If I had to describe this whiskey with one word: salt. This is too intense, and I can’t say it’s the better for it. It’s just so damn salty. My tongue feels shriveled. It’s honestly hard to enjoy. I don’t know if this counts as an intense rye, because my experience with finished whiskies leads me to believe that the finish is the problem here, not the rye. I’d be interested to know if I’m wrong. In your opinion, is this intensity due to the fact that this is a rye or due to the finishing process?

It’s December 19, 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 most intense contender. Goals (abridged): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (3/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. I want a rye that you have to suffer through. I want the one that tastes like being hungover at an indoor heated swimming pool full of screaming children. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< @PBMichiganWolverine was kind enough to recommend an empire rye (McKenzie), which I’m sure would’ve been brilliant if I could have found it. The only one I found from New York was this guy, and I bought it without knowing enough about empire ryes to even know if distillation location was enough to make this guy qualify. Turns out: no. I’m not sure which standard this whiskey fails, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s the 75% New York grown rye. Taconic mentions that they use New York grains (you have to use 75% New York grains to conform to the New York Farm Distiller requirement) but it might not be enough New York rye to qualify. I’ll keep hunting for a true empire rye, and if I find one, I’ll do a full run down of the requirements then. Nose is marshmallow, yeast, lemon, apricot. Mint. Body is orange marmalade. Super sweet. Great flavor. Bit of marshmallow here as well. Sweet tea. Powdered sugar. Finish has a nitrous whipped cream thing going on. There’s milk chocolate. This finish is truly unique. This is tasty. It’s a bit too sweet to be a favorite of mine or something I could drink every day, but it’s a solid product that I would never turn down. If you’re into the jelly-sweet side of whiskey, this is something you have to try at some point. They did a good job here.

It’s December 18, 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 most intense contender. Goals (abridged): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (3/5: WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. I want a rye that makes you cuss. I want the one that tastes like spilling your first 2 ounce pour all over the carpet. I wish I were making this up. I could do the math on the exact dollar amount that is now a carpet stain. I will not. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Huh. For starters, I had to treat my mouth to be able to taste anything. Seriously. I had to eat something salty, rinse with water, then do a “Kentucky chew” with WT 101. Only then was my palate ready for the absurdly muted flavors in this rye. That said: Nose is lemon, flowers. Orange maybe. Body is watermelon. Lemon returns. It’s juicy. There’s vanilla. Cake batter. I can get apple. I could see cherry. Strawberry? It’s kind of all over the place depending where you hold it and how long you let it sit, but fruity and juicy seem to be the themes. Not overly sweet. Not oily. Extremely well balanced on the mouth feel. Finish is the gentlest finish I’ve tasted this month. It almost tastes nonalcoholic. The vanilla and strawberry stay with you, very briefly. Huh. When I was a high school teacher, whenever I made an exploitable classroom policy (no matter how well-intentioned) one of my students would exploit it by the end of the year. It was usually a ninth grader. That is what this whiskey is doing to me right now. I make it a point to very minimally factor in price when it comes to rating, but that doesn’t work here. This whiskey broke my rating scale. It’s too good and well crafted to be a 3.5 whiskey by my rubric. It’s really tasty. Genuinely enjoyable. I keep trying to say things like that out loud to make me feel justified in buying this, and it’s not working. Don’t buy this. Ever. But… you should try it. Because it’s really good. So find a friend that made the same mistake I did and mooch. That’s my recommendation. You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll get to watch your friend be disappointed. Win-win.

Edit: after some rye exposure and a solid heads-up from @OldeBull I’ve determined I need to revisit this whiskey. Better review around the corner. It’s December 17, 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 most intense contender. Goals (abridged): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (3/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. I want a nasty rye. I want the one that tastes like getting a group text from your boss an hour before quitting time on Friday that states that you would be doing a task for the other people in the group text (a task that really was your boss’s responsibility and should’ve been done like a month ago) by the end of the day and you stay after by a few hours hammering it out at breakneck speed after an already exhausting week and you do an outstanding job and when the dust settles the other people in the group text thank your boss for the speedy response. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Years ago, Wild Turkey was one of my first distillery tours. I didn’t know this would happen at the time, but the tour guide (who crushed it) has lodged herself in my memory as the most charismatic and entertaining tour guide I’ve ever encountered, even after having a dozen or so more under my belt. Unfortunately, I can’t remember her name to brag about to the Russells, because at the time, I had no idea how memorable she would end up being. What I do remember is that (in true southern fashion) she went by two names, a double syllable one followed by a single syllable one. So I’m releasing this today. Tammy Lynn, Wilma Sue, Edna Jo or whatever the hell your name was, thanks. And I’m sorry I couldn’t brag on you in a way that matters. Nose is sugar-encrusted walnuts. Maple. Dark chocolate. On ice, I get frosting, vanilla, and tea leaves. Body is more sugared walnuts. Sweet tea. On ice, not much changes, but the nuttiness is accentuated. This may be the nuttiest dram I can remember. Finish is praline. Caramel. Low heat. On ice, the body flavors are more prominent, especially the tea. Shockingly gentle given the ABV. This is decent, but not my cup of tea. In fact, I don’t like tea, which is part of the problem. What I really don’t like about this whiskey is that (like 101) it completely dissolves any functional boundary I had been working on to help me classify bourbon and rye. How the hell this isn’t a bourbon (based on notes) is beyond me.