Tastes

I am a big fan of Basil Hayden’s Bourbon, and have both the Caribbean Reserve and Dark Ryes. This blend of American and Canadian Ryes with Port is very tasty. The fruitiness of the Port blends well with the Rye spice. It is sweet, but not nearly as sweet as the Caribbean Reserve.

Actually tried this years ago. I knew nothing about Scotch, but wanted to try it. At the time, Ballantine’s was the cheapest pint on the shelf. And I have to say, I got exactly what I paid for. It was forty years later that I decided to venture back into the realm of Scotch whisky, and have discovered a few delightful varieties.

From the distillery website: Distilled from a unique blend of thoroughbred grains from the Northern Neck of Virginia; 2/3 rye, 1/3 barley, hand-malted and kiln-dried with applewood and cherrywood smoke. This is an interesting take on rye whiskey. Some reviewers have called it “peaty”, but that isn’t correct. What it is is “smoky”. Sip it neat.

From the VA ABC website: Honoring the nineteenth-century tradition, Hochstadter's Slow & Low Rock and Rye Whiskey is made with aged pot stilled rye whiskey, dried navel oranges orange and raw honey, stirred slow, over a low heat, to marry the robust flavors. It is American's original bottled cocktail. I usually drink my rye(all whiskey)neat, but this is one of my semi-regular “cocktails”.

Pours darker than most ryes, but lighter than black strap rum. The nose is more rum than rye. The flavor is a blend of the spicer American rye, the milder Canadian rye and the black strap Rum. As noted in other reviews, this comes across as maple syrup. There is a bit more rye spiciness in the finish. Overall this is a very good pour, that because of the sweetness would serve well as a digestif.