Tastes

It’s not dramatically different, it’s not wholly changed from your standard MGP rye like James E Pepper Rye or something, but there is a strange tartness in the Porter’s Small Batch Rye that’s unique. The basic profile is that of a younger MGP 95/5 which is perfectly sippable around the 3 years mark as JEP releases have so well shown.

Aroma is a soft dessert-sweet profile with some rustic hints that struggle to be noticed; Palate has a raw essence to it that reminds me of far too many of the not-so-great craft distilleries; Finish is short, harsh and metallic. Can’t say I like the end result, but I like that it exists

Aroma is shockingly oaky with a profile that moves from sweet to earthy and back; Palate is good, but lacks some of the depth the aroma carries and has less of the rum notes till water is added; Finish is pleasant and changes more sip-to-sip than most whiskys but stays on an earthy-smoky, herbal-spicy and lightly sweet track.

Aroma is crisp and clean, carrying a profile that reminds me of a bonfire at the beach; Palate has more of a saline kick, but hits the same minerally and lighter sweet notes that make this so interesting; Finish is my favorite part melding the malty, sweet and minerally notes together.

Rich full aroma rolls out of the glass carrying a heaviness from the complex, darkly sweet, notes; Palate is equally heavy and full but with more complex fruity notes and bits of oak; Finish comes through darkly as well and lingers far longer than expected, but still not long enough.

Aroma is full and fruity with darker earthy notes combining nicely; Palate is very similar with minor shifts in the profile from tropical to more orchard style of fruitiness; Finish is a muddled sweet and earthy profile. It’s nice.

The port comes in a bit heavy. The Aroma is very sweet and heavy with a strong sugary profile that screams port; Palate has the same basic profile and comes through heavy, dark and sweet with only the oak to really balance it out; Finish is one raisin away from cloying.

This… this is nice. The Aroma is about as classic as they come but in a rich and heavy way; Palate rolls through similarly but with a larger herbal and spice punch; Finish is a dark and fruity dream.

While I appreciate the approach, I don’t care much for the end result. It’s so intensely sweet and as it sits and opens it turns to peanuts, to the point that’s nearly all I’m getting towards the end of a glass. Love the experimentation, but it’s not an improvement over the original Knob Creek.

I like it… I like it a lot. The Aroma is full of sweet and briny and buttery notes accented with smoke; Palate is similar but with a more nunaced and complex sweetness; Finish carries a heavy layer of smoke paired up with the sweet notes.