Tastes

It's rye. It's bonded. It's cheap. But it's not very good. Not bad, but almost. Hot and rough straight and ruins a Manhattan, even with Carpano Antica! Not bad in a Sazerac, but at this point I'm really just trying to get rid of it to open up the space on my shelf.

A great blend with lots of peat and lemon. Great for scotch cocktails. Rusty Nail anyone?

The expert review is mostly accurate, but this is not a very exciting rye. While the 50% abv heat is pleasant, it ultimately comes up short on flavor. Makes a decent manhattan, but nothing special. At the same price point, Rittenhouse wins hands down. Not bad, especially at the $24, but Rittenhouse is only $25!

Expert review is spot on. Great Lagavulin flavor, but lighter. Good heat at 48%, oily mouth feel and a long tapered finish. It doesn't take the place of the 16, but instead has earned it's own place on my shelf.

Fruity nose with a bit of a sour note. Gentle arrival with tart fruit and a slight briny note through the middle. The finish is long and pleasantly warm. I want to like it more than I do. My sense is that the NAS means that there is some pretty young whisky in the mix that lends to the green/sour nose.

Good amount of rye spice and some nice barrel oak. Makes a decent Manhattan. At $50, there are better choices at half the price (i.e. Rittenhouse). I don't regret trying and will enjoy the rest of the bottle, but will not buy again. Maybe this will improve over time.

Wow, why haven't I tried this sooner? Sophisticated and complex spiciness both on the nose and palate. Long finish of some sort of licorice candy that I have never tasted before. Oddly, it makes a pretty good Manhattan too. A steal at 7 years old and only $26!

Sweet rich caramel on the nose with a touch of rum funk. Sweet banana's and rich vanilla/caramel with a spicy charcoal finish. Complex flavors with a nice balance of sweet and spice. Works well in a boulevardier.

I couldn't disagree more with the professional review. Barely a rye. As I use rye's mostly as mixers for Manhattans, this was an utter failure. Well, maybe some hyperbole there, but I will not purchase again. Go for Rittenhouse, High West or Templeton. As a sipper, it still doesn't offer the spicy rye taste that I love. It does nothing very well. Okay, checking back, I did purchase again. Having refined my palate since my initial tasting, it is a rye after all. Further, I am actually enjoying this rich, subtle rye. Will try in a Manhattan soon.

Intense fruit, honey and malt on the nose. Complex and intense fruit on the palate with a hint of licorice. Gentle heat and luscious oily mouth feel. The age serves this one well. Although I do appreciate the 12 yo at $50, this is a fine step up at $78. A lovely Speysider that should be ranked 89-90 instead of 85 here.