Barrell Rye Single Barrel #M734

Bull City Bourbon Club pick, "Rye'm or Raisin" Barrel No. V933 100% Canadian rye Age - 15 years and 9 months 67.92% abv; 135.84 proof Open 2 months Nose - Golden raisins, roses, oranges, ginger snap cookies, pine sap, white pepper, light oak, and strong ethanol. Palate - Freshly cracked peppercorns, raisin medley, vanilla bean, Turkish delight, light anise, clove, pine needles, confectioners sugar, and corn dust. Finish is long with peppercorn medley, really dry raisins, chalk, candy corn, pine bark, and sharp ethanol. Another fantastic Barrell pick, and easily the best Canadian rye I've had (which is not many). It was a bit strong and ethanol-forward when I first opened the bottle, but it settled well. Although Barrell is not cheap, this is a significant step up from Alberta Premium Cask Strength for only $25 more. That bottle was all hot spice and no complexity, this has the raisins, syrup, and conifer notes to round out that spiciness you expect with a >130 proof rye. Highly recommend if you see their rye label with the Canadian rye source. Their MGP rye single barrels are excellent too, but MGP rye is easy to find.

Bull City Bourbon Club pick, "Rye'm or Raisin" Barrel No. V933 100% Canadian rye Age - 15 years and 9 months 67.92% abv; 135.84 proof Open 2 months Nose - Golden raisins, roses, oranges, ginger snap cookies, pine sap, white pepper, light oak, and strong ethanol. Palate - Freshly cracked peppercorns, raisin medley, vanilla bean, Turkish delight, light anise, clove, pine needles, confectioners sugar, and corn dust. Finish is long with peppercorn medley, really dry raisins, chalk, candy corn, pine bark, and sharp ethanol. Another fantastic Barrell pick, and easily the best Canadian rye I've had (which is not many). It was a bit strong and ethanol-forward when I first opened the bottle, but it settled well. Although Barrell is not cheap, this is a significant step up from Alberta Premium Cask Strength for only $25 more. That bottle was all hot spice and no complexity, this has the raisins, syrup, and conifer notes to round out that spiciness you expect with a >130 proof rye. Highly recommend if you see their rye label with the Canadian rye source. Their MGP rye single barrels are excellent too, but MGP rye is easy to find.

Sweet, great maple taste, drinks much lighter than 113 proof.

Bull City Bourbon Club pick dubbed "Ryed 'n Durty" Barrel No. M765 Age 7 years 57.84% abv, 115.68 proof Nose - Black pepper, toasted nuts, mint leaf, toffee, molasses Palate - Allspice, nutmeg, oak, toffee, black pepper, sweeter than expected. Long and strong finish with strong rye spices, oak, ethanol, mint. My review is primarily based on taste since this was served at an outdoor bar in plastic disposable cups. I'm not knocking them, what they're doing every Wednesday is a fantastic deal. Alley Twenty Six in downtown Durham is serving one special whiskey at cost, whether you want it neat or in a cocktail. The Barrell Rye is $100 in NC, so a $5.75 pour is phenomenal when it would normally be north of $20. This was a BCBC pick I did not pick up, but the flavor is definitely there. Next time I'll bring my own Glencairn. They had the newest WhistlePig Boss Hog ($500 in NC) for $33 a pour this week, just to give you an idea of the deal you're getting on Wednesday. After two pours of Barrell Rye I got a Manhattan to go with it, one of the best Manhattans I've had in a long time.