Boone County Small Batch Rye

Single Barrel 5 years old 114 proof, barrel 1 Picked this up at the distillery a couple months ago. Had an enjoyable tour with some tastings at the end. Rye and Bourbon white dog did not suit my fancy. Their 4yo rye showed some promise and their 5yo bourbon needs another year or so to come together. Boone County has a tight relationship with MGP and I have had some of their single barrel selections. Their 1833 12yo was OMG. Based on that and liking previous MGP bottlings, I got a 5yo single barrel rye . So, I wrapped up the bottle and took it to my son's in Florida. We always enjoy tasting and critiquing. WOW! Intense nose of green apple, baking spices and a touch of butterscotch. The 114 is deceiving. It's there but way in the background and sneaks up on you. The favor is a velvety version of the nose, a real easy sipper. A nice dry green apple finish that goes and goes. I left the remainder of the bottle in Florida as my son absolutely loved it. So I bought another in mid December and then he let my wife know how he was nursing the remains of the the bottle along. Since my wife was late in Christmas shopping, she decided the my newly acquired bottle would make a great present for our son. Guess I will have to make another trip to the distillery. Gonna try a 7yo single barrel wheated MGP bourbon next.

Neat. Neck pour. 90 proof MGP 5 year Rye for $40. Honestly not the best deal. 4 year Old Scout Rye is barrel proof and $50. But I love supporting Boone County. They have a sweet spot in my heart since 1833 came out. The nose strikes me as a balance MGP rye. Sometimes the barrel proof ryes can be too hot, but this is approachable and flavorful. The flavors are essentially standard MGP rye. Leans towards the dill/black licorice side of MGP but once again, the blending is balance so these notes don’t overwhelm like they typically can do. There is this really nice cinnamon roll drizzled with vanilla icing aspect to this. Reminds me a lot of Angel’s Envy Rye despite not being finished. Lots of pepper and rye through. Very spicy. Not as thin as I was expecting. It’s very oily while not being thick. Neutral mouth feel? Cinnamon vanilla sweetness on the tongue transitions to a combo of black and red licorice on the taste. Getting an interesting grape note. (?) All rye on the finish and the spice lingers. Just a well balanced, MGP rye. 90 proof is usually low for me but this brings the flavors so I am not going to knock it for that. I want to put this up against Bullett 12 year Rye (which I don’t have at the moment). I think despite being younger, it is better blended than the Bullett. If I were introducing someone to MGP Rye for the first time, this would be it. The price is the only thing that holds it back. At $30ish, this would be perfect. At $40 it starts getting closer to 4/5 year barrel proof single barrels from Old Scout or Backbone. I am impressed though by how much flavor this packs at 90 proof.

This one makes me a bit giddy. It feels like forever ago, but I just confirmed that it was only March of last year that I was at the distillery, and tasted the 1833 bourbon and the rye new make. Having thought the rye was easily in my top 3 favorite rye whiskeys, even being unaged, I followed Boone County closely in wait for the aged product. I remember them saying it had already been aging for a few years and would be ready soon, so I waited. Today, I gleefully find out I has a minimum age statement of 5 years, so my very high expectations will hopefully not over-judge what I'm sure will be a good product. Great rye spice on the nose, with a spot on balance between cinnamon, grass, mint, and a bit of candy sweetness. This does not include great barrel spice, but it is actually oak spice that I'm getting instead of the traditional vanilla or caramel. There is a slight ethanol burn, too much for being only ~90 proof, but I so hope this won't get in the way of the experience. The taste took more surprising turns than I was expecting, but all was well received. The initial taste on the cheeks and front of tongue is young grain, but given that this grain is rye, it adds to the profile that will soon change. As I open my mouth for a bit of air, the cinnamon and spice take the show, introducing good burn, but not too much to shudder away. The oak also is tasted at this point, but again, more of the woody spice than the sweet char that is usually expected. The candy, sugary sweetness takes the finish, still resting on a decent cinnamon wave from before. Okay, this is good, and what I expected not only from Boone County, but from a proper rye whiskey. That being said, this also isn't extraordinarily different from some other quality rye whiskeys. If, however, you are a fan of Boone County and are watching them closely as they further develop their younger brand, this should also impress you as it did me. The price point is decent enough to not turn you off if you know the brand, but they likely won't get too many new customers without a bit of a drop. All in all, I'm happy to have found this, and hope that I can not only buy it again, but find it as a higher age several years from now.