Bulleit 12 Year Rye (2024 Release)

Nose: Leather, mint Palate: A hint of sugar and caramel but mostly spice and spearmint are dominant Finish: Medium with a little bit of caramel that tahs along with those baking spices With the benefit of 12 years in wood this rye is absolutely a step above Bulliet’s traditional 95/5 rye. It is fairly valued, but this is simple a better, but not spectacular MGP rye.

This one is actually insane, and I'm trying to keep my expectations down. There are very few spirits that I would buy on sight, ESPECIALLY without knowing the price, but this is one of them. I didn't quite appreciate the last release of the 12 year rye when it came out, so I longed for this one when I heard of it's release. I can't remember what I paid for it, but it doesn't really matter, at least, not right now. The MSRP for this, however, is beyond economical, especially considering the additions of barrels up to 17 years aged. I still think Bulleit/MGP has the absolute cornerstone rye whiskey, or at least understands that a proper rye whiskey is, and always should be, no less than 95% rye. Shame has already been given to distilleries that think they can pass off 55% rye whiskeys as anything other than fire starters, but the fact that this is classic 95/5 Bulleit/MGP rye that's simply aged longer excites me greatly, and I hope that enthusiasm continues through the tasting. The color, as expected, is chestnut brown mixed with a deep mahogany, but unfortunately still fairly clear with noticeable legs from the disappointing proofing down. The heavy banana notes that I usually get from the standard Bulleit rye are still present here, but not as underripe, and instead combined with brown sugar, caramel, and some lemon oil. Put-downs of the proof aside, there is a decent ethanol here, as well as a touch of stewed blue/black fruits, and a heavier body of cracked rye and cinnamon-forward baking spice. The body is too light and watery for it's own good, but flavors of brown sugar, balanced/polished oak, lemon peel, and overripe banana come into play fairly quickly, and with great balance. The rye does creep around the gum-line, but doesn't penetrate as much as I would expect, and, frankly, as much as it needs to. The finish is sweet oak and bananas foster, with familiar fresh rye grain, cinnamon, and even some used mint leaves. I would say this was disappointing, but it's honestly an excellent heavily aged American rye whiskey at it's price point. The unfortunate thing about American distilleries and whiskey in general is that almost all of them want to turn a quick profit and will try to sell their 2-3 year aged whiskeys for far more than they're worth. The fortunate thing about young whiskey, rye whiskey specifically, is that it better exemplifies the grain's flavor profile at a younger aged, as compared to the sweetness that corn needs with age, or the mellowness that wheat demands and can only achieve with longer aging. All that being said, this can be sold for pennies because it's an MGP product, but props still to Bulleit for not pulling the rug out from under us and keeping it very affordable. You won't find many options with this level of age statement, but when you do (Whistlepig, Templeton, etc), you'll pay an arm and a leg for it, and it's much more difficult to give an honest review, especially if it ends in a lower rating, when you're forced to overpay.