Castle & Key Restoration Rye 2020 (Batch 1)

One of the best whiskies on the bourbon trail. Nose of banana bread, spices, and caramel. Pallette of caramel, vanilla, and rye spice. Finish of vanilla, charred oak and more spices. Extremely smooth and complex, perfectly sweet.

I searched for this one for awhile and finally found it. I was excited to try it, but disappointed. It’s a young, young rye- and unless you enjoy the mouth-burning spice, it’s really just too young. Adding some ice helped to tame that spice down, but it was honestly so overwhelming that the flavor notes pale in comparison. My husband couldn’t even finish it. His comment: “That is RAW!” Finish is short. I think that it could be a very good rye if it ages longer and mellows out a bit. As it stands, I’d only use this in a cocktail.

Not loving this. Heavy alcohol taste, missing spice.