Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye

Pepper, caramel, oak

Spicy with seemingly more heat than a BiB would deliver, but everything is well-balanced and quite pleasant.

This is very fruit-forward. Some sort of odd rice vinegar comes through, making the fruit taste a little pickled, but that's actually pretty nice. It's about as rich as Pikesville 6, but is a bit more complex and has a bit more alcohol flavor to it (the latter characteristic being disappointing since this is actually lower proof). There are cereal notes with some mint and almonds or maybe marzipan hanging out at the beginning. Rye shows up for sure and unfortunately exacerbates the alcohol, but is otherwise a reasonable backing. Barrel flavor lurks in the background, but it doesn't overwhelm. It's a nice complex and rich rye. It tastes more like a rye than Pikesville 6, which is great if you want rye but I don't like as much. There's some spiciness going on for sure and it carries mostly the standard cinnamon but might have a little clove and nutmeg. It's definitely spicy and tart with some other flavors adding to its complexity. The complexity is enjoyable, but there aren't any of those flavors that wow me. There is a bit more mineral than I would like, but it isn't too bad considering the richness and complexity. Still, I think I'd prefer to sip Pikesville 6.