Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye

Nice warm rye

Nose: A surprisingly fruity nose opens up into a moderate amount of spicy rye, but none of that caraway that I dread in ryes. A bit of earthy tobacco and pine sits back a ways while light honey sweetens up the front. For a 100 proof, there's next to no ethanol burn. It's hard to pinpoint the fruity character - almost fruitcake-like I'd say. Something like a bitter, spicy chocolate back there as well. Palate: Sweet and thick on the tongue, without any real heat. Load of cinnamon, oak, and rye spice! Old leather and sweet honey come in after the first spice kick. Finish: Medium length and slightly dry. That leather, tobacco, earthy sweetness dominates with subtle herbs flickering one now and then. Water turns the nose into an explosion of tropical fruits, heavily oiled leather, barrel char, and deep pit fruits! The liquid thins out a bit and loses much of it's sweetness and gets actually rather dull. The Finish is a bit spicier, with sweet molasses note. Conclusion: I almost exclusively hate ryes. If I even get a hint of that characteristic caraway/dill note my stomach turns and I usually don't end up finish the glass. This however, is a great whiskey, none of that caraway nausea, just spicy, resinous fruit syrup. If I could find more ryes like this, it might change my mind about the category as a whole.

A little spice and honey in the nose, similar flavor, a little heat in the finish