Cowboy Little Barrel Rye Whiskey

It’s December 28, and I’m going to try a new rye whiskey every day this month. And while my rye game is not as weak as my Scotch game was this time last year, I’m always up for suggestions on good rye whiskies. And now that I have goals (it’s good to have goals), there are some key players I could use your help finding. Send me your favorite, readily-available rye. Goals (abridged): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (6/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12, Old Riff, VOSN Summer Rye, Willett 4yr) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. (1/1, Hudson) I want a wtf rye. I want the one that tastes like killing Eskel for literally no reason at all. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Although not explicitly advertised as such, this is a Preservation Distillery product. So. Temper expectations. Nose has marshmallow, sugar, burnt rubber. I am terrified. This is going to be Rare Perfection lite, isn’t it? Body delivers on the marshmallow. There’s a wicked bitterness that I would call black coffee. Cedar. Finish is burnt coffee and black pepper. Cigar ash. Dark chocolate. I was joking about this being Rare Perfection lite, but that turned out to be precisely what this is. It’s not good, but it is an order of magnitude better than its RP kin. If you’re flirting with the RP Canadians, you should really track down this bottle first. At a fraction of the cost, you can get the flavor profile here. If for some reason you absolutely love this whiskey and want to know what these notes taste like dialed up beyond reason, the RP gamble may be worth it for you.

This is a fantastic rye for the price point. Great for old fashions as it has a touch of heat, but can be easily sipped if you wish.

Better

Easy sipper, no burn (at 81.2 proof). Mild vanilla/marshmallow on the nose. Bit of caramel on the pallet and some rye on the finish.