Dad's Hat Single Barrel Cask Strength Pennsylvania Straight Rye

Amazing rye. One of the best I've had. Definitely need to water it down. Spicy, but so perfectly balanced with some nice malt body.

Different store pick

This is really complex, too many flavors to list, but great oily texture and long finish

Nose - baked apple, earthy mint, pine, cashew butter, cocoa, clove, allspice, leather, dill, cinnamon, anise, caramel, spiced vanilla, yeast, herbal tea, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - mint, anise, leather, pine, clove, allspice, caramel, toasted barley, dry vanilla, dill, tar, spiced apple, wood polish, cinnamon, black tea, dark chocolate, high alcohol bite, finishing medium long with leather, mint, spiced apple, and strong baking spice flavors. I really enjoy the standard Dad’s Hat, so when I saw this single barrel cask strength bottling for around $60, I knew it would be coming home with me. Interestingly, it’s been a year since I bought the bottle and the store still has a lot of stock, so I don’t think it’s selling very well. The nose provides the classic Monongahela aromas but punchier than I’ve encountered before, with spiced apple, cashew butter nuttiness, minty rye spices, and roasty toasty barley notes. The palate carries much of the same, but with strong, tannic leather and a varnish-like quality I liken to wood polish. Overall, this is delicious rye at a good price point, especially given that it’s under four years old. It’s rich, spicy, and bold. Everything I like in a rye. Grab one if you see it on the shelf.

Rating: 19/23 N: Rich and sweet with a mild nuttiness and some rye spice with a little dill. There's some bitter wood in here that suggests creosote. The alcohol surprisingly doesn't really come through. P: This really hits with the rich dill and full rye flavor. It's super spicy, but there really isn't a ton of harshness hidden in the spice, despite the proof. There's some nice apple and great creosote flavor in here with a little licorice to it. It's almost like licking a railroad tie. It's leathery and spicy. It makes me think of Joseph Magnus, actually. This has a bigger, bolder flavor than Kings County Empire rye does by a long shot. It's richer, less sweet, and has some big, distinct notes that really grab me. F: The leathery creosote with spices and alcohol fullness kind of lingers. A dash of apple shows from time to time, but that's really the gist. The finish lingers for a long time and it's very enjoyable. - Conclusion - I really didn't know what to expect going into this, but this is an excellent rye! I've spent a while on the fence with various ryes wondering which is better than which and landing repeatedly in the 16ish range. That isn't happening here: this is an exceptional rye! It beats Kings County Empire Rye and is at least very close to Russell's Reserve Single Barrel (it may actually even be better). If I had to make the call right now, I'd probably give the win to this Dad's Hat. And that's saying something. The rye flavor is kind of like what is found in Belle Meade Reserve, but it's stronger and fuller here (which makes since considering that this is pure rye). This compares favorably with the Belle Meade. This fullness, richness, maturity, and complexity here are awesome. This is just such a delight to drink. There's no world in which this is less than a 17. I'm looking in the 17 to 20 range most likely. I don't see it going past a 21. With all of the comparisons I've done, I'm thinking of giving this an 18. The one that I'm pretty sure is better than this is Joseph Magnus, which I think I gave a 20 or 21. I'm not sure that the Belle Meade is better, but the Pikesville and Whistlepig PiggyBack didn't seem as far behind side-by-side as I'd expected. I think I need to go with at least an 18. I might go up to a 19 here, but I could just as easily stick with 18. Considering how well it compares with other spirits, I think I'm going to go with the 19. In particular, the Belle Meade was very close to this and I gave it a 19. This might be my highest rated rye yet! And it deserves to be so because this is an excellent dram. It reminds me a bit of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof in how it leverages its high ABV to condense and enhance its flavor rather than just to concentrate the alcohol and squash any complexity. They aren't otherwise very similar, but I think that the Jack Daniel's is a bit better overall. I expect that this is actually fairly young, but I would have guessed that it was around a 9 year old MGP if I were tasting blind. I'd be interested to know exactly how old this barrel was when bottled, but if it was under 6 years old, somebody has struck gold over there in the rapid aging department. Wow! I need to track down a bottle of this! Thank you @ctbeck11 for the sample!

El Cerrito Liquor store pick

At 127 proof no smoking around this stuff, lots of spice up front with a mellow Carmel and oak finish

Strong, yet smooth and complex. Definitely dilute.