Ezra Brooks 99 Proof Straight Rye

Baked apples and cinnamon wrapped in wet hay on the nose. Palate is initially sweet and fruity followed by butterscotch, with a strong punch of cracked black pepper that lingers. Is it worthy of top 20? Maybe, but certainly punching above its weight at this price.

I'm not going to bury the lead here. I really like this whisky. I'l also admit I bought it because it appeared on the Whisky Advocate Top 20 as #20. I know we all slag a bit on WA, but we're also all secretly a little bit interested when they release their top 20, aren't we? I mean, they're a lifestyle magazine, with glossy photos of whisky bottles and reviews that rarely dip below 87, so I get it: their purpose is to sell us the stuff. But that doesn't stop me from subscribing because it's $25/year and I get my middle-aged version of porn: slick pics of high end bottles. In any case, in the event that you don't know the rules of the top 20, it's got to be a whisky that's newly released that year or updated in some fashion to be different than before. This is why, even if Elijah Craig Barrel Proof has been coming out for many years, a batch might appear on the list: that batch is specific to that year. Or for example, last year they had Dewar's 12 on the list: it's because Dewar's changed it's method of finishing on the 12, so it was technically new juice. Last year, the #1 pick evoked a lot of talk: Jack Daniel's Bonded, because yes, there were better, higher end whiskies out there. But Jack Bonded was decent and it was priced right at $35 or so. This year, a lot of the whiskies are, in fact, more expensive. Ezra 99 Rye here is the lowest on the list at $25. Which, why wouldn't you run out and try it then? I mean, even if you sort of scoff at the WA Top 20, there's really no downside to trying a $25 whisky that appears on their list. Worst that happens is you get a decent mixer. They're not going to steer you so wrong that you have to pour it down the drain unless you're snob of the universe. So I ran out and bought a bottle this past weekend. Watched a football game I'd rather forget while tasting it. Compared it to the WhistlePig Piggyback 6 and preferred this (while my dad preferred the WhistlePig, as I would hope he would, given it was what I gave him for his birthday), and honestly, was looking forward to tasting it again and doing this writeup. Now, I'm the third person to review this here. The other two gave this scores upward of 4 stars. For as much as I like this rye at $25, I can't go quite that high. It's good, but it's not that good. And the problem with it appearing on the WA Top 20, is that whenever an Ezra whisky appears on there, they get a big head. I remember Old Ezra 7 appearing a few years back, I went to the store and nabbed a bottle for $40 and it was wonderful, I mean just wonderful, at that price. The next year, it was $50, and that was still reasonable. The next year it was $60, and that was pushing it given the quality, and now, it's what? $80? Not REMOTELY worth it. So, snap this Ezra 99 Rye up now, because in two years, they're likely to be charging $50 for it. And at that point....well, I guess a lot of people aren't doing the cost analysis I do where I ask, what could I get at this price point that's better? I'll tell you one thing: there isn't a lot at $25 in rye that's better than this. There are some that I like as much: Sazerac, Old Forester 100 Rye, Old Overholt. I don't like Rittenhouse very much: it's tepid and flavorless to me, so you can write me off if that offends you. Wild Turkey 101 Rye is also good. I've said before that there are lots of good ryes around this price. But this one is a little different and has a distinctive quality in that in addition to the rye spice, you get this blackberry tart thing going on, that's simply fantastic and unique to this pour. Honestly, I don't know where it comes from and I've never tasted it in another rye, and it's really what's doing it for me here. It's on the nose and the finish and it's really what makes this rye special. Otherwise, you get notes of rye spice and mint on the nose, earthiness and a sort of green vegetal quality on the nose. The palate does, indeed, add some black tea and lemon, but you can find these in other ryes, most notably Wild Turkey 101 Rye. And then the finish hits, and there's that blackberry tart flavor, and it's just, um, I'm kissing my fingers and complimenting the chef. So yeah, maybe it's hit or miss with some people. I don't just trust to WA for my recommendations. When I'm interested in picking something up, I do a search, look around, read various reviews, and with the exception of the expert here who gave it an 80 and Christopher Null over at Drinkhacker who gave it a C (and whose rye reviews I take with a grain of salt seeing as he thinks Rittenhouse the be-all-end-all of great ryes...no shade, different palates I would say), the consensus seems to be, yes, this does indeed punch above its weight. Whether it's top 20 material, well, I suppose the arguments could be made back-and-forth about that similar to Jack Bonded last year. All I know if I plan to pick up a few more bottles before Ezra starts feeling themselves and jacks this up beyond what I'm willing to pay, like they did with that 7 year.

Nose: ripe honeycrisp apple Taste: slight rye spice, light on palate. Finish: short finish with a minty finish Will make a solid Old Fashioned. I like the proof point and price.

I'm a fan of Ezra Brooks simply from a value perspective, and this rye doesn't disappoint. If you want something smoother and easier to drink neat, Sazerac will fit the need in a relative budget. That said, this rye packs a lot of depth with a strong nose & rich palate. The ABV is perfect to cut through anything you'll mix with this and it's phenomenal in a Manhattan. I just don't think you'll find anything comparable at this price point that delivers so much (maybe Rittenhouse, but liek Sazerac, that's a few dollars higher). Enjoy.