Ezra Brooks 90 Proof Straight Rye

Due to the rye boom just beginning, there really are no bargain bottom shelf ryes out there. A quick search of Total Wine shows that there are only 3 reputable ryes they sell under $20. This, WT 81 proof, and old overholt. I haven't tried the others, but the 90 proof separates Ezra Brooks from the other two in a positive way. 24 months old and sourced from MGP, why not. Don't listen to distiller, the mashbill is 51% rye not 95%. Nose: lot of mint and green herbs, with punchy ethanol and tinge of sweet. Palate: Good rye spice bite on the tongue, and no clear ethanol burn which is suprising for a 2 year old spirit. Sweet tangy fruit (cherry, peach) show up without much caramel or vanilla. Definitely get the rye aspect of the mashbill, without much of the traditional barrel aspects showing up. Some pepper and cinnamon of course too. Finish: tangy rye, not quite bitter, but drying and herbaceous. Some spice, and a tiny bit of fleeting vanilla. Verdict: This is nice at $15. Definitely not as good as Ezra Brooks bourbon, which is even cheaper and even tastier. But, compared to other whiskies (rye and bourbon) at the under $15 price range, it competes with the best (OGD 100, EW BiB, VOB 100, etc) in terms of quality. Because there aren't many other cheap ryes, it's hard to compare apples to apples. But as a cheap barely legal rye, this does everything you expect a bottom shelf whiskey to do, and then some. Not a big rye guy, and not much of a rye palate, so I can't give that last quarter star with confidence. Certified buy for a party or gift, maybe not for a collection.