Hirsch Small Batch High-Rye Straight Bourbon 8 Year

Solid overall.

Corny for a rye. A little thin bodied for an 8 year.

Drinking it neat. I thought it was balanced well. It's a high rye, so has plenty of spice and a nice rye kick, but still pretty smooth as well. I get rye, vanilla and butterscotch on this.

It's a bit on the mild side. Rye easily comes through, but it doesn't taste at all like it was aged for 8 years. It's reasonably sweet but also tart. The rye spiciness is subdued like a trained dog. The cinnamon adds some nice sweetness without adding an overpowering harshness. It has some mild fruitiness. This reminds me of an upgraded version of Bulleit Rye. The bitter woodiness is kind of there, but it sure doesn't make itself shown too much. There isn't a ton of complexity and there are some off notes. The spices stand out the most, but not in an uber aggressive way. It has a dry, rich nose, but not a ton of distinction. The palate is rich and bitter with woodiness and a big dose of spice. Some fruit eventually comes out with a cherry flavor that gradually becomes more fresh. There's a lot of tannin going on here and it brings out some nice leather and toasted almond notes. There's a little bit of brown sugar, but not much. It tastes good though; after the initial bitter bite the flavors start to even out. The cherry gradually becomes more pronounced, but never becomes overwhelming. This doesn't quite have all of the nuance of Eagle Rare, but it has some really good richness. The spice is strong, but not overwhelming. It gradually becomes more appealingly hedonistic, but it never rises to a superb level of hedonism or complexity despite its good flavors and balance. There's plenty of vanilla in here yet it isn't overwhelming. Surprisingly, the vanilla doesn't make the flavor excessively floral despite the high amount of rye and dry nature here. There are floral flavors mixed with the fruit, but they're under control. As it progresses, the fruit acquires more of a bitter orange peel flavor and becomes more subdued, along with the almond flavor. The rye tartness and bitter spice start to dominate, which is disappointing, but it's still good.

So, this was an exciting find/research realization. As I thought the other day about what my bourbon and general whiskey "stats" are, this hits a lot of them; great age, high rye, decent proof, decent color, and average price. When I lay it out like that, it doesn't sound all that exciting, but given the sea of sub-par and bleak competitors out there, this one seemed to shine as something different. The nose has really nice spiced rye, vanilla, and caramel notes, but it all rides on a bright, fruity body. I even feel like I get some banana, perhaps covered in a sugary glaze. During the taste, I almost immediately keep thinking of that fruity/banana nose from before, as that taste starts to come through with a sugary, fruit salad vibe. The body was the only thing I was worried about (due to the proof), but honestly, this flavor likely wouldn't taste much better at a stronger proof. That vanilla and caramel from the nose is totally missing, though. The finish is mouth coating, but leaves a lot to be desired. When they say high rye, I believe it, but unfortunately, neither potent rye spice or sweet corn seem to come through, which makes me wonder what a younger version of this distillate tastes like, and if it would work better. Hopefully it wasn't just general excitement or perhaps resentment at spending $50 for a bit of a let-down, but the first few sips were really working for me. However, as I kept going, I feel like this is more of a cocktail bourbon, which would be fine, if I didn't already have plenty of underwhelming products that already take that title. There's something about it, though, that I look forward to finding out perhaps on a re-taste.