James E. Pepper 1776 Barrel Proof Straight Rye

Open 3 months 58.7% abv, 117.4 proof Nose - Sharp orange and lemon peel, light dill, honeysuckle, butterscotch, light rye spice, medium ethanol. Palate - Citronella candle, honey, cereal grain, light cocoa, nutmeg, spicy rye, tannic oak. Medium-long finish with sharp oak and rye, citrus oils, bitter honey, and black pepper. This is a solid rye for the price, but it doesn't excel in any category. There are a few ryes in the $40-50 range I would rather buy again, but you won't be disappointed with this. Plus, with the classic rye flavors and high abv, it is an excellent mixer if you're not feeling it neat.

Nose of banana bread, white pepper, and lemon zest. Palate is underwhelming, with some dark bread notes, but the finish is nice and bold, with notes of pear, mint, and nutmeg.

114.6 proof batch. it tries to be good, but too many plastic (or bad dill) hints on the palate make it difficult to appreciate. not very well-rounded either.

A 113.6 proof MGP, NAS rye for $40. Can this compete with the acclaimed Rosseville straight out of MGPs rickhouses? What about with new guys like Pinhook’s 4y Tiz Rye or the formidable Smooth Ambler ryes that again, are all MGP! Honestly, how can there be so much competition among bottlers/producers all using 4 to at most 6y MGP rye? Let’s find out... This one. Priced the same as Pinhook’s Tiz Rye. Why I picked this first, who knows. Light in color and relatively light on the nose. Light caramel notes, pepper, hint of dill and lemon peel (not unlike New Riff’s non-MGP high rye bourbon). Mash bill on this one is 90% rye with the possibility of some corn thrown in. Caramel, a bit of leather, dark chocolate and pepper, perhaps a puff of smoke and hint of #4 char barrel in there. Pretty dang good by my standards. Not as earthy or herbal as a 4y Willett and not as sweet or complex as the everlasting finish of Russel’s single barrel rye. I feel like I’ve seen at least one other enthusiast sipper refer to this as Mexican chocolate and in many ways I see the resemblance! Will have to go back for the Tiz Rye, grab a pour of a friends Rossville and possibly crack a recently unearthed Smooth Ambler 4y rye and let the battle rage on. This one certainly threw its punches today. Until next time MGP rye (next time Gadget, next time).