Kentucky Owl 11 Year Rye (Batch #1)

Nose - (w/o water) Vanilla, dark butterscotch, herbal rye spice, dark caramel, light fruit, strawberry/cherry (w/ water) not much change, but sweet mint comes out. Taste - (w/o water) Spicy sweet cinnamon, dark butterscotch, light herbal/sweet mint, strawberry fruity oak (w/ water) More vanilla, butterscotch, more sweet mint, herbal spice Finish - (w/o water) Lingering cinnamon heat/tingle, sweet mint/herbal sweetness, light tannic oak, drying (w/ water) Lingering tannic fruity sweet mint, butterscotch Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - This was quite tasty. Nice mix of rye spice and dark caramel/butterscotch flavors. Does well with a tiny bit of water in that it doesn't really change the flavors much, but softens up the ethanol burn and mellows out the heat nicely. It's got a lot going for it as a rye, but the only downfall I see is that it has a super long finish, but sadly it's an almost overly sweet mint sweetness that borders on splenda sweet territory. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - Not at the current prices. This bottle at most should be in the $70-80 range.

I didn't want to believe the hype but outstanding. rich mouth feel, peppermint, oak, spice

A mellow, musky rye that oozes character. The spice is subtle, intermingled with oaky notes that come out despite the higher proof. Not like any other rye I’ve tried.