Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye

Cracking fresh grains characteristic of Irish Whiskey, little bit of mintiness, but a layer of rye flavors elevate this above the norm.

This was a very pleasant surprise. I usually drink bourbon and rye. I've had several big name Irish whiskeys and enjoy them, Jameson, Bushmills, Powers, Redbreast. This is much more Irish whiskey than American rye whiskey and taste more like a scotch to me. The color is golden with honey on the nose. The taste is smooth with sweet grain notes.

Since my ultra-Irish grandfather would rise from his grave and slap me if I didn't prioritize Irish whiskey in March...I'm trying out some new Irish drams! And, there is NO regret to be found about this having been one of them. The concept is alone worth a sampling - an Irish rye? Well...yes and no. It's a rye whiskey in that rye is a portion of the mash bill (about 30%), but unlike American rye, it doesn't represent a majority of the mash bill. Instead, the traditional pot still mixture of malted and unmalted barley makes up the remainder. This creates a remarkably unique profile that's defined by both single pot still characteristics and the spicy, slightly herbal qualities that rye brings to the table. The nose has notes of shortbread, chocolate, lemon zest, sea salt, coconut, cinnamon, clove, and a tiny hint of dill. The palate opens up with a very malt-forward shortbread, salted caramel, and chocolate profile, with light salt and citrus in the midsection, and then...bam, the rye notes suddenly come in with caraway, cinnamon, clove, and dill at the very end. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied and coating, but not quite as rich as a pure single pot still. This is quite unique, at least for me, in the world of whiskey, especially Irish. At $40 or less a bottle, too, it's a good deal. Slainte!

Nice rye, would buy