Laws San Luis Valley Straight Rye

Another in my series of minibottle tastings. This one 100ml (3.5 oz) for $9. Labeling says it's aged a minimum of 2 years, bottled at 47.5 ABV. Tasting neat. Brown copper color and average coating legs in the glass. Nose is understated, light musty grain and fruity--cherry, Juicy Fruit--with a little spicy grass and burnt sugar. In the mouth, peppermint is overwhelming, with burnt sugar, stone fruit, and an ethanol burst. Thin mouthfeel. Finish turns sour--cherry, dill weed--and the mint note continues. Very little oak tannins, vanilla, or peppery rye notes. Ice just further thins the rye notes and accentuates the thin and sour/cherry/dill aspects. I opted to taste this as a 100ml mini given the cost of a 750ml bottle ($85) and my experience last year wth the Laws Four Grain Bourbon, which I did not care for. Glad I did. While the story of distillery production is admirable, the flavors leave me cold. This might be a better rye with more time in oak, but the thin sour mint is distracting.

Pretty rich and sweet but smooth. The ryes were my favorite laws products