Pikesville Straight Rye

Fantastic rye, extremely rich and fruity!

Neck pour, neat, did not let it sit before tasting. Nose is vanilla cream and freshly split wood. Taste is vanilla forward with cinnamon. Mid-palate starts with cherry cordial before switching over to classic spice. Finish of spicy tobacco and leather feels a bit thin despite the length. The proof brings a nice warming hug.

Just enough rye to know it’s a rye, drinks easy, high proof that’s not aggressive

Very tasty and solid value for money. Nose and palate give a barely legal rye type feel. Lots of sweet, and polished spice. As many have noted, very different from spicy MGP ryes. Nose: surprising amounts of wood and carmel, with some strange notes of almost rubber or nitrile, but not in a bad way Palate: starts sweet vanilla and trends to woody, cinnamon and licorice. Heat ramps up from alcohol as well. Finish: a little thin and heat from the alcohol ramps up with some generic, not too memorable spice. Verdict: strong and polished. The age and mashbill work well together. The value and reasonable availability are also high points for this. If anything is disappointing it’s the finish, where the lack of rye means it doesn’t have a strong core to lean on. But, at the end of the day I definitely enjoy and recommend picking this one up.

Nice rye bite. Little sweet, high proof so a bit of an alcohol bite

A really great dram. Sweet hard candy and wicker wood. Slight classic medicinal notes and well rounded. A real steal under $50. Even the empty glass smells interesting. Also it goes well over ice.