Remus Highest Rye Straight Bourbon

Butterscotch, light on nose. Smooth all the way through

Spicy aroma with sweet flavor

Now isn't this a delightful product for the rye lover. Several years ago I switched gears from collecting primarily bourbon to rye whiskey, mostly for the spicier, more savory flavor, but also since the rye grain requires far less age time to mellow out (compared to corn), not to mention the wretched market of bourbon right now (and for the foreseeable future). Out of the many spirits that I've seen, this has got to be the first marketed and distributed bourbon with the minimum corn amount, regardless of what the other grains are. In this case, I love the addition of the malted rye, presumably as a stand-in for the barley to assist in the distilling process. With 6 years aged to boot, it's a great balance between not too long for the rye to preserve some of the aggressive spiciness, but on the minimum side of long enough to mellow and sweeten the more stubborn corn. And 109 proof? All signs point to a good bottle, with a good body, and a good price (except for my usual shop asking $10 over MSRP). Nothing too abnormal for the color, although it does look a tad bit darker for only 6 years. The deeper chestnut brown displays a lot of swirling oil in the glass, making me think there's a possibility that smaller volume barrels were used, which would also explain the enhanced hue. The rye is prominent on the nose, but not the only note showcased, as the expected cinnamon and grass combine with saltines, toffee, and a LOT of vanilla. The proof is perfect, as there's just enough ethanol to keep you aware of the hotter body, but not enough to force the nose to pull away. Speaking of body, it starts off a little watery, but starts to warm up fairly quickly. The flavor turns sweet before it turns spicy, with caramel sauce (like that really sweet drizzle from Starbucks) combining alongside so much vanilla that I'm not sure I would think this was an unflavored whiskey if I was blind tasting. There is a spiciness that follows this, but it's balanced between flavors from the rye and the higher proof, so it's hard to really narrow this down. Small profiles of florality and dryness come around after this, but the finish swings the sweetness back around, yet remains balanced amongst all other surviving flavors. This isn't what I thought I would get from a "highest rye" bourbon, but it's certainly a unique flavor that is quite hard to rival with the small wiggle room that bourbon allows. I always thought George Remus was a MGP product, and it may still be, since conflicting sources point to Ross & Squibb, but that redirects to MGP, and then sometimes with claims that George Remus is it's own distillery... Regardless, this is a fun bottle for MSRP, and nice to see it more widely distributed and available since it comes from such a large brand. I would love to see this same mash bill with at least double the age statement, as I think these particular percentages meld well and would only break down into more concise profiles with longer time in the barrel. Even if such a product were to be made, it wouldn't be possible to buy in this market anyway, so I encourage enjoying this for what it is and when you find it.