Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye

First sniffs has notes of vanilla and spice. First taste has a very smooth sweetness of vanilla and light Carmel. Follow by a peppery spicy finish.

Rating: 17/23 N: Rich and full; there's this nice big woodiness, yet it doesn't come across as over-oaked. There's a hint of sweetness here and there, but mostly I'm getting a dry, bold wood mixed with toasted grain, a faint nuttiness (peanut), a hint of some sort of citrus (tangerine?), and a little bit of spices. This isn't what I'd consider to be a typical rye profile, but it's so enticingly bold and complex. I'm already a fan. P: This is a rich rye with a substantial fullness, in large part due to its fairly bitter backing that mixes wood with plain grain nicely. There's a nice fruity character hanging out that's in the apricot range. There's a nice white pepper spiciness to this too. I do, however, get a bit of meatiness suggesting there's some youthful, impure distillate in here. This is much richer and fuller than the regular Russell's Reserve 6 year rye. This also isn't as sweet, yet it maintains a similar complexity. Immediately, I have no doubt that I prefer this one. It lacks the forceful dill austerity that I like in Kings County Empire Rye, but the complexity and balance here are better, and the harshness is lower too. Whistlepig PiggyBack is more funkily herbal than this is, but it's less full and comes across as a little sweet in comparison. Pikesville is also substantially sweeter and fruitier. F: The finish dries out a bit, bringing out more grain and dry wood, while the fruit largely disappears. A little bit of mineral comes in too. - Conclusion - This is a very good rye. I like it better than the regular Russell's Reserve 6 (which is a high 15 to low 16) by a clear margin because of its richness (even when this is a neck pour and the 6 is heavily aerated). This doesn't leap out to me as an amazing rye, but it's very good. Kings County Empire Rye, Pikesville, and Whistlepig PiggyBack at times seem better. Russell's reserve Single Barrel bourbon always seems better, though it had a bit more (not a ton more) oxygen in my comparisons. Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 with a solid amount of oxygen is more complex, but also sort of harsher and more youthful. I'm not sure which to choose between the two here. I think I'm looking at a high 16 to low 17 here, but I can imagine an 18. Geeze, am I going to end up giving all of the ryes I like a 16? No, that seems wrong. I think a 17 is reasonable and can even imagine an 18. A 19 is a no-go, particularly since I just gave Dad's Had Cask Strength a 19 and that is clearly a better rye. I think this will be a 17 for now, possibly with a substantial increase likely after it has a few months of oxygen.

Sweet to start with rye spice building and finishing with heat and vanilla

I have procrastinated in posting this review hoping and waiting for my opinion to change. Sadly, it has not. I'm a big fan of the Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon and was really excited to enjoy this. First glass, must be a "neck pour"... Second glass. I must be in a bad mood. Couple months later as I've continued sipping on the bottle. Muted, uninspired and lifeless. Nothing stands out to really comment on. I will finish the bottle and go forward in life disappointed.