Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof Rye

Nose has a little spice but isn’t as much as I expected. The flavor is stronger. Rye spice, some caramel, some vanilla. Has some nice heat but not a ton. Drinks smooth for the proof. Good, but I think Rare Breed Bourbon is better.

Neat. Neck pour. Super excited to get this bottle today. Big fan of the Cornerstone and Rare Breed brand in general. Nose is more subtle than I was expecting. Salty rye bread. The salt coming off this is surprising. There is a nice vibrant orange mixed with a hint of vanilla. Honestly the nose is a bit disappointing. It’s very inviting, no hint of the high proof, very crisp, but not very interesting. Texture is not quite creamy but not watery either. Like a light oil that thins out when it hits your mouth. Wow, this packs so much flavor. I wasn’t expecting that off the nose. On the tongue, it is very subtle with a hint of cinnamon and just a hint of sweetness. But it transitions into a beautiful vanilla with a hint of that orange. Rye spice then comes in a wave and leaves this nice sweet oak on the medium finish. Hard to believe this is 112 proof, drinks like 95. The taste really saved this one. The flavors from the nose to taste translated well but they were so subtle on the nose I wasn’t expecting them to pop like they did on the taste. This is a really good rye. I do not think this Rare Breed is as essential to the rye category as the bourbon is to the bourbon category.

Orange citrus. Rye spice. Nutty. Funk. It's alright but there is better for the price. I tend to prefer rye but in this case I enjoyed the Rare Breed bourbon more than the Rare Breed rye.