Fafnir187
Stellum Rye
Rye — (bottled in) Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
August 11, 2021 (edited March 21, 2022)
Another MGP 95/5 rye, but I’m a little curious as to what the blenders at Barrell can pull off.
Nose is full of spearmint, pine, lemongrass, and basil with a hint of graham cracker crust underneath. Definitely a sprucey affair.
Palate pretty much matches the nose exactly with some richer honey in place of the graham cracker, but all other elements are present. Some camphor, menthol, and peppermint as well. Flavors definitely come in swinging, so that’s a plus.
Finish is more mint with some pink peppercorn (closer to chili pepper than black pepper) And therein lies the rub; there is a lot of “sameness” here. Mouthfeel shows the youth of this product as it’s quite grainy.
Ultimately a bit of a miss for me, as this lacks some complexity and depth and has a few rough edges. It’s not bad, but it needs…something, and I’m guessing that something is a bit more age. At $58, there are better rye options out there. Not a rebuy for me.
58.0
USD
per
Bottle
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Tried this yesterday as part of a virtual tasting event and quite like it. Not the best of the day, but interesting. "Refreshing" is the underlined comment in my notes and 3.5 sounds like a fair rating. Not sure I'd buy a bottle though.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington assuming this isnt a Single Barrel (all of those are 95/5) this is a 4-10 yr blend of IN, KY and TN rye.
@Fafnir187 I was thinking this was mixed with a bit if TN and even Canadian distillate? Could also just be thinking if Whistlepig
@Ctrexman I hear ya, but at least they are transparent as to the origins.
Im so tired of 95/5 rye. Everyone is slapping their label on mgp sourced juice and spinning some story like we are a bunch of fucking idiots