It’s December 4, and I’m going to try a new rye whiskey every day this month. And while my rye game is not as weak as my Scotch game was this time last year, I’m always up for suggestions on good rye whiskies. And now that I have goals (it’s good to have goals), there are some key players I could use your help finding. Specifically, I need something disgusting. No joke. Goals (abridged): 5 ryes. 4.5 stars. Readily available. (1/5, WT101) I want to recognize the difference between any bourbon and any rye. First try. One of these must be an Empire Rye. I want a raunchy rye. I want the one that tastes like a zeppelin hauling balsamic vinegar got shot down by Jin'Zallah the Sandbringer and crash landed in southern Tanaris. If you know, you know. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< When I was touring Bardstown Bourbon Company this past July, someone told me that a good deal of High West juice was made there. I find this interesting, because High West (to my knowledge) hasn’t made this information public, but it’s sitting right there on BBC’s website. People talk a lot about MGP sourcing, and HW does mention MGP regularly on their site. However, the only place I can find room for BBC in HW’s source notes is in the “other whiskey components are undisclosed due to contractual reasons” bit. It’s always awkward when you the only one in the relationship that calls it dating. I believe that BBC has a bigger role in High West’s methods and mashbills than the latter lets on. This is backed up by taste bud data when you think about the comparison to other ryes that are made in collaboration with BBC, like Kentucky Owl. I’m cheating on my new whiskey mission statement on this rye. I’ve had a ton of this. I freakin love this whiskey. I’m not going to count this towards a permanent shelf member, because I know it’s gone when my franticly-purchased supply runs dry. You should’ve seen me. It was like I was prepping for Ragnarok. Even though I’ve downed 3 or 4 bottles of this so far, this is my first review in Distiller, and if you enjoy barrel finished whiskies, you owe it to yourself to track down some of these HW finishes. They’re doing a solid job in this space. Or BBC is. Who knows! Limited Release Barrel #: 18408 Finish Type: PX Sherry Finish Time: 8 Months Store Pick: Triangle/Trail Inn** **From what I’ve heard, this doesn’t really matter. For the most part, any PX Sherry finished Double Rye of similar duration will taste basically identical to this. It’s not the variation you’d expect from a BT store pick, for instance. Nose has grape, lemon, sugar, vanilla, $5 flower bouquet, mint, bubblegum. Even just sniffing from that long bottleneck is rewarding. Body gives me pear, sangria, cherry, raisin, vanilla. Red wine. Almonds. It’s fantastic. Finish rewards with chocolate, cream, pepper, vanilla, cool whip. Altoids. Don’t be alarmed by that last one. I dig Altoids. Amazing lip buzz. This is not entry level stuff. If you’re new to the PX Sherry finished space, be warned that this one has one hell of a bite. But if that’s your bag (this sort of thing is my bag, baby), then it’s done about as well as I’ve ever seen. There’s an aftertaste that is suboptimal, but it’s not enough to prevent my love and adoration. As always, High West nails aesthetics. I’m drinking out of one of their glass-blown “sippin glasses”, and the mouth feel, the MTG-style foiled artwork, the etched logos, and the satisfying weight of this glass in my hand melt together into this 1950’s black-and-white saloon experience. I’m going to go shine my spurs and pour me a nother’un.