It’s December 5, 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. Send me your worst. 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 Vesemir’s passive aggressiveness when pushed around by Yennifer. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< This whiskey was also part of a Kentucky trip this past July. Made by ghosts, then sold and wrapped up by different ghosts. Gift shop ghosts. Barrel #: BCR8 Distilled: Spring 2015 Proof: 115.6 Nose is bread, salt, sugar, and I know this is going to sound crazy, but deli Turkey. It’s got that deli Turkey funk. Body hits hard with dill. There’s sugar, and I can get vanilla with effort. Wow. The pickle flavor is no joke. Finish is hot. Cinnamon, bit of licorice on the aftertaste. Mild mint and tea leaves. A splash of water opened up some interesting things. I get coffee grounds on the noise now. The body carries an orange note that I really appreciate, and the finish is now toned down on the spice and it has picked up a nice milk chocolate flavor. Next, I tried it on ice. And if you don’t know me yet, rest assured this second pour was for science. Wow. Caramel, perfume, lemon on the nose. Milk chocolate, cream, and orange on the body. Licorice, vanilla, and taffy on the finish. This is a completely different whiskey this way, and I love it. It’s gentle, and for me it actually picked up notes this way, rather than getting muted like so often happens for high proof bourbons on the rocks. I was this close to saying some nasty things about my ghost friends, but that splash of water and ice made all the difference in the world. Neat, it was too much. I think it gave me heartburn. Is it possible for a whiskey to make your teeth hurt? On the bright side: if I don’t find a worse one, this little guy neat absolutely fits the bill for something to revisit at the end to see if I’ve gained an appreciation. I know the BC ghosts know what they’re doing, so perhaps I’m just not ready for that yet.