It’s December 9, 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 most intense contender. 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 that stuff that oozed out of Frodo’s mouth when Shelob paralyzed him. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Disclaimer: I do not like Canadian whiskey. The only times I do are when it tastes like bourbon. I’m not expecting much for me here. However, my favorite whiskey remains the one I haven’t tried yet, so big thanks to @Cornmuse the recommendation! Nose is butterscotch, peanut brittle, citrus. Yeast. Beer? It smells a bit artificial, like a flavor-added product, but the notes are still interesting. Body: to quote Distiller’s expert review of Blanton’s gold: “Woody Woodpecker would kill for this much wood so keep your eyes peeled for that feathered fowl.” I will never forget that. Also applicable here. Wood note is intense. I have trouble getting past it. It’s raw cedar. Finish is grass, cinnamon, cough syrup, licorice, malt balls. I don’t think this is for me. However: this is still substantially better than that VOSN 7 year abomination (not to mention substantially cheaper), and I think my objections to the flavors fit within the bounds of my objection to 95% of the Canadian whiskey I’ve tried, which is necessarily subjective. I’m going to go out on a limb and wager that the appreciation for this whiskey correlates less with the appreciation of rye whiskey than it does the appreciation of Canadian whiskey, and I’m starting out with a pretty big disadvantage on that front. Edit: on ice, my appreciation raised this a quarter star. That woody body is toned down, and I actually get a red apple note. I will have to investigate this further in other ways.