It’s December 13, 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. (3/5, WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12) 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 your least favorite coworker announcing in front of everyone that their getting you a Christmas present. And it’s expensive. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< This is the “Bespoke Blend”, which from what I understand is not exclusive to my store despite the “Bottled Exclusively for:” sticker. Here’s the breakdown: 75% Madeira 10% Sauternes 15% Port Nose is indistinguishable from standard so I’m literally going to copy/paste. Nose has oak, sour lemon, perfume. Powdered sugar. Apple. This is a great nose, albeit a bit astringent. That astringency is a result of the finishing process, not the base juice. Body is much juicer than standard. There’s gummy bears, grapes, raisin. Dust. Lemon is still there, but the increase in Madeira has somehow turned this little guy toward the overly sweet category, and it’s honestly worse for it. Less well balanced. Think Jefferson’s Reserve. Finish is… almondier? Lemon is still there, but any savory notes from the original have been overshadowed. Less hot, but sickeningly sweet. I’m extremely disappointed. There’s no other way to analyze this: this “store pick” (from a store that typically produces very good picks) costs more money and is a downgrade. It’s interesting to see how different my new piggy friends can make this with a 10% change across three categories, but it’s not something I would ever buy again knowing that the 12 is out there and comparatively perfect. I’m going to assume that Whistlepig has more or less perfected the finishing process for their standard issue, and these variations are likely to fall short.