It’s December 31. Rye whiskey month is done. Let’s wrap it up! Goals: I wanted 5 ryes, 4.5 stars, readily available. I found 6 that currently qualify: WT101, Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12, Old Riff, VOSN Summer Rye, Willett 4yr. I’m going to call this one a win. I’m not certain all of those will always be readily available, but I could also include a High West barrel finished product, a Barrell Rye single barrel, or Alberta. I think there’s enough there to fill 5 spots. I wanted to be able to recognize the conceptual difference between bourbons and ryes. I’m not there yet. But I do think it’s possible. My palate made a shift during this project, and it’ll take some rebalancing to get to where I could do this reliably. I wanted an Empire Rye. (1/1, Hudson). Check. I wanted a rye that’s the worst thing that my youngest kid could think of. I wanted the one that tastes like being ignored by your siblings the last weekend of winter break. On that last goal: I came in with a prejudice that some ryes were too intense to be pleasant. By the palates of friends I trust, the Willett 4yr should have fit the bill. However, as of last night, not only was that Willett delicious, but one of my all time favorite bourbons (Hancock’s) tasted terrible. After a month of drinking nothing but ryes, that BT mashbill #2 goodness was sickeningly sweet, and I know from years of fandom that this problem will not last. For this project, my palate has shifted. I think that last goal was accomplished, and I’m going to view the “rye intensity” prejudice in the same category as “high proof” or “aged beyond 15 years.” Those things take some getting used to, but can be rewarding when you get there. Other discoveries: Can you recreate the magic that is the High West Double Rye PX Sherry finish by adding PX sherry to a regular double rye? The short answer is: no. However, I added some PX sherry to some Double Rye (about 10% sherry) and I got a solid result. The flavors are good and reminiscent of the real thing. The problem is that this version is much too sweet, and the balance is off. It’s almost like someone messed up the ABV and exposure to oak. Still interesting, and it’s worth a go for entertainment value alone. Whistlepig is largely overpriced and overrated. There are exceptions, but there are enough examples to make that prejudice justified. Preservation Distillery ryes are not the place to go hunting for quality. Even more so than Whistlepig, there are enough examples to make that prejudice justified. Canadian ryes are legit. Most of my favorite ryes this month were Canadian or sourced from Canadia. I never would have guessed this, and I have no idea why this is the case. But it is a thing. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< I wanted to end with a yearly limited release. I believe this fits the bill, although I have absolutely no idea if it’s any good. Here’s the details on this little guy: 2021 Release Proof: 115.9 Barrel: 2809 Age: 2.5 yrs Cooper: Speyside Nose is promising. Caramel, honey, lemon. This is going to be juicy and I can’t wait. Body has green pepper, sugar, olives, brine. Lemon too. Finish is cinnamon and lingering olive oil. The heat builds up over time. There’s almond there too. I think the nose is the best part of the drink. The vegetable notes honestly surprised me, but they were well done. It’s good, but nothing that I must have in my life going forward. >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<< Thanks to all who played along this past month and made this fun. Wishing you all the best New Years and lots of fine whiskey. Here’s to 2022!