I'm going to admit a dirty little secret - I've been on a cocktail kick lately. For shame. But seriously, I needed to find a handful of good rye whiskies to make some decent Manhattans and Old Fashioneds out of. The problem is, neat or otherwise, I typically despise rye whiskey. I love rich, sweet bourbons and oaky whiskies and hate spice and the inherently "licorice-y" flavor some of these ryes give off. But here I was at my local Total Wine, at their Rye Whiskey section. Something I'd never thought I'd do. A random side question ~ why are green labels inherently the color of choice for distilleries when they bottle their rye selections? I picked out three and of course, always the glutton for self punishment; I will be trying all three neat. Starting with Woodford's entry into the rye category. Spicy fruit comes to mind on the nose. Peppercorn, cinnamon, cedar and candied orange rinds make the nose wrinkle a bit. But if you hang in there, some cherry flows with caramel and cocoa at the end. The palate opens lightly spicy but mint chocolate swirls in the background with an interesting rich sweetness I didn't expect from a rye. Quite tannic oak comes into play with the bitter orange rind that was found on the nose and the taste goes decidedly Rye whiskey. Grassy and herbaceous for sure at the end of the the taste transitioning toward finish. The finish carries that tannic oak straight through. Dry is the word - tobacco, cinnamon spice and grass remind you that this is indeed a rye whiskey. Even if there was a peek of sweet chocolate on that palate. I'm still not sure if I am a rye whiskey guy neat. However, I cannot argue that a good old fashioned and Manhattan need something spicier, more full bodied and bolder to cut through the bitters. As far as rye whiskies go I'm sure Woodford is one of the better ones but I'm just going to give it a middle of the pack 2.75