Bought this just to try something new in the rye department. The JD single barrel rye was pretty fantastic so I decided to try the standard offering. The standard JD rye is bottled at 45% ABV from a mashbill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley. It pours a medium amber in the glass and produces slow forming legs with some water droplets. On the nose there’s a little alcohol burn, JD profile, burnt caramel, bananas and peanuts. Not what you’d expect from a 70% rye. The Lincoln county process definitely makes a difference here. The palate is dry with an oily mouthfeel, more caramel and peanuts, and baking spices on the back end. The finish is fairly short with barrel char, dark sugar, some pepper and rye spice finally making an appearance. This whiskey doesn’t fit in any pre-defined category. A 70% rye whiskey should be spicy with lots of cinnamon and pepper. This is not that. It doesn’t have the bourbon sweetness, but it’s light in the spice department as well. All that being said, it’s not bad. And at $22 a bottle, it makes the best Manhattans I’ve had in a long time. This might be my new favorite Manhattan mixer. 3.25/5.