So I checked out a new whisk(e)y spot that was recommended to me. I liked the atmosphere of the place, but most of the pours were ridiculously overpriced. Sure, there were some harder to find bottles (some Hibiki and BTAC to tempt me....) but don’t get me started on the prices (let’s just say $300 and up and we’re not talking about Port Ellen’s or Brora’s). The list of highway robberies goes on and on. $120 for a pour of Glendronach 19? $100 for Balvenie 21? $80 for a pour of Birthday Bourbon? Seriously? These were not “venti”-sized pours either. Not to be deterred, and not to turn it into an evening of settling for overpriced cocktails, I did locate a bottle of the Pikesville Straight Rye tucked away on a shelf. For the sake of brevity and in light of the setting, I will treat this more as an “impressions” tasting - how much did I enjoy the qualities I experienced, what I liked or stood out, and where does it rank compared to other things I’ve tasted, etc. Everything I’ve read recently about this rye is true - different, delicious, rich, flavorful, balanced, and pleasant. It got better as I went along - layers of flavors uncovering themselves on subsequent tastes. It doesn’t drink like 110 proof either. I would definitely pick up a bottle of this later to do a proper tasting and enjoy at home for much better VFM. This ranks right along with the other drams I’ve rated 4 stars. It may even deserve higher. I’ll update this score accordingly when I hunt down a bottle and open it up. Highly recommended, especially if you can find it for ~$40-$45 a bottle.