LouisianaLonghorn
Pikesville Straight Rye
Rye — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
November 9, 2019 (edited September 13, 2021)
Let’s get this out of the way early. I’m not a big rye fan.
For me, rye is like the girl you keep going back to even though she inevitably burns you every time. Rye is my ex-girlfriend of the whiskey world.
Moving on. In my latest transgression, I’ve seen a whole lotta chatter here and on YouTube about Pikesville. Pikesville is different they say. It’s a “barely legal” rye (a term I still don’t much care for). I thought to myself, “Balcones rye beat you up, Lot 40 was fun at first but then wrecked you, but maybe this time it’ll be better.”
Well, so far so good.
It looks like a rye, and smells like a rye, but the minute it hits your lips, it gets sweet. Sure there’s the spice, but it’s dressed up, gentler. That gives way to more brown sugars, cigar tobacco, and some caramel. It’s almost a bourbon in rye clothing. The finish from that 55% lingers but she’s warm and kind, not aggressive and temperamental like some ryes can be. This rye is all right. Maybe this one won’t burn me. Maybe this time it’ll be different. Maybe this rye is the one.
50.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Ctrexman this one is a tie between it and the Russels Reserve SiB rye. Both tasty. Pikesville is a few $$$ less for now, but it’s getting harder to find.
@CKarmios it’s getting harder to find on this side of the pond...starting to become allocated like a lot of Heaven Hill products.
Lovely prose - now you got me thinking about Pikesville, which is hard to find this side of the pond.
Yeah, I'm no big rye fan either but I'd like to try this one some time. Problem is, it costs ... wait for it ... US$150 a bottle in Australia. Nah.
This rye is the one
@BDanner 👍🥃👏
@WhiskeyLonghorn I definitely got more when I revisited it a couple months after I first opened it.
@BDanner no offense intended! It was indeed a quality recommendation, and after a few days, the bottle is starting to open up more. I should stop doing reviews off the neck core...
@WhiskeyLonghorn 😅
WhuskeyLonghorn and Pikesville sittin’ in a tree. Glad you liked this one. I was nervous when your review started, as I believe I was one of those who told you to “try it, it’s a barely legal rye”..😂
@Soba45 thanks! Been a while since I’ve had the High West. I remember enjoying it, but it was late and I had been drinking with some oil workers at a bar in Wyoming so...
Nice review :-). Have a sample of this I'm looking fwd to trying. The High West Rendezvous Rye I had was great but I hear it's gone down hill recently.
@1901 here comes the rye. All dressed in spice...
Excellent review. I hear wedding bells...
I can also say that this rye made one hell of an old fashioned last night, which is a definite plus. I’ll tack on an extra .25 for that.
@PBMichiganWolverine not yet. I was eyeing the Sagamore Port finish the other day but I couldn’t constitute spending $85 for rye when Lagavulin and Tamdhu we’re sitting right there.
Have you tried any of the finished ryes ? ( wine finishes, Armagnac, etc?). I always find them better for folks that don’t like traditional straight up rye