bigwhitemike
Ezra Brooks 90 Proof Straight Rye
Rye — Indiana, USA
Reviewed
April 2, 2020 (edited January 22, 2023)
Neat in a glencairn. Golden yellow-orange hue with surprising viscosity and some legs. The nose confirms the 51% rye + high corn mash (Distiller entry is wrong - not LDI rye, it's one of the newer MGP rye bills). Gentle and sweet with prominent apple juice, a splash of maple syrup, some dusty cereal grain chaff, and dried chili pepper. Herbal tones stay on the periphery. Mild but approachable.
The palate is a bit more demanding and punchy up front, but not harsh, and then mellows nicely with a lasting sweetness. Creamy but muted on the tongue, the flavors hide until after the swallow. A few fumes and a flash of heat way in the back, then toasted sugar, honey, and bitter grapefruit peel. Stewed apples. Surprised when it occurred to me, but shares some kinship with a number of blended Scotches, albeit with a few things turned up to 11 (this is a young rye, after all, and unabashedly American despite trying to make my point with a Spinal Tap reference about a British metal band).
I like this.
It cost me $11.
I like this A LOT for $11.
Thank you Lux Row & MGP. Rittenhouse, Sazerac, or Old Fo' Rye are incremental upgrades, mostly in complexity and a touch of proof, but they are an additional 10 to 20 bones. I like this better than more $30-$40 bottles (that I own!) than I'd care to admit. An easy entry into the VFM knockout rounds at that price.
11.0
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per
Bottle
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@Anthology I will have to seek them out. Must have had the black label at some point but the old Ezra is on the list for sure.
One of the better vfm, albeit under-represented, ryes our there. Their bourbon expressions (7- year 101proof & black label) are pretty legit vfms as well.
@bigwhitemike I definitely preferred it to it’s closest competitor price-wise, Old Overholt. I like just about everything that Luxco is putting out. I always have a bottle of Ezra Brooks Bourbon and the Rebel Yell 100 is my favorite readily available wheater. Old Ezra 7 is also very good. Interesting to see what happens when their own distillate gets ready.
@BDanner Yes. Lux Row hadn't listed the mash on release but do now. Definitely more age would be a benefit, but I'm not aware of another American rye that is this sippable at a sub-$20 price point (and i'd imagine good in a cocktail). At $16 its still a very good ideal IMO. Young ryes seem to do much better than young bourbons, and MGP consistency/quality elevates this.
Nice review! and good info. I just assumed it was MGP’s standard 95/5. I need to revisit this one. It’s about $16 here and I thought it could use a little more age, but it mixed better than any rye I’ve tried in its price range.
@dubz480 I had heard very good things from a handful of trustworthy sources, but experience has taught me to that preferences vary and to stay guarded when the cash outlay for 750ml is less than is required for a decent hamburger. I was shocked to find how much I liked this one. #bottomshelfbangerz
For the money this one really is outstanding.