46.5% ABV $35 Website We would like to thank B.R. Distilling Co and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.
What the Producer Says
We age our barrels along the winding bluffs of the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee. The Delta heat and humidity provided by the long, hot summers cook our barrels low and slow like proper Memphis BBQ. This forces the whiskey deep into the oak, creating an unmistakably rich flavor.
Technical Details Aged: A minimum of three years Product Type: Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Mash Bill: 95% rye and 5% malted barley Proof & Filtration: 93 proof, unfiltered
Sensory Notes Nose: Vanilla and Spice Body: Crisp Taste: Crisp Apple, Cinnamon, Vanilla, and Oak Finish: Inherently smooth with lingering hints of vanilla, apple, and spice
What Gary Says
Nose: Vanilla, dried mint and a hint of lemon zest. Palate: Vanilla, cinnamon, slightly sour apple and a touch of mint. Finish: Short to moderate in length with mint and vanilla. Comments: Rye is the one class of whiskey that I do find to be drinkable at three years old. This definitely tastes young, and I was surprised at the mashbill based on how soft this is. The apple note isn’t something I get on a lot of rye, which usually tends to have a more citrus bend. With a 95% rye mashbill, I expect more of that rye-spice bite which I didn’t get. Similar to Blue Note Juke Joint, nothing objectionable but also not special for the price point.
Knob Creek® is excited to announce its first-ever, limited edition bourbon and rye blend to its award-winning* portfolio, Knob Creek® Bourbon x Rye Kentucky Blended Straight Whiskey. Carefully crafted and seasoned by time, Knob Creek® Bourbon x Rye brings together two of Knob Creek’s® premium whiskeys, Knob Creek® 9 Year Old Bourbon and Knob Creek® 7 Year Old Rye, offering fans an unforgettable experience unlike anything existing within the portfolio or many other offerings on the market. Highlighting the perfect balance of Knob Creek® 9 Year Old Bourbon’s sweet notes complimented by Knob Creek® 7 Year Old Rye’s bold spice, this robust and complex whiskey brings bourbon and rye enthusiasts the best of both whiskey worlds. It’s best enjoyed neat or on the rocks to unveil its sweet, fruity and spicy notes. TASTING NOTES Knob Creek® Bourbon x Rye is a masterful blend that brings together the richness of brown sweets and a hint of fruitiness and black pepper, with a sweet lingering spice finish that will leave you wanting more. This high-quality, flavorful whiskey is a testament to our dedication to deliver exceptional whiskey to enthusiasts and newcomers alike. PROOF: 113 COLOR: Golden brown with copper hues, reminiscent of autumn leaves and evening sunlight. AROMA: Enticing sweetness of maple syrup and vanilla, joined by hints of nuttiness and baking spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg. TASTE: Rich and comforting sweetness of brown sweets, like caramel and toffee, complemented by a delicate hint of fruitness for added complexity. FINISH: Gentle heat of black pepper, adding a touch of lingering spice.
What Gary Says
Nose: Salted caramel, oak, fruity with cherries, plums and tangerines, mint, hint of maple syrup with polished leather and baking spices. Palate: Caramel, peanut butter, chocolate, cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, citrus with a bit of cloves. Finish: Moderately long with caramel, fruit, pepper spice and mixed nuts. Comments: There isn’t a lot of bourbon rye blends on the market, and I’ve honestly never understood why that is. Many whiskey enthusiasts that I’ve known over the years have created their own blends, including blending from different distilleries. This is a delicious offering! Priced reasonably and at a solid 113 proof, this brings the best of both Knob Creek bourbon and rye into a single pour. Well balanced, I enjoyed this quite well neat, although a few drops of water thickens the mouthfeel nicely and brings the fruit notes forward.
Knob Creek 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
50% ABV $70 Website We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.
What the Distillery Says:
Knob Creek® is excited to announce the permanent addition of Knob Creek® 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey to its award-winning* portfolio. Made pre-Prohibition style, Knob Creek® 10 Year Old Rye Whiskey is carefully crafted and patiently aged for a decade in deeply charred barrels, bringing fans a full-bodied rye whiskey with distinct notes of spice, vanilla, and oak.
True to Knob Creek’s® unwavering commitment to producing high quality, full-flavored whiskey, this extra-aged rye invites aficionados and newcomers alike to experience its exceptional taste and craftsmanship. It’s best enjoyed neat or on the rocks so fans can experience the depth at its height and drink what tastes right.
TASTING NOTES Knob Creek® 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey captures the essence of its classic offering, Knob Creek® 7 Year Old Rye Whiskey, but has deeper flavors imparted by the extra three years spent aging in the barrel. The result is a bold and complex, full-flavored straight rye whiskey that delivers smooth spice with every sip. PROOF: 100 COLOR: Tawny with waves of copper AROMA: Rich caramel and vanilla, deep rye spice, and dried apple TASTE: Black peppercorn, creamy vanilla and caramel, and hints of deep oak and char FINISH: Smooth, lingering notes of baking spice
THE HISTORY Knob Creek has set the standard for super-premium whiskey for three decades by crafting extraordinary full-flavored bourbon with a rich taste. Knob Creek bourbons and ryes are patiently aged to perfection in new, maximum charred American Oak barrels to impart the biggest and fullest flavor on their whiskey. No matter the expression, Knob Creek is crafted without shortcuts and embodies the pre-Prohibition style that founding distiller Booker Noe created in 1992. Since then, Knob Creek has lived up to such standards with the introduction of Knob Creek Straight Rye Whiskey in 2012, and later on, Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye Whiskey. In recent years, Knob Creek announced the permanent addition of Knob Creek 12 Year Old Bourbon to its portfolio, launched two limited releases, Knob Creek 15 Year Old Bourbon and Knob Creek 18 Year Old Bourbon, and announced the addition of an age statement to its flagship rye whiskey, Knob Creek 7 Year Old Rye Whiskey
RYE WHISKEY In the early 1900s, rye whiskey was the most popular spirit in America. However, Prohibition forced many whiskey fans to turn toward the sweeter, more robust flavor of bourbon. Now, thanks to the growing interest in high-quality craft spirits and a surge in contemporary cocktail culture brought about by the success of Super-Premium brands such as Knob Creek, bartenders and curious drinkers alike are turning to bourbon’s spicier counterpart, rye whiskey.
What Gary Says
Nose: Salted caramel, oak, vanilla, cinnamon with herbal notes, nutty (walnuts rather than peanuts) with a hint of orange zest. Palate: Pepper spice with vanilla, caramel, oak, nutty with herbal spices, bit of orange and a hint of mint. Finish: Moderately long and drying with oak, nutty cocoa, vanilla and grapefruit Comments: This rye offers an interestingly layered experience. I’m accustomed to more of a peanut note from Beam than walnuts, although that note sometimes disappears in the older whiskies. There’s a strong oak presence for 10 years old, and this has a sharp pepper bite – which you expect some bite in a rye whiskey. For my tastes, this has a bit more oak than I’d prefer but this isn’t what I’d call an ‘oak bomb’ or ‘over-oaked’. However, a splash of water can mellow the peppery edge, making the whiskey more approachable and highlighting its complex flavor profile.
Bulleit Rye is an award-winning, straight rye whiskey with a character of unparalleled spice and complexity. Released in 2011, it continues to enjoy recognition as one of the highest quality ryes available. BULLEIT RYE WHISKEY TASTING NOTES Russet in color, with rich oaky aromas. The taste is exceptionally smooth, with hints of vanilla, honey, and spice. Finish is crisp and clean, with long, lingering flavors.
What Gary Says
Nose: Fresh mint, dill, eucalyptus, menthol, lime zest, subtle vanilla and rye toast. Palate: Crisp citrus spice with tangerines and lime, mint, thyme, caramel, honey and pepper spice. Finish: Short to moderate in length with fading rye spices. Comments: Wait . . . we hadn’t reviewed this before? This is a solid high-rye (not to be confused with a ‘barely-legal’) rye whiskey. I’ll admit that I wasn’t a fan in the early days, mostly due to the lack of transparency with the brand (which is still a fair critique). Setting that aside, the whiskey itself is solid for what it is. There are folks who don’t care for the ‘dill pickle’ but I find the strong lean into the spicy rye grain delivers nicely.
This style of whiskey is made of 100% malted rye grain, which is quite rare, even in today’s craft distilling scene. Plump, medium-full palate; finely dovetailed elegant spices; saltwater taffy, fruits, clove, and an interesting toasty – malty note. The finish is focused spice with clove and pink peppercorn. At six years old, our New Riff Malted Rye Bottled in Bond Without Chill Filtration is the oldest New Riff whiskey yet released, and will remain at six years as something of an exclamation point atop our standard portfolio.
What Gary Says
Nose: Thick, cloves, figs, raisins, anise, tangerine, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar with a hint of toasted orange zest. Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, fruity with blood orange, ginger, apples, vanilla, hint of grapefruit, cinnamon, anise, clove and mint. Finish: Moderately long, drying with honey, citrus and a bit of caramel. Comments: As a rye fan, I’m absolutely loving this. My first taste of any kind of malted rye was a dusty Lot 40 (which to be clear, this doesn’t remind me of in the least – entirely different beast but in a great way). New Riff is right that 100% malted rye is pretty rare. The act of malting any grain is going to add some complexity and costs versus simply milling dried grain and mashing. Given that, this price point is quite reasonable, and I’m excited that New Riff is planning to continue this (and maybe even offer some limited barrels with more age, not that this is immature by any stretch?) This is more heavy on the spice notes of clove and anise than a non-malted rye. I would speculate that this would be an excellent cocktail rye, but I enjoyed it way too damn much neat to find out. Another delightful offering from the fine folks at New Riff.
