Rye Whiskey

Peerless Straight Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Peerless Straight Rye Whiskey
54.45% ABV
$100-$125
Website

What the Distiller Says
A FULL-BODIED TASTE THAT CANNOT BE IMITATED

Peerless Straight Rye Whiskey is a well balanced Rye, bolstered by sweet tones of maple, brown sugar and light citrus sweetness. Finish with a hint of oak & no burn on the throat. Due to our carefully unique distilling process, Peerless offers a smooth taste that differs from many other ryes. Peerless Rye is a palatable sipping Rye to be savored with friends and family.

Every Drop Honestly Crafted
Non-Chill Filtered
Strictly Sweet Mash
Barrel Proof
No Water Added

What Gary Says
Nose:  Rye spice, dill, burnt toast, oak, citrus zip, milk chocolate, caramel with hints of anise and clove.
Palate:  Sweet molasses with bitter orange chocolate, caramel apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds with some pepper spice at the back.
Finish:  Short to moderately long, wet with a dill spice note.
Comments:  If tasting this blind, I absolutely would have pegged this as older than the 24 months that it is; probably guessing closer to 4 to 6 years old. It actually reminds me a bit of Willett 5 yr Straight Rye single barrels (which were MGP distilled at the time, and bottled at 110 proof) – which isn’t a bad thing as I really loved those. Don’t get me wrong – this is unique from that.  The best thing I can say about it is that it tastes way better than any other 2 yr rye I’ve had (can’t think of a 2 yr whiskey I’ve liked better actually). But the price is crazy absurd. I know whiskey pricing today isn’t what it was 5 years ago (when those Willett 5 yr ryes were $35-$40).  But I’m sorry – I’m never going to pay $100+ for a 2 yr rye (or 2 yr whiskey – period). Never. Is there anything wrong with the whiskey itself? No – it is well balanced, and I’ll agree with the general consensus that it punches well above its weight. But the price point would have to be cut well below half before I’d be a buyer.  Yes, it is tasty – but there is a LOT of tasty whiskey I enjoy as much for a whole lot less cash.
Rating: Stands Out

I would like to thank my dad for bringing me a sample to review.

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Winchester Rye whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Winchester Rye Whiskey

45% ABV
$25

What the Bottle Says

Rye whiskey traces its American roots as far back as the 18th century. Winchester Rye Whiskey builds upon this American tradition. It is a premium rye whiskey, traditionally distilled, barrel aged and uniquely ultrasonic filtered to deliver an exceptionally smooth finish and truly great taste.
Aged a minimum of 6 months in new oak.

What Gary Says

Nose: Bright, young rye, mint, lime soda with a hint of dill.
Palate: Smoother, cereal sweet with a bit of malty orange candy.
Finish: Short and wet (not peppery).
Comments: This is a Total Wine private label produced by TerrePURE spirits in South Carolina. I’ll not get into their whole process, other than to state in my experience, the “unwanted, harsh-tasting congeners” their process reduces . . . might otherwise be known as “character”. If I wasn’t a fan of rye whiskey, there isn’t anything objectionable about this – nothing off-putting. But it doesn’t deliver on my expectations of rye whiskey, which is harsh and brash. On the nose it is very much a young rye, but on the palate it is too smooth and tame. For the same price, if I want a rye whiskey, I’d go for several other options.

Rating: Probably Pass

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Rebel Yell Small Batch Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Rebel Yell Small Batch Rye

45% ABV
$25
Website
Rebel Yell Small Batch Rye

What the Producer Says

PRODUCED AND SOLD IN LIMITED QUANTITIES, SMALL BATCH RYE OFFERS SMOOTH, SPICY RYE FLAVOR WITH ENOUGH BACKBONE TO STAND UP TO CLASSIC COCKTAILS.
NOSE
Spicy with Hints of Chocolate and Vanilla
TASTING NOTES
Mildly Woody with a Sweet and Surprising Spice

What Gary Says

Nose: Bright and sweet pine notes with a bit of mint and dill.
Palate: Full mouthfeel, corn sweet with a subtle lemon-spice pick-up; a bit of allspice on the back.
Finish: Short and wet.
Comments: This is a 2 yr old straight rye from Indiana, and the nose represents that well. On the palate, it comes across more like a young bourbon to me. Reminds me a bit of Ezra Brooks Straight Rye (also bottled by Luxco with Indiana distilled rye). Smoother than most ryes of this age that I’ve tasted. If I was looking for a rye in this price range, I’d select a couple others over this – although there isn’t anything off-putting with it.

Rating: Average

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Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye 2018

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye (2018)
59.8% ABV
$60 – $70
Website

What the Distiller DOESN’T Say . . .
Anything. Seriously – I couldn’t find any mention of this new, exciting product on their website (Beam-Suntory or Knob Creek), their facebook page, etc. I’m baffled as to why – other than they expect this will sell out without the need to publish so much as a press release on it. So, sorry to report dear reader that I can’t share what they’d say about it.

What Gary Says
Nose: Sweet caramel drizzled tiramisu with toasted orange zest and subtle chocolate notes over fall leaves; a tad hot.
Palate:  Rich, warm sweetness with caramel and chocolate that skips a few gears and explodes into an orange spice zip with drying pepper spice.
Finish:  Long and drying w/ burnt pepper notes trailing off.
Comments:  The nose advertises a nice, semi-tame rye – which the palate starts to deliver before quickly erupting with a strong rye spice explosion. This isn’t age stated (the bottle says it was barreled in 2009, so assuming it was dumped late last year or early this year – it is in the 8-9 year range), and the label also doesn’t mention it is a “straight” rye whiskey – but sources indicate that it is despite not being labeled as such. Regardless of the precise age – this is a damn tasty whiskey. Rye with much age and proof is harder to come by today, and this makes me yearn for the days when I could walk in and pick up a 7 or 8 yr cask strength rye whiskey for $50 or $60. I was fortunate to pick this up for under $60, but even at $70, I would be pretty happy with it. I’m hoping this becomes an annual (or more frequent) release – and at the same price point!
Rating: Must Try

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George Washington Rye Whiskey

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review, Rye Whiskey /

George Washington Rye Whiskey

Batch 2014B (Nov), Bottle 1731
43% ABV
$100 (375 mL)
Website
George Washington Unaged Rye Whiskey

What the Distiller Says

This special bottle of George Washington’s Rye Whiskey® is one of a limited number of bottles distilled at George Washington’s reconstructed distillery at Mount Vernon.

The mash bill, or recipe, was discovered by researchers examining the distillery ledgers for 1798 and 1799. His whiskey consisted of 60% rye, 35% corn and 5% malted barley. The records also indicate that George Washington’s whiskey was distilled at least twice before being sent to market. In Washington’s time whiskey was not aged and was sold in its original form. The whiskey in this bottle accurately represents that process.

Mount Vernon staff used Washington’s original mash bill and traditional 18th-century methods in the production of this rye whiskey. This included grinding of all the grain in Washington’s water-powered gristmill, fermenting in wooden mash tubs and distilling in copper pot stills heated by wood fires, making this rye whiskey as close to the original recipe as possible.

What Gary Says

Nose: Thick, robust cereal, corn bread and freshly baked rye bread; a hint of barley malt and pine.
Palate: Rich, creamy, sweet corn and sweet barley malt with a bite of pepper and a touch of sourdough bread.
Finish: Fairly quick (although more pleasant than the other white dog whiskies evaluated during the same sessions).
Comments: In early 2015, I visited George Washington’s Mount Vernon Distillery and Gristmill, and bought this bottle (despite not being a fan of white dog). They make whiskey a couple times a year, using the same techniques used in George Washington’s day (almost completely by hand!) They sell a limited number of bottles, and I was anxious to taste what whiskey back in Washington’s day may have tasted like. In that period, whiskey wasn’t aged (at least not intentionally), so the unaged rye whiskey was as close as I could get (although I guess something aged for some odd months might have been more accurate – who knows). Besides the methods used, this is a much lower proof than most white dog on the market today. And of the three white dogs I reviewed, this was hands down my favorite. Quite interesting, with a lot more going on in terms of depth of flavor on both the nose and palate, and a thicker mouthfeel. I would absolutely love to try this with some real age on it, based on what I’ve read about lower proof distillates. Don’t get me wrong – this was an expensive taste of history, but it left me with no regrets.

Rating: Must Try (if you’re a whiskey geek; otherwise try before you buy!)

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