Sazerac Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
45% ABV
$25 to $35
Website
SAZ-rye
What the Distiller Says:
The One and Only New Orleans Original. Sazerac Rye Whiskey symbolizes the tradition and history of New Orleans. Rye Whiskey that dates back to the 1800’s, around the time when saloons, veiled as Coffee Houses, began lining the streets of New Orleans. It was at the Sazerac Coffee House on Royal Street where local patrons were served toddies made with Rye Whiskey and Peychaud’s Bitters. The libation became known as the “Sazerac” and America’s first branded cocktail was born. This is the whiskey that started it all.

TASTING NOTES:
Aromas of clove, vanilla, anise and pepper. Subtle notes of candies spices and citrus. The big finish is smooth with hints of licorice.

What Richard Says:
Nose: There’s a little of the “typical” rye mint but it is overpowered by lots of vanilla and licorice. After it opens a bit I also get something that reminds me of aged brandy.
Palate: Lighter and more zesty than it’s 18 year old big brother.
Finish: Spearmint with a good dose of dry wood.
Comments: This is a much lighter representation of Sazerac rye. The nose is nice but the palate is almost indistinguishable. There’s a sweetness and a spice but not a defined sweetness (i.e. golden raisins, honey, etc.) or a noted spice (clove, cinnamon, pepper, etc.) The best I can say is black pepper simple syrup which sounds much nastier than this is. It’s a fine rye. Given the competition from a bunch of lower quality ryes hitting the market in the last few years this one definitely stands out. However, there isn’t much there that makes me want to grab this over something else.
Rating: Stands Out

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Old Overholt

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey
40% ABV
$15
Website
Old-Overholt-Rye
What the Distiller Says:
These are the three principles by which Abraham Overholt (1784-1870) lived and made his whiskey. He’s the father of American distilling and took uncompromising pride in his product — a legacy which continues today.

Old Overholt is the oldest of The Olds, a relic you can drink. This famous Straight Rye Whiskey has a distinctive flavor and appeal that, after Prohibition, made it the most popular spirit in the country.

Agreeable means you get along. And Old Overholt does just that. It’s renowned for its outstanding mixability in classic cocktails like the Old Style Manhattan (look it up). The one and only Old Overholt is 80 Proof and aged 3 years.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Beam-y rye. What I mean by that is that it’s the clear intersection of the classic rye nose of mint, herbs, and spices and the Beam (distiller) house style. Tour Beam in Clermont and the warehouse ooze this smell.
Palate: Light, unoffensive but a little young. This rye seems, either through mashbill or youth to show a lot of the flavors on new corn make. Obviously, it’s at least 51% rye but that corn distillate nature is swimming in the background.
Finish: It gets hotter the longer it sits on the palate.
Comments: While not my favorite rye by any stretch it is a serviceable addition to the cocktail bar. I use it in making Manhattans and as a ginger ale mixer.
Rating: Average

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Redemption Rye (2014)

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Redemption Rye Whiskey Batch 86, Bottle 926

(From 2014; note packaging has since changed)
46% ABV
$25 to $30
Website

What the Bottler Says:
The U.S. Government Standards require “rye whiskey” to be made from a mash of at least 51% rye grain. For Redemption Rye we use a mash of 95% premium rye grain for a spicy and bold flavor and we use premium rye, which costs more but is well worth it, because when you use good ingredients you get good rye whiskey.

The U.S. Government Standards also require that rye whiskey be aged in “new charred oak barrels” which means that new oak barrels are burned on the inside, and it’s from the charred wood and the expansion and contraction of the whiskey in and through the wood of the barrel through the seasons that whiskey gets its amber color and the flavor is smoothed. The standards do not specify a minimum time the rye whiskey needs to stay in the barrel, but once it has been in the barrel for 2 years it earns the designation of “straight” rye whiskey. Redemption Rye is aged for over 2 years.

We bottle in small batches which allows us to leave the whiskey in the barrels longer for the most flavor and color. We empty the barrels and filter for particles, cut it down to 92 proof and bottle it immediately so that the most flavor from the barrel makes it into the bottle. We then mark each bottle with the batch and bottle number by hand.

Then the bottles are packed into cases and shipped around to the country, and that’s the Redemption Rye process! So enjoy this fine rye responsibly and share our pride in this great American Spirit.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Holy mint nose Batman! This one screams it’s rye-ness on the nose.
Palate: Licorice, more mint, and homemade rock candy.
Finish: Cracks off the palate like a bat breaking home run. Short and minty.
Comments: My “official” review tasting of this has been sitting a while. When I first got the bottle I thought it was young, brash, and only useful in cocktails. However, giving it some resting time with a good bit of head space (large whiskey to cap space for air) and this has mellowed out nicely. For a young (around two years) sourced rye from LDI…MGP or whatever the hell they are called now in Indiana, this isn’t bad.
Rating: Average

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Zafra 21 Year Old

/ / Other Spirits, Review / ,

Zafra Master Reserve Rum Aged 21 Years
40% ABV
$35 to $45
Website
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What the Distiller Says:
In Spanish, ZAFRA refers to the act of harvesting sugarcane: it is the moment in time when nature rewards men for months of dedicated and arduous labor. After the harvest, our skilled Master Distiller transforms the gathered cane into rum and, after careful maturation in selected oak casks, the alchemy is complete, converting aged rum into the masterpiece we call ZAFRA MASTER RESERVE. We invite you to celebrate the ageless ZAFRA tradition with us as you delight your senses with this rare rum treasure.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar, berries, and caramel.
Palate: Oak, brown sugar, and cherries jubilee.
Finish: Light oak and quick on the finish.
Comments: When I was new to aged rum I saw this on the shelf for around $35. I asked myself how could anything aged for 21 years be $35 dollars. I don’t know a lot about taxes in Panama but by whiskey standards that’s crazy. So I passed on this bottle many time. Finally, one day I decided out of nowhere to take the plunge. I wasn’t disappointed. This isn’t the greatest aged rum in the world but for the price it’s a very nice value.
Rating: Stands Out, Great Value

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Compass Box The General

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box The General Blended Scotch Whisky
Bottle 1625
53.4% ABV
$300 to $350
Website
TheGeneral-Bottle
What the Blender Says:
It’s been a good year for sourcing ridiculously rare parcels of extraordinary whisky.

Two different companies approached us recently with similar stories: they each had several casks of Blended Scotch that had been blended at quite young ages, then not required and put back into cask and left to age. One parcel was 33 years-old and the other was…well, I’m afraid I can’t tell you. (By telling you the age of the other parcel, some might argue we are in violation of the UK’s Scotch Whisky Regulations – citation 2009 No. 2890. But that’s another story.)

We know little of the component whiskies, only that, being Blended Scotch Whisky, they were blends of both single malt and single grain whiskies.
We could tell by tasting that some were aged in former American whisky casks and some in sherry casks. But the provenance wasn’t really important, because each parcel had matured into something extraordinary in flavour, and to us, as blenders, they each represented distinct and complementary flavour profiles.

And this is where things got interesting for us. While each parcel was compelling in its own right, we had the feeling that by combining them in the right proportions, we could make something even more interesting. So we experimented for many weeks, blending the two together at different proportions before landing on the recipe in this bottle.

The result is a whisky with the “antique” character lovers of old whiskies seek out.

Availability
Limited Release of 1,698 individually-numbered bottles. Bottled in November 2013.

Flavour Descriptors
It has extraordinary depth, with aromas and flavours reminiscent of spices, dried fruits and old sherry wine character. The palate is very soft, a
virtue of blending malt whisky with grain whisky, and the finish is very, very long.

Recommendations
This is a classic late-night-and-into-the-early morning whisky.

Bottling Details
Bottled at 53.4%
Not chill-filtered
Natural colour

What Richard Says:
Nose: Oh God, that is amazing. There is just something about old scotch. Light sweet sherry, orange marmalade, apricots, and old furniture polish.
Palate: Old book leather, fine aged tobacco, cinnamon, clove, cardamon, oatmeal raisin cookies, and rich old oak furniture.
Finish: A little dusty but in a good way. It’s like settling into an old leather arm chair in a gentleman’s study that was closed up for a while. There’s a dry oak and dusting of Dutch processed cocoa powder finish that lingers for what seems like hours.
Comments: Oddly, the best thing about this whisky isn’t even the whisky itself. It’s the conversation we (GBS members) had with John Glaser about this while tasting it for the first time. The guy’s knowledge and passion really shine through. This new limited release is the result of two blends that came into the possession of Compass Box. According to Mr. Glaser one is around 33 years old and of unknown province. This one came via a whisky broker. The other is around 40 years and came from Gordon and MacPhail. The uniqueness of this whisky has many layers. It’s very old. It is a blend of blends. And those blends were pre-blended and aged as blends subsequent to blending. The back story is almost as interesting as the whisky.
Rating: Must Buy

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