Rye Whiskey Reviews

A collection of 70 posts

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Old Potrero Rye Review

This is a unique rye. Old Portrero doesn’t have much of the typical spice on the palate that you can usually pick out from a Rye if you tasted it blind. At $65, you have for sure paid more for less.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Blackend Rye the Lightning Whiskey Review

Legendary heavy metal band Metallica has a new limited edition whiskey, Blackened Rye The Lightning™ which is named after their 6-times-platinum sophomore album.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Ragtime Rye Whiskey Review

Before I ever tried a single expression from New York Distilling Company, I was enamored with their bottle design and enchanted by the collective experience of their founders.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Michter’s 2022 US*1 Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey Review

Michter’s 2022 US*1 Barrel Strength Rye Whiskey is a great whiskey. Always has been and, hopefully, always will be when Michter’s own maturate from its Louisville plant is bottled in the future.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

New Riff Sherry Finished Malted Rye Whiskey Review

The success of New Riff’s 5-year Malted Rye release in 2021 gave its team an idea: Finish this vibrant whiskey in 12, custom-made 53-gallon oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks for a year, then vat the whiskey from each for another six months.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

KO Distiller’s Reserve Bottled-In-Bond Straight Rye Whiskey Review

This is a very good and interesting rye whiskey. Interesting because of the orange vanilla notes mixed with the rye spice. Creamy on the front of the tongue with the rye spice coming through on the back. It is very enjoyable.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Blue Run Golden Rye Whiskey Review

This is Blue Run’s inaugural rye release schedule to debut on September 6, 2021 – a sourced Kentucky straight rye whiskey. I found this rye to have a super cool funk on the palate with a very heavy note of sorghum sugar, which has a distinct earthy, sweet flavor.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Swilled Dog Spirits Bourbon and Rye Review

Which of the offerings from Swilled Dog Spirits are good, better, best? Lee Stang tastes their lineup to find out.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Stellum Rye Whiskey Review

When I first nosed Stellum Rye, it immediately screamed: “MGP Rye” which is no surprise since the base rye was sourced from MGP.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel 2020 Barrel Proof Rye Review

I’ve long been a fan of Jack’s Single Barrel, Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey, as I think it’s the best readily available American whiskey on the market. I said READILY AVAILABLE, calm down whiskey police.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Riverset Straight Rye Whiskey Review

The mashbill is misleading as 95% rye typically produces much more evergreen than sweet aromatics. The mouthfeel and sweetness causes this to drink much more like a bourbon than a rye. It’s more viscous and full-bodied than similar high rye whiskies.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Rye Review

This is a decent rye that checks all the boxes required of an American rye whiskey, but it needs more time in the barrel to gain complexity and character to make it worth its $69 price.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Rye Review – 2020 Release

This is a bottle full of goodness all around; silken yet full bodied; lush in texture but busily spicy with fruit notes. If you can make rye whiskey candy, solidify this. It’s a delight to hold in your mouth and roll around as the honeyed texture gives way to tingly spice and slightly drying oak.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Rabble Rouser Bottled In Bond Rye Whisky Review

Rabble Rouser Bottled in Bond Rye Whisky is released by Catoctin Creek Distillery, once a year in mid-February.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Revisiting Distillery 291: Bad Guy and HR Whiskey Reviews

Back in 2017 I covered the amazing journey of Michael Myers from east coast photographer to Rocky Mountains distiller. At the time, Distillery 291 was winning medals and garnering praise from a couple influential whiskey figures, but was still an off-the-radar craft distiller.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

McKenzie Straight Rye Whiskey Review

McKenzie Straight Rye is a unique pour. Distilled from a mash of 80% Rye and 20% Malted Barley, it is aged three years and non-chill-filtered. Finger Lakes Distilling chose to age the rye in quarter casks.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Blaum Bros. Straight Rye Review

The Blaum Brothers message of quality and authenticity comes through on this product. The smoked malt adds to the complexity and a full four years in the barrel, not overly common in ryes is evident in the taste.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Luca Mariano Small Batch Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Review

Like the Bourbon, this is just not enough proof to get me excited. It’s especially disappointing knowing first-hand what the 4-5 year old Rye from Wilderness Trail (who contract distills this) can be at cask strength.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Michter’s 2019 10 Year Single Barrel Rye Review

Let me be blunt for a moment – I drank the hell out of this bottle of whiskey. Damn it was good. The aromas on the nose combined to remind me of sought after dusty bottles that are getting harder and harder to find.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Riptide Cask Strength Rye Whiskey Review

There isn’t a glut of cask strength ryes out there and Riptide is an interesting addition to the category. You aren’t going to confuse it with Thomas H. Handy or Kentucky Owl. It tastes young, because it is. The intent was to showcase the rye flavor, not overwhelm it with oak.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Wilderness Trail Settlers Select Rye Review

In a field of what ended up being six rye whiskies, two stood out above the rest. The ultimate winner was Booker’s Rye, currently an $850 bottle. The consensus runner-up was a 3-year rye from a then-relatively unknown new distillery called “Wilderness Trail”.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Coppercraft Straight Rye Whiskey Review

This was my favorite of the three Coppercraft whiskies we reviewed. The nose was quite inviting and there should be no doubt you have a rye whiskey in your glass.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

WhistlePig The Boss Hog V: The Spirit of Mauve Review

The outlay for a $500 bottle is a big investment for something you might not love. My favorite way to try these kinds of bottles is to split it with 4-5 friends. That way, we each get 3-4 drinks for the price of a shot at the bar. If that is not an option, I recommend trying it at a bar.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Rossville Union Rye Whiskey Review

With this release, I continue to be happy with MGP’s foray into releasing their own brands. None of them will be winning whiskey of the year accolades, but they’re all solid expressions of what MGP has been doing well for decades.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye Review

Michter’s master distiller Pam Heilmann calls this, “my favorite Michter’s whiskey.” She’s a real and regular whiskey lady, so it was believable high praise when she said that to me—unsolicited and on multiple occasions—which put me on the hunt for it. Did I mention kicking myself for not buying all