Why Go Dry When You Can Go Rye?
At the same time, we have watched Dry January grow in popularity. And to be clear, if taking a month off drinking is the right choice for you, we fully support that. No arguments here. But we kept coming back to one simple question...
Twelve years ago, when we launched the 30 Days of Bourbon Challenge, the goal was simple: get people to #DrinkCurious and try more bourbon. You know—move past the usual suspects and start exploring what else was out there.
What we didn’t expect was how big it would become, or how much it would change the way people thought about whiskey. Over time, it stopped being about checking boxes and started becoming a mindset. Try new things. Ask questions. Embrace curiosity. In many ways, that challenge helped shape what eventually became the DrinkCurious lifestyle.
Fast forward to today.
The whiskey world has matured a lot since then—and not without a few growing pains. New release fatigue is real, and many bottle prices are out of control. It's enough to make a whiskey lover stay home and default to the bottles they already own. That makes curiosity more important now than ever.
At the same time, we have watched Dry January grow in popularity. And to be clear, if taking a month off drinking is the right choice for you, we fully support that. No arguments here.
But we kept coming back to one simple question:
Why go dry when you can go rye?
That question—along with years of nudging from the Bourbon & Banter community—led us here.
Introducing the Inaugural 31 Days of Rye Challenge
The concept is simple and familiar. Throughout the month of January, try a different rye whiskey each day and record it on the official 31 Days of Rye Challenge calendar, which you can download below.
Want to make it social? Snap a photo of the bottle (or the pour), share it on social media, and post your completed calendar if you’d like to connect with others participating. Use the hashtag #31DaysOfRye and tag @BourbonBanter so we can follow along.
This is not about chasing unicorns or flexing rare bottles. It is about exploration—trying ryes you have never had before, revisiting ones you forgot about, and paying attention to how diverse this category really is.
The Rules (Simple, Just Like They Should Be)
The rules closely mirror the 30 Days of Bourbon Challenge, with a rye-forward twist:
• Try a different rye whiskey each day in January
• Straight rye, bottled-in-bond, finished rye, craft or classic—it all counts
• No repeats (the spirit of the challenge is exploration)
• Drink responsibly—this is about tasting, not overindulging
• Participation is for fun, learning, and curiosity—not perfection
Miss a day? No problem. Catch up when you can. This is your journey.
No Prizes. No Giveaways. Just Rye.
Since this is our first year running the challenge, we are keeping things intentionally simple. There are no giveaways, no prizes, and no brand sponsorships.
Those things may come in the future as the challenge grows. For now, this is about building momentum, celebrating rye whiskey, and giving ourselves a reason to explore a category that does not always get the spotlight it deserves.
Why January?
Some people have asked why we are not doing this in August, which is technically National Rye Whiskey Month.
Honestly? That is too close to Bourbon Heritage Month, and burnout is real.
Also, we have never been ones to follow the obvious path. Offering 31 Days of Rye as an alternative to Dry January felt like the right move—for those who want to continue drinking curious while being intentional about it.
Join Us
We hope you will join us for the 31 Days of Rye Challenge and share your rye journey along the way. Download your calendar and graphics below, stock the shelf thoughtfully, and let January be a month of discovery.
We cannot wait to see what you are pouring.
Cheers,
~ Pops 🥃
31 DAYS OF RYE DRINKING CALENDAR
Download and print out a copy of our 31 Days of Rye Drinking Calendar to chart your very own rye whiskey adventure.
31 DAYS OF RYE LOGO OVERLAYS
Grab our 31 Days of Rye logo overlays to show off your 31 Days of Rye Challenge progress in style. Each overlay is a high-quality .png file, ideal for adding to your photos. If you’re using an iPhone, we suggest the Canva app for an easy way to layer the logo onto your images. Here’s to documenting your rye whiskey journey one sip at a time! 🥃
Download/Usage Instructions: Click on one of the links above to download the overlay graphics. The image will open in a new browser tab/window. Then right-click on the image in the new tab/window and save the image to your computer or phone. Please note that the images are shown in black on a white background for illustration purposes only. When downloaded, they will be in white with a transparent background, allowing you to overlay them on a photo.