A new Rye from Beam?

[dcb]

good grief that bottle looks ridiculous, and i can't believe the price. wtf?? Rittenhouse BiB costs about $13.

[JeffRenner]

I did see it on the shelf in Ann Arbor this past weekend. I think it was 39.99.

The state minimum is actually worse - $44.97.

I'll pass, too.

Jeff

[polyamnesia]

haven't read through ALL the responses...so maybe this has already been posted or at least, surmised....

did Beam want this? overwhelming discussion?

i think what sells best is discriminating and considerate sipping....

[Skunk]

I tasted this the other day, along with another bourbon fan/employee of the store I was at. After the taste we could only look at one another and shake our heads.

I remember the nose being very floral, and the taste being extremely laid back, to the point of non-existent. Almost as if it were selected for people who want a good smelling brown liquor with no heat/bite and minimal aftertaste/finish. One big long oxymoron IMHO. One thing I can say is that it was very smooth...

[polyamnesia]

smooth...........that's what tv/boobtube is....smooth...not harsh...not challenging....intravenous......the art of stealth reduced to craftiness. bad whiskey craftin'....a shame.

i just got my knob creek propaganda....i forgot i signed up. a shame it has come to this and not the taste. image is important. but as supplement, not totality...

i can only hope the beam spies are observing and reporting the marketing miscarriage

[scratchline]

Okay, men, have at me!

I like this rye! It isn't a big punch in your face, but I find the flavor balanced and assertive. It has a lot of what I call leather without getting too musty. I think it is rye-like rye and not bourbony in character. The nose is light and perfumy (tends to the floral side as someone noted earlier) and isn't overly inviting. But the taste has some spice and the finish, while short, invites another sip. It reminds me of some of that Old Overholt 86 from the Pennsylvania days (not as good, obviously), but a gentle rye. My girlfriend says, "This is tasty and I would have it again. It's better than some of the bourbons you have me try, and it's very good in a Manhattan." Also reminds me, as I sip it in a Manhattan, of the Wild Turkey 90 prf rye, which I have only ever had in a cocktail and which I found quite assertive.

Clearly this product isn't intended for hardcore whiskey fans or bargain shoppers. It's priced high for what it is. I probably won't buy a bottle for myself. But I would buy it as a gift for others who are less experienced drinkers and who I want to introduce to the rye experience. I'm happy to have a bottle on my overcrowded shelf. And I'm glad I got to try it. I think a lot of young Madmen viewers will give it a try while in trendy bars and will come to prefer it over Canadian.

I received it as a birthday gift along with a bottle of Old Forester Repeal Bourbon which I will be sampling at precisely 5:32 on December 5th. Happy Birthday to me!

-Mike

BTW, I've never been a fan of the yellow label Beam Rye, but it has many distinguished advocates like Chuck Cowdery. Given my opinion of this one, I intend to go back and give the cheaper one another try.

[ILLfarmboy]

...i can only hope the beam spies are observing and reporting the marketing miscarriage

On this I am in agreement. That doesn't happen very often.

[Lost Pollito]

I'm noticing that a few new people are looking for it...Vodka fans. I won't be buying it, but from what I saw last month at our whiskey tasting, Beam is hitting the target audience square in the face.

[polyamnesia]

On this I am in agreement. That doesn't happen very often.

i know, i know...my dad often says (or even more
often FEELS) the same!

[gr8erdane]

My neighborhood liquor store is fairly new and is finally starting to fill up the shelves with new products. I saw this there and somehow I hadn't read this thread until now, maybe because I'm not a big rye drinker. They didn't have a price on the bottles anywhere so I passed. But what really ticked me off was that the shelf facing for this was full and their last new product line, the Four Roses had ONE BOTTLE PER FACING. Also, when I looked over this new product it said that it was Kentucky Rye Whiskey bottled in either Indiana or Illinois. I had no idea it was a Beam product. It's not like I was going to buy it in my current economic situation but I wasa leary until I read more about it. Thanks to all the comments on this thread I'll have to force myself to wait a bit.