Wild turkey Russells reserve rye vs WT rye 101

[HRay]

I love WT Rye 101, much more than Baby Saz, and slightly more than RittBIB. As for RR6yrRye, I think the choice of proof castrates it.

I am so glad to hear that so many people like the WT Rye 101! It has been my go to whiskey ever since I tasted it. I have always been partial to WT since I started brinking bourbon (I especially like the Rare Breed). The RR bourbon was fantastic until they lowered the proof (luckily I had just bought 6 bottles when they did that and have held onto 5 of them!).

The WT Rye was my introduction to the world of rye and I have since tried every rye I can get here in Atlanta (and even mail-ordered some I can't get here). For some reason the RR Rye has never been quite there for me, maybe it is the proof but I prefer the flavor of the 101.

[Whiskey Willie]

Count me in as a guy who prefers WT101 rye over RR rye...proof and bold flavor blow RR away. I also have Baby Saz in my stash. While I like it, I like WT101 rye better.

[Brisko]

Does anybody else have tasting notes for the Russel's Reserve Rye? Despite its generally cold reception here I am tempted to pick up a bottle, just because...

[roostercogburn]

This is curious: I had a half-full bottle of WT Rye that I left at my folks' house in Houston. I guess it had been there like that for a few months before I retrieved a couple of weeks ago. I've noticed a huge difference in the taste when compared with my recently opened bottle of WTRye: the alcohol, while still present in the nose, has been toned down considerably in the finish. Any burn one might associate with the 101 has diminished. Not just that: the taste profile and finish are richer now, too. The earthiness I associate with young-ish ryes (and WT in particular) has taken on a softer, sweeter quality that I find quite nice. Any part of the "rot-gut" phenomenon has disappeared, replaced with a long, lingering vanilla taste.

Oxygen does WT Rye good.

[Shell]

Does anybody else have tasting notes for the Russel's Reserve Rye? Despite its generally cold reception here I am tempted to pick up a bottle, just because...

The Wild Turkey Rye 101 proof is an excellent value (~$17-$18 in MI) and a very good rye. I find the Russell's Reserve Rye 6 yr. to be a bit smoother and bit more complex. However, it is higher in price - ~$31 in MI.

(The Sazerac Rye 6 yr. and the Bulleit Rye, however, have risen to the top tier of my rye favorites - I favor them over the Wild Turkey and Russell's Reserve ryes.)

Enjoy.

[ebo]

Having finally found a bottle of WT Rye to try (thanks ThomasH), I have to say that it is a great pour for $21.00 and change. I really like the Saz Jr. too, but I think I like the WT Rye, even better.

[timd]

Having finally found a bottle of WT Rye to try (thanks ThomasH), I have to say that it is a great pour for $21.00 and change. I really like the Saz Jr. too, but I think I like the WT Rye, even better.

I wouldn't want to choose between the two. I'd be happy with both, but not one over the other.

Rittenhouse BIB really wants to work its way in to make this a 3 way tie.

The other lower-end Ryes are all acceptable, and I'm happy to try them (over and over and over) again - but WT101 & Baby Saz are the category killers in the "well under $30" range, Ritt BIB is good, but as it's now a tad more expensive than the WT101 here in TX and elsewhere PLUS it's on allocation and it can be hard to come by, I don't include it on the short list - but it's definitely a close 3rd.

[Brisko]

Bought a RR Rye yesterday finally. I didn't have a lot of time to spend on it, but I did do a quick side-by-side with the 101. My first impressions:

Color-- the RR is lighter, more of a golden amber where the 101 is a little more copper colored. Forgot to note the legs but I think the 101 is more viscous.

Same notes of sappy cedar on the nose. The 101 has more rye bread and molasses to it, the RR is more floral, more honeyed, more minty. The 101 has some dill notes that are almost entirely absent in the RR.

Taste, neat: RR has more spice up front (cinnamon, baking spices) but it develops on to a more honeyed, grassy midpalate. It's definitely smoother and a little thinner feeling than the 101. The 101 has a bigger, rounder mouthfeel that is maybe a touch rougher around the edges. After the initial attack of the 101, which is full of crisp rye flavors, the underlying sweetness shows briefly but then gets obscured by a building spiciness. The finish is moderately long and spicy. RR, on the other hand, finishes with a quiet sweetness.

Adding water to the 101 to bring them to the same proof does bring out a little more sweetness in the mid-palate of the 101 but it doesn't dull the attack or finish much--rather sharpens them a bit. RR, on the other hand, gets more floral, honeyed, and juicy (mango, maybe?) with the addition of any water. Ice brings out the spices at the initial attack of the RR. With the 101, ice seems to tighten it up a bit.

I don't think I can answer whether I like one over the other. I like them both, but they're sort of apples to oranges in comparison-- they're not that much alike, to my thinking. I will say I do like RRR better than Baby Saz (about the same price in my area). Interestingly the RR reminds me a little of THH (significantly) watered down-- in fact I'd say the RR and the THH have as much in common with each other as they do with their own standard-expression brothers. Who knew?

Anyway, the conclusion I draw is this: there's always room for another rye in the cabinet.

[timd]

Anyway, the conclusion I draw is this: there's always room for another rye in the cabinet.

AMEN!

Nice comparison of the two. Someday it would be nice sit down with some friends and right up a side-by-side of the sub-$35 bottle Ryes that are (moderately) easy to find these days

Old Overholt
Rittenhouse 80
Rittenhouse BIB
Wild Turkey 101 Rye
Jim Beam Rye
Saz Jr
Russels Reserve
Bulleit
Redemption
Templeton
R(1)

And just for good measure on the top end:
Pappy FRR
Vintage 21
Thomas Handy
Saz 18

Would be nice to have all that information & comparison at one spot.

Anybody up for the challenge?

There is a cool article from the Cocktail Chronicles from back in '07 that reviews 18 Ryes over a stretch:

http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/20...ye-chronicles/

But it doesn't cover all of the above, and would be nice to see it covered from a bourbon/whiskey-hound perspective.

[T Comp]

Bought a RR Rye yesterday finally. I didn't have a lot of time to spend on it, but I did do a quick side-by-side with the 101. My first impressions:

Color-- the RR is lighter, more of a golden amber where the 101 is a little more copper colored. Forgot to note the legs but I think the 101 is more viscous.

Same notes of sappy cedar on the nose. The 101 has more rye bread and molasses to it, the RR is more floral, more honeyed, more minty. The 101 has some dill notes that are almost entirely absent in the RR.

Taste, neat: RR has more spice up front (cinnamon, baking spices) but it develops on to a more honeyed, grassy midpalate. It's definitely smoother and a little thinner feeling than the 101. The 101 has a bigger, rounder mouthfeel that is maybe a touch rougher around the edges. After the initial attack of the 101, which is full of crisp rye flavors, the underlying sweetness shows briefly but then gets obscured by a building spiciness. The finish is moderately long and spicy. RR, on the other hand, finishes with a quiet sweetness.

Adding water to the 101 to bring them to the same proof does bring out a little more sweetness in the mid-palate of the 101 but it doesn't dull the attack or finish much--rather sharpens them a bit. RR, on the other hand, gets more floral, honeyed, and juicy (mango, maybe?) with the addition of any water. Ice brings out the spices at the initial attack of the RR. With the 101, ice seems to tighten it up a bit.

I don't think I can answer whether I like one over the other. I like them both, but they're sort of apples to oranges in comparison-- they're not that much alike, to my thinking. I will say I do like RRR better than Baby Saz (about the same price in my area). Interestingly the RR reminds me a little of THH (significantly) watered down-- in fact I'd say the RR and the THH have as much in common with each other as they do with their own standard-expression brothers. Who knew?

Anyway, the conclusion I draw is this: there's always room for another rye in the cabinet.

Very nice tasting notes Brisko! John Hansell compared these in 2007 and pretty much had the same conclusion. I haven't had the 101 Rye in some time but tasted the RR for the first time at the distillery tour a few weeks ago and enjoyed it enough to have added one to the bunker (way to many already open, to open). Gary Gillman clued me in to what he called its feminine nature as a rye whiskey.