What's your favorite straight rye whiskey bottling?

[clayton]

Thus far, I've only had Wild Turkey Rye. I liked it enough that the bottle will likely be empty this week. Next on the list to try is the Jim Beam Rye. We can't get much rye here in Seattle. Old Overholt is the only other one readily available from the state-run stores.

I don't think I'm qualified to vote after having sampled just one from this list.

[tlsmothers]

The 13 yo Van Winkle Family reserve rye is indeed excellent, but the 12 yo Old Tyme rye edges it out.

I've never had the 12. I am drinking the 13 now, but have only tried the most recent batch. I hear some folks say they like the earlier versions better. I want to try to make a Manhattan with it, but have never slowed down to do it.

haven't tried the new Black Maple Hill Rye...has anyone here had it yet?

I just got the BMH 18 yo rye in at the store, but it's so bloody expensive, I haven't popped a bottle for myself yet. I've never had any of the BMH Lawrenceburg or current.

[doubleblank]

My brother is working on a project out in LA, CA. I had him bring me a 16yo BMH and the 18yo BMH rye. I'm bringing the 16yo to the festival...but took the 18yo rye to Canada for the Stampede. As Gary has noted the canadians are big fans of ryes.....all I can say is that the BMH 18yo rye was a big hit with my canadian friends. Their first comments were along the lines of...."this is like a canadian rye but much richer". I liked it alot and I'm not a big rye drinker ...but the ORVW 12yo OTR is changing my opinion of ryes in general.

Randy

[tlsmothers]

Thanks for the feedback on the BMH 18. I may just break down and bring it to the Gazebo.

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Well, I voted for other and the post said : post your choice, so here goes :

Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 1985 (non-chillfiltered).

An honourary mention goes to WT rye. The biggest dissapointment for me would be the Sazerac. There is clearly a good whiskey lurking in there somewhere but unfortunately overcome by woodiness. It is the only Buffalo Trace product that has let me down, I hasted to add.

Cheers,

H.B.

[Paradox]

There is clearly a good whiskey lurking in there somewhere but unfortunately overcome by woodiness.

What year Sazerac?

[Hedmans Brorsa]

What year Sazerac?

Distilled Fall 1981 - bottled summer 2000. Considering the allround praise for this brand it could very well be that I´ve stumbled upon a bad bottling. In this particular case we have a sophisticated fruitiness which in the end loses out to a numbing oakiness.

Now, oak, in my opinion can be a powerfull asset in contributing to a successful whiskey (witness, for instance, the masterful Henry McKenna BIB)but here it just acts like an overmoralistic babysitter that eventually spoils all the fun.

Another factor not be ruled out is my non-preference for old whiskeys. American (and Irish) whiskeys, to me, peaks at around 15-16 years (single malt scotch peaks at around 20). The 20 yo Pappy is, in my view, the only true exception to the rule.

Cheers,

H.B.

[voigtman]

The Black Maple Hill rye is selling for $81.99 here, which is too rich for my blood, sadly . (The BMH bourbons are $79.99 for the 16 YO, $62.99 for the 14 YO and $42.99 for the 11 YO; no 21 YO here). I have a generous pour of Van Winkle family Reserve rye, 13 YO, bottle E2076 (Frankfort), in front of me right now, and it is superb. My bunkered bottles are "C" series (Lawrenceburg)and my palate is, fortunately, not good enough to find differences among superb bottles of whiskey eat your hearts out, you pesky "super-tasters, you"! Yes, I envy you folks who can taste subtle differences, but there is grace in being able to enjoy great whiskeys without always being in competition mode. I voted for the Saz 18 (the 2001 release, actually), but the Van Winkle Family Reserve 13 and Old Rip Van Winkle Old Time Rye 12 are just as great: they (Saz vs. Van Winkle) are very different styles of rye whiskey, IMHO, and picking just one is a Solomonic choice. Cheers, Ed

[robbyvirus]

they (Saz vs. Van Winkle) are very different styles of rye whiskey, IMHO, and picking just one is a Solomonic choice. Cheers, Ed

Boy, do I agree! I love both the Sazerac and the Van Winkle ryes, but they are both very different and special in their own way. To me the Saz tastes drier, but I love them both.

[clayton]

I bought a bottle of Jim Beam Rye on Friday. On opening it, the first thing I noticed was a strong aroma of black licorice. I had mixed feelings about this, since I don't especially care for black licorice. On the palate, there is some definite citrus, honey, and a musty kind of sweetness.

It's only the second rye I've had. Of the two, at this point I much prefer the WT.