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A tasting of 5 ryes


tommyboy38
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Just had an informal tasting with my wife and I and the tasting notes are informal as well. The 5 ryes in order were...

Michters single barrel

Rittenhouse BIB

Van Winkle FRR

Michter's 10 year old single barrel

Baby Saz

We both noticed alot of similiarities between the Michter's sb vs. the RRBIB and also between the VWFRR and the Michter's 10 year. Maybe the same whiskies??

The winner of the evening was the Baby Saz.

While the rye spiciness was evident in the first two, the whiskey wasn't nearly as complex as the next two. The only drawback of the VWFRR and the Michter's 10 year was a bit more burn but the flavors were vey intense and stood up to a little added water.

The Baby Saz was well balanced between smoothness and flavor.

I think I'll definitely be adding some more Baby Saz to the bunker and I love the old "back bar" style bottle.

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Definitely a great rye lineup and tasting you were able to enjoy there. Not yet had a chance to try a Michter's product.....seen one here and there sometimes and may have to try one now. The other 3 are bigtime favorites of mine in the rye arena.....always have at least 2 of the 3 on hand.

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My wife said that she enjoyed rye more than bourbon after we went to Whiskyfest last year so I picked up a few different ones but it's taken 6 months to get around to opening the Michters and the Saz.

I usually have a Van Winkle and a Rittenhouse on hand.

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Saz Jr. & VW easy finds in my stomping grounds but Ritt BIB has become rather scarce in recent days which scares me a bit. When that happens, a price increase soon follows as supply becomes available again....at least in TN that is - from my personal experience.

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Just what I'm afraid is going to be the case in my environs once it reappears. The last one I bought was still a very reasonable $12. I've heard it is leaning toward a 20-bill in some places.

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Saz Jr. & VW easy finds in my stomping grounds but Ritt BIB has become rather scarce in recent days which scares me a bit. When that happens, a price increase soon follows as supply becomes available again....at least in TN that is - from my personal experience.

Same where I am. The last time I found one it was tucked behind some other stuff and all buy it self. I just had to give the little guy a good home.:grin:

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In between work today, I was able to make a couple of inquiries by phone and a stop on the way home.....no Ritt BIB anywhere in sight of my headlights at the moment. Good thing I still have half a 750, will have to take it slower.....

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been on a serious rye kick lately and have been pulling out lots of different bottles over the course of the last week. I should say up front that I love rye as much as bourbon (and sometimes more), so I can find something to appreciate in almost any bottle I sample. There seem to be fewer dogs in the rye stable, and about the only crime I ever come across is that one may be a bit too refined and therefore lacking in the spiciness that I crave.

The latest kick started off with an evening of Russell's Reserve Rye last weekend while watching football. Very good stuff and better than I had remembered it to be. The next night it was RRR and WT Rye, the latter providing even more "zing" and a great value at $20. I wouldn't say one was better than the other. They're both great but in different ways. The following night it was Rittenhouse BIB and Michter's US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye. I love Rittenhouse, so it was hard to make the switch to the Michter's without the latter coming off a tad too smooth. Having said that, the Michter's US*1 is excellent stuff, despite getting very little ink around here.

After a night off, I did a Michter's US*1 and Michter's 10 Year Old Single Barrel side by side. The 10 year old tastes much bolder and seems like it's been in the barrel much longer than 10 years. (I think it's been established that it is actually much older juice, but I can't remember how old.) And last night it was a Michter's 10 and Saz 18 evening. Again, I loved them both for different reasons, so would be hesitant to say one was better than the other. Tonight though come my favorites of all: Thomas Handy Sazerac and Van Winkle Family Reserve. And I've got a dusty bottle of Rittenhouse Rye (80 proof) from the late seventies lined up for this Sunday's football games. Should be fun! (I think my brother made off with my Baby Saz because I can't find that little bugger anywhere.:shocked: )

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Those sound like some fine ryes. The only ones I don't have are the Saz18 and the Handy. With the Michter's and the Van Winkle being as old as the Saz, I figure three of the same age might be overkill but I think i should add a Handy to the rye stable to have a barrel proof option. I've only tried it once before but recall that it was an excellent rye.

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I've got a dusty bottle of Rittenhouse Rye (80 proof) from the late seventies lined up for this Sunday's football games. Should be fun!

Very interesting Hank! Does it say distilled in Kentucky or in Tennessee on the label?

Leif

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