What Rye Are You Drinking? Autumn 2012

[Young Blacksmith]

Stephen Foster rye after a few standard 4R1B. Great nightcap, glad I picked up a liter!

[LostBottle]

Nice selection lost. Not a bad one in that bunch, although I've had mixed results with the BMH ryes.

Thanks. Regarding the BMH ryes, are you talking specifically about the 18? If so, I agree it could have been better. The 23 is probably my favorite American whiskey, though I can definitley see where it may be too dry for some. This open bottle is from Cask No 1. I have a No 7 and a No 9 bunkered and will be curious to see how much variation there is - I am hopeful they are equally as good.

[OscarV]

A pour of Vintage Rye 23yo, neat.

I think I will go to the Vintage Bourbon 17yo next.

[Tucker]

Just finished the last pour from a bottle of Baby Saz while watching my Bengals. Love the Baby Saz. Not sure why I still follow the Bengals, though. 46 year old habits are hard to break.

[Tico]

Thanks. Regarding the BMH ryes, are you talking specifically about the 18? If so, I agree it could have been better. The 23 is probably my favorite American whiskey, though I can definitley see where it may be too dry for some. This open bottle is from Cask No 1. I have a No 7 and a No 9 bunkered and will be curious to see how much variation there is - I am hopeful they are equally as good.

yeah, you pretty much nailed it for me. I think the 18 lacked a bit of depth when compared to others in this range (saz18 & HW16). The 23 did seem a touch woody but in the end I wouldn't kick either out of bed!

[MyOldKyDram]

Lil pours of Bulleit, Ritt BiB, WT 101, and Rendezvous. Flip that list and you'd have my order of preference.

[smokinjoe]

Threw some TH Handy into some apple cider, over crushed ice, with a wedge of apple...and it's oh, so good...:yum: Now, it's just Handy, neat...

[Ejmharris]

Enjoyed some heavy pours of the Willett TPS ground breaker rye tonight with me neighbor. This will be one I wished I had stocked up on a little more.

[michaelturtle1]

6 yr Willet, THHandy, Vintage 21 Rye

[jersey12]

Baby Saz while watching the election results come in.

[The Boozer]

Enjoying a little Ritt BiB. First nip in a couple of weeks. Love this and excited that it has finally made it on the Michigan list. Now we just have to get some shipments in.

[Luna56]

I posted in this elsewhere, but tonight it's a very fat pour of this year's Handy. Enjoying it very much.

Cheers!

[LostBottle]

Last night I had the opportunity to get together with fellow member and rye lover Chris24 and do some voting of a different kind. We combined collections and put together a flight of the Hirsch Rye Whiskeys. We tasted through the 21, 22, and 25-year expressions, which yielded some unexpected results:

The Hirsch 21 is a smooth-drinking rye…almost too smooth. It seemed much closer to a bourbon profile than any of the others in that it lacked that creeping rye spice I typically prefer. Unsurprisingly, the youngest of the three had the least amount of wood on the palate and finish and when compared to the 22, showed much less barrel influence than a one-year difference would typically yield. The finish was very nice, though a bit subtle compared to the others. The 21 is a very good whiskey and a very enjoyable sipper, but it did not stand out in a way I typically look for in a stellar ultra-aged rye. In fact, I think I still prefer the rye and baking spice of the lower-priced and easier to find Vintage 21.

Black Maple Hill 23 is my favorite whiskey; it has a very distinct profile that I absolutely love. It was immediately recognizable to me that that the Hirsch 22 and the BMH23 came from the same source. The nose of the 22 was full and rich, bringing out some subtle spiciness and dark fruit that the 21 lacked. The palate was outstanding - nice brown sugar notes, a distinct black cherry note hanging out in the background, and the always welcome rye spice. This whiskey also had a lot of wood influence, but in a good way that brings depth to the equation while not overpowering the other flavors. The finish was very nice with a deep exhale bringing out more of the black cherry and rye notes. While the BMH23 is superior due to being a bit smoother and richer, the Hirsch 22 shares many similarities and is very good.

Having tried the Hirsch 25 before, I found it a difficult whiskey to come to grips with; last night was no different. This is a dark, thick, chewy beast that shows a lot of barrel influence after 25 years. The wood really is at the forefront while the extra age mellows some of the rye spiciness. Overall, I think I prefer the vibrancy the other two expressions had.

During this tasting, it was immediately obvious to both of us that the 22 is definitely not the 21 with an extra year on it. The profiles of these two whiskeys were not even ballpark. It is obviously unknown where these whiskeys came from, but I do not think they could have possibly originated from the same set of barrels.

Overall, I found the Hirsch 22 to be the best of the three. I placed the 21 in second for its smooth, easy drinking character. As for the 25, it still seems a bit heavy and old for my tastes. Overall, a great night and I feel lucky to have tried all of these in one sitting.

Edited November 7, 2012 by LostBottle

[White Dog]

Thanks for the notes, LostBottle! Great line-up! And I agree with you preferring the 22yr over the 25, but I still dig the 25 on it's own terms.

[Tico]

Awesome notes lost, thanks for the report!

[Gillman]

Excellent notes for sure, many thanks for this. (It would be great to see more comparative reviews like this, for whiskeys in general but especially dusties).

Gary

[MauiSon]

I appreciate that you threw in a shout-out for VR21, since that's something I have bunkered.

[WAINWRIGHT]

Enjoyed some heavy pours of the Willett TPS ground breaker rye tonight with me neighbor. This will be one I wished I had stocked up on a little more.

I agree two fold,this is what a raw in your face rye is all about bold and delicious.I think a couple bold pours are definitely in order for this evening!

[michaelturtle1]

Opened my VWFRR tonight, really good stuff. Very similar to V21

[Tico]

Opened my VWFRR tonight, really good stuff. Very similar to V21

Interesting obobservation. While I found the two to be kinda similar in flavor profile the VWFRR seem much more creamy and bourbon sweet like than the v21.

Always cool to get different data points!

[yountvillewjs]

Interesting obobservation. While I found the two to be kinda similar in flavor profile the VWFRR seem much more creamy and bourbon sweet like than the v21.

Always cool to get different data points!

Tico -- you ever open one of your Ritt 25's?

[Tico]

Tico -- you ever open one of your Ritt 25's?

[michaelturtle1]

Interesting obobservation. While I found the two to be kinda similar in flavor profile the VWFRR seem much more creamy and bourbon sweet like than the v21.

Always cool to get different data points!

The finish and mouth feel of the VWFRR is way creamier and fuller than the V21, the rye punch that I get from them is very similar. Both are excellent rye whiskeys, I would have to say I like the VW a bit more but I have only had a small pour of it

I just opened a bottle of Ritt 25 a couple of weeks ago and it is very woody, not that it isn't tasty it just has a big dose of wood in both the nose and taste. I know a couple store that have a few bottles of Ritt 21 and 23 and am very curious to see the differences in the 3

[LostBottle]

The finish and mouth feel of the VWFRR is way creamier and fuller than the V21, the rye punch that I get from them is very similar. Both are excellent rye whiskeys, I would have to say I like the VW a bit more but I have only had a small pour of it

I just opened a bottle of Ritt 25 a couple of weeks ago and it is very woody, not that it isn't tasty it just has a big dose of wood in both the nose and taste. I know a couple store that have a few bottles of Ritt 21 and 23 and am very curious to see the differences in the 3

In my opinion, pass on the 23 in favor of cleaning out their stash of 21. As stellar as the 21 is, the 23 is just bad. In fact, I bet you would find the 23 to be more tannic and less balanced than the 25.

Edited November 10, 2012 by LostBottle

[michaelturtle1]

In my opinion, pass on the 23 in favor of cleaning out their stash of 21. As stellar as the 21 is, the 23 is just bad. In fact, I bet you would find the 23 to be more tannic and less balanced than the 25.