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What rye are you drinking Spring/Summer 2014?


TunnelTiger
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I am going to post a bit more in-depth taste note in the main thread, but I've really begun to enjoy my bottle lately. Both my bottles is barrel 14C174. Initially it really tasted more like bourbon, then about a week later, the seemed to pick up more of that grassy rye flavor I get more younger ryes. It was actually a bit off putting and I didn't touch it for another month. But lately, it seems to have mellowed out a bit and there is layers of flavors I'm getting along with a nice sharp rye alcohol bite finish. Do I feel its worth the $100 msrp? Not really, but I do enjoy it and frequently want to reach for it. I found another bottle and didn't hesitate to buy it even though I paid more. However, the second bottle is the same barrel as my open bottle so I know what I'm getting.
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Pretty much agree, it does drink more like a bourbon as it loosens up. I did a 60/40 vat with it and Mich 10 bourbon and found the whole was greater than the sum of the parts.
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That is exactly what it's like, RittBIB. I had some tonight and thought the same thing.

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Revisited an AE rye opened in January. Sweet sugar and gingerbread spice is just not my thing. Oh well....that's what friends are for.

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I just popped the 2 year Willett Rye...

I'm not sure.... Maybe it needs to breath....

When I first opened mine, I had the same thoughts. I get too much white dog for my liking but some really good rye notes are definitely there. By the time I got to the end of the glass, the white dog had started to diminish. It's been a week+ since then so I'm going to revisit this weekend to see if it's changed.

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AE Rye. I have to sadly admit that my 'buds are toast. I can drink hot sauce from the bottle, but

rarely can distinguish the subtle nuances that the rest of you can. With that said, I'm getting

a ton of butterscotch on the nose and palate from this one ?!

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It isn't about distinguishing the nuances but distinguishing what you enjoy! I always feel a little lacking in my notes and observations compared to others. But, in the end, it really doesn't matter as long as I can distinguish what I like! :grin:

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The 2 year Willett rye last night. I got a lot of black tea, a little butterscotch, and faint floral notes. Too much young wood for my tastes, and a bit thin mouthfeel. Still, it's enjoyable, and this is coming from someone with a pronounced anti-Willett bias.

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First time having Knob Creek Rye. Great mouthfeel and spice. Seems a little one-note though.

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Last pour of my RR 6yr. I just realized a couple weeks ago that this was my first rye whiskey purchase - ever (in 2011). Seems like only yesterday on the one hand, but yet ages ago on the other :)

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First time having Knob Creek Rye. Great mouthfeel and spice. Seems a little one-note though.

Agree on Knob Creek Rye as "one-note." Tastes a bit one-dimensional to me. Not only that, but it's sort of pricey and on a bad day, I find it a bit harsh - on a good day, I call that bite.

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What do you think if it? It was a little too smooth and sort of bland for my taste and at the price it goes for I expected fireworks.

Not bad just on the lower side of meh.

I agree with this. Any rye under 90 proof tends to taste too light to me, and I include Michter's in that assessment. That's a lot to pay for a watered down rye. I don't want to drink rye's version of Bud Light.

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Healthy pour of some RR 6yr rye. Why is it that I seem to start enjoying some of these only when I'm down to the last 1/3 of the bottle? If the whole bottle hit me like this, it wouldn't have survived this long :)

I'm still on the first third of my bottle of that stuff, and the way things are going, I won't see my second third for quite some time. Very underwhelming.

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will generally have a bottle open, and a backup in the bunker. Just my .02 cents.

Right there with you on Angel's Envy rye. Before one bottle is down, the next one is ordered.

I can't do without it in any season.

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I'm still on the first third of my bottle of that stuff, and the way things are going, I won't see my second third for quite some time. Very underwhelming.

Me too - this bottle was opened in 2011. If a bottle is 3 yrs open around here, it is irreplaceable (at least for my budget :lol:), or in that weird space of "No, I don't 'not like' it, but I'm not sure I really like it either". Glad this one didn't get poured out though - although it won't be replaced.

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After a couple of pours of bourbon, I had my THH '09 which I have a drink every 6 months. I think for the first time I am starting to like this now. Hahaha. Maybe

It's finally down to the last couple of pours. That may take a couple of days or a year. We'll see.

Edited by tigerlam92
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Sazerac Rye, straight. I enjoyed it. Quite different from the Bulleit Rye.

tim

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Cracked my Willett 2 yr Rye. Quite interesting . . . Drew mentioned that it is a mingle of two rye mashbills they have (or two of - buess there might be more than 2), and the approximate proportions would make the batch roughly 69% rye, 16% corn, and 15% malted barley. I was surprised by how much the young corn shines through at the first sip, but then the barley seems to be in the drivers seat. Definitely get some pepper and spice from the rye, but they're not as front & center as they are with the JEP NAS rye (the only other really young rye I can compare to).

The more I taste this first glass, the more the barley stands out (or the more my brain thinks "barley" anyways). Most Scotchy young whiskey I think I've tried. Looking forward to bumping this blind against some others, although I think it will stand out. Definitely a unique whiskey - Drew and team done good! Both rye mashbills had the 15% malt, so excited to see how this stuff matures in the years to come!

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Enjoying a 2012 Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye with a few splashes of water. Down to about half a bottle now. I'm enjoying this pour a lot more than I have some of the previous tries. Might have been the glassware change. I'm using a simple tumbler today vs glencairn or NEAT glass. Seems to dissipate some of the overwhelming heat I usually experience.

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Moved onto Redemption Barrel Proof (batch 3); really hitting the spot after a long week.

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Started with a Saz18, finishing with a Leopold Bros Maryland Style Rye. The age difference is apparent and these 2 have been fun back to back.

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Had a nice pour of Jeff 21 to get this evening started. Nice, smooth and steady. Probably just a little too smooth for me, but definitely complex and well done.

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Did some blind rye tasting this afternoon. Was surprised by the results. The lineup:

1. Willett 2 yr

2. Willett 4 yr

3. Redemption Barrel Proof 6 yr

4. James E Pepper NAS

I diluted 1-3 down to 100 proof to level the field. My assumption has been that JEP is 2 yrs and a day (or likely somewhere between the 2 and 4 yr). There are mashbill differences besides the age difference as well. On the nose, the 2 yr was easily identifiable (young, and the barley is very prominent to me). I thought that I had picked out the Redemption BP, which to me has a burnt sugar/orange peel thing going on - but what I thought was this turned out to be the Willett 4 yr (which I thought had the best nose of the group). The Redemption BP was actually very similar to the JEP on the nose, both were bright and fruity, but I thought the JEP was a bit more subdued. On the palate, again the 4 yr Willett convinced me it was the Redemption BP as I got carmelized orange zest, something I get on the Redemption every time. The 2 yr stood out, and the Redemption BP and JEP were both fairly similar (and I thought that if I had to pick one over the other at this proof, I liked the JEP).

The fact that I preferred the JEP over the 6 yr BP was interesting to me, although I don't often add that much water to the Redemption to bring it down that low. Also was surprised that the JEP didn't stand out from an age perspective. I've always enjoyed the 4 yr Willett, and I was impressed that I thought it was the 6 yr. Most importantly, had fun for a good hour! Cheers!

post-7689-14489821207718_thumb.jpg

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Last night I went from Whistle Pig to Old Scout 7 to Sazerac 6.

I don't usually like Whistle Pig much, but it was a nice change from all the LDI in my cabinet. So was the Sazerac.

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