What rye are you drinking Spring/Summer 2014?

[Hedonist]

I diluted 1-3 down to 100 proof to level the field.

Sacrilege!

You need to try this again with the bottles as they were intended.

[GaryT]

Sacrilege!

You need to try this again with the bottles as they were intended.

The proof differences would have made it pretty obvious between several of them. I wanted to try to understand the difference in age/mashbill without the 122 proof masking. Obviously you can't "up the proof" of the others. I do the same thing when comparing FRSB private selections to understand the age/recipe, and not the proof.

[squire]

Leveling out the proof for blind tasting is how I did it, only makes sense.

[Hedonist]

Leveling out the proof for blind tasting is how I did it, only makes sense.

It makes sense if you intend to drink the whisky watered down. Otherwise, it's an interesting hypothetical exercise of little worth. It's like intentionally handy-capping a car before a race to see which car is faster.

Admittedly, I'm new to whiskey. Maybe this is what people do. But to me it just seems all kinds of crazy to go making barrel proof whiskey all soupy.

[GaryT]

It makes sense if you intend to drink the whisky watered down. Otherwise, it's an interesting hypothetical exercise of little worth. It's like intentionally handy-capping a car before a race to see which car is faster.

Admittedly, I'm new to whiskey. Maybe this is what people do. But to me it just seems all kinds of crazy to go making barrel proof whiskey all soupy.

I typically don't drink my barrel proof whiskey at 100 proof, but I know what it taste like from the bottle already. I was trying to see how the whiskey compared from an age/mashbill standpoint, as this is helpful (at least to me) in understanding when a new product comes out - how likely am I to enjoy it. I can look at the bottle and see that the higher proof one is going to taste significantly different. What did I learn? For starters, at the same proof, I enjoyed the 4 yr more than the 6 yr - which was a bit of a surprise to me. While I love the batch 3 Redemption Rye barrel proof, between this and poor reviews of batch 1 - I probably won't purchase a different batch without trying it first. I don't know that a lot of people bother with proofing down to a specific proof (admittedly, it is a bit of a pain in the ass to measure out the mL of each whiskey, and then the water).

Feel free to not do this with your whiskey - I'm not saying you or anyone else should. Everyone should do whatever with their whiskey gives them the most pleasure. Just sharing the experience, which is what we do out here

Back on topic - wrapping up tonight with a small pour of that 4 yr Willett rye, which continues to impress at its age.

[tigerlam92]

It makes sense if you intend to drink the whisky watered down. Otherwise, it's an interesting hypothetical exercise of little worth. It's like intentionally handy-capping a car before a race to see which car is faster.

Actually to see which driver is faster. Many race other than say open series such as like Spec Miata, where all the cars are within spec so it "all" depend on the driver.

But what you say has "some" merit.

For tasting many water it down - some to 100, 95, even 40 proof.

Everyone does it differently and it's up to them.

I would say, people do it the way they like and enjoy it. Then share their notes with us.

[Old Dusty]

Gary, great notes and thanks for posting. There were a couple of posts after yours that just emitted a strange buzzing sound but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Oh well.

[Hedonist]

I typically don't drink my barrel proof whiskey at 100 proof, but I know what it taste like from the bottle already. I was trying to see how the whiskey compared from an age/mashbill standpoint, as this is helpful (at least to me) in understanding when a new product comes out - how likely am I to enjoy it. I can look at the bottle and see that the higher proof one is going to taste significantly different. What did I learn? For starters, at the same proof, I enjoyed the 4 yr more than the 6 yr - which was a bit of a surprise to me. While I love the batch 3 Redemption Rye barrel proof, between this and poor reviews of batch 1 - I probably won't purchase a different batch without trying it first. I don't know that a lot of people bother with proofing down to a specific proof (admittedly, it is a bit of a pain in the ass to measure out the mL of each whiskey, and then the water).

Feel free to not do this with your whiskey - I'm not saying you or anyone else should. Everyone should do whatever with their whiskey gives them the most pleasure. Just sharing the experience, which is what we do out here

Back on topic - wrapping up tonight with a small pour of that 4 yr Willett rye, which continues to impress at its age.

Thanks. And I hope you realize my posts were made in jest.

How do you water down to a specific proof with accuracy? Is there a specific method?

[Hedonist]

Actually to see which driver is faster. Many race other than say open series such as like Spec Miata, where all the cars are within spec so it "all" depend on the driver.

But what you say has "some" merit.

For tasting many water it down - some to 100, 95, even 40 proof.

Everyone does it differently and it's up to them.

I would say, people do it the way they like and enjoy it. Then share their notes with us.

Sure but nobody is driving a glass of whiskey.

I guess I understand this to be an excercise of comparing flavors off one another rather than a ranking contest. In that context it makes sense.

[flahute]

Gary, thanks for the notes on your experiment. I was wondering what you got out of the proofing down since I assumed that you didn't drink the barrel proof versions that way and you explained it thoroughly.

I haven't dipped into the ryes in quite a while so when I got the hankerin' I didn't mess around and went straight for the '13 Handy. God, what a magnificent whiskey. It drinks well neat but I like to add just a titch of water to open it up. What an incredibly long finish on this one.

[GaryT]

Thanks. And I hope you realize my posts were made in jest.

How do you water down to a specific proof with accuracy? Is there a specific method?

I didn't know if you were jesting or not, but didn't take offense either way. Many folks find diluting high proof whiskey to be blasphemous, and I do enjoy mine at a bit higher proof when just pouring a glass.

I have a spreadsheet that does the calculations for me. The formula is [Whiskey vol] * (([Whiskey Proof]/[Desired Proof])-1) = [Water Volume to Add]. I work in mL and have a dropper that has marks for every .5 mL. For example, the Redemption Barrel Proof rye is 122 proof. I started with 15 mL (about a half ounce). 15 * ((122/100)-1) = 3.3. So I added 3.3 mL of water, bringing the proof down to 100. When leveling the field, I try to put all of them on the lowest proof option. I've read that master distillers will proof down to 40 for purposes of tasting (and I suppose if you are tasting a lot, that makes sense). My approach is to dilute the least amount possible while making them equal, although someone else might certainly want to bring them down further. When we do barrel selections (such as with Four Roses), they aren't diluted, so the samples might be all over the place in terms of proof. But in that case, I'm just trying to pick which one I like the best at the proof it will be bottled at, rather than trying to study the nuance between recipes or age. I think dilution is a nice tool to use for certain jobs, but certainly not for every job.

[Kyjd75]

Had a couple of bottles of baby Saz in the bunker. Decided to open one and man, what a pleasure. A shame this is not more readily available.

[mbroo5880i]

I have around 30 bottles whiskey with few duplicates, but just realized tonight that I am finishing off my last bottle of rye. It is Willett WFE 4 year and solid. I will grab a few bottles of straight rye to have on hand.

[Old Dusty]

THH '12 on a big cube. Perfect end to the weekend.

[flahute]

Once I get a taste of Handy, it's hard to stop, so I had another healthy pour this evening to celebrate a successful race this afternoon.

This really is an incredible whiskey.

[petrel800]

Thanks. And I hope you realize my posts were made in jest.

How do you water down to a specific proof with accuracy? Is there a specific method?

http://straightbourbon.com/index.php/faq

No math required . . .

[smokinjoe]

Knob Creek Rye on a cube. This whiskey has been in my zone for some time, now. Love the aggressiveness it has that is not all alcohol influenced, as well as a nice fullness to it. Tonight, a bit of unsweetened cocoa from mid-palate through finish. Can't say I prefer it to Baby Saz's sheer uniqueness, but it's right up there as one of my fave every day ryes.

[flahute]

After two nights in a row enjoying Handy I remain in the rye zone. I was severely tempted to go back for a third night but decided to spread the love a little. So for the first time in a really long time I revisited the EH Taylor rye. My palate has developed since the last taste (which was back in the winter some time) so I really like this one more than I remember. Need to taste it alongside some standards such as Rittenhouse to determine if it's worth the premium price, but boy did I enjoy it tonight.

To follow, I'm really, really liking this SAOS 8yr old barrel proof rye selected by The Party Source in Covington, KY. The barrel pickers did a fantastic job with this one.

[BigRich]

Knob Creek Rye on a cube. This whiskey has been in my zone for some time, now. Love the aggressiveness it has that is not all alcohol influenced, as well as a nice fullness to it. Tonight, a bit of unsweetened cocoa from mid-palate through finish. Can't say I prefer it to Baby Saz's sheer uniqueness, but it's right up there as one of my fave every day ryes.

You are becoming a regular Beam whore lately.

[GaryT]

http://straightbourbon.com/index.php/faq

No math required . . .

Oh sure - after I create an Excel calculator you point this out (quietly bookmarking)

[BootsOnTheGround]

I'm definitely surprised to hear peeps preferring Baby Saz. Man that stuff can be downright nasty. It sits on the shelves here for $27-$30 and deservedly so. This is coming from a guy who would take the '13 THH over all the other BTAC bottles any ole day and three times on Sunday.

I found the last 1/3 of my MGP 4-yr Willett to be actually enjoyable.

Ill have to watch for the Beam rye on sale sometime to try to find a budget rye that doesn't taste like industrial pool cleaner.

[mbroo5880i]

I'm definitely surprised to hear peeps preferring Baby Saz. Man that stuff can be downright nasty. It sits on the shelves here for $27-$30 and deservedly so. This is coming from a guy who would take the '13 THH over all the other BTAC bottles any ole day and three times on Sunday.

I found the last 1/3 of my MGP 4-yr Willett to be actually enjoyable.

Ill have to watch for the Beam rye on sale sometime to try to find a budget rye that doesn't taste like industrial pool cleaner.

[flahute]

I've been on a rye kick lately and have mostly been drinking the Handy and EH Taylor rye. Still have the taste for rye I decided to bring up a bottle I've had for a while but haven't tried yet - Ritt BIB. It gets a lot of love here so I was looking forward to trying it so I open it, take my first taste and.........weird.....this is not what I was expecting. Goes down like bourbon more than rye to me. Some quick research shows that it's 51%rye, 37% corn, and 12% barley. That explains it. Now that I'm settling in with it with adjusted expectations, I'm enjoying it. As always, more 'research' is needed.

[Paddy]

Cracked a SAOS barrel proofer this evening. Just had a small sip (or two:rolleyes:), but the initial impression is promising.

I didn't notice much of the earthy, musty tobacco barn thing that I've grown to appreciate in many of the fine old ryes but the rye spice is bold and the finish was long and hearty.

I'm looking forward to additional research as this bottle opens up! :yum:

[Hedonist]

I'm definitely surprised to hear peeps preferring Baby Saz. Man that stuff can be downright nasty. It sits on the shelves here for $27-$30 and deservedly so. This is coming from a guy who would take the '13 THH over all the other BTAC bottles any ole day and three times on Sunday.

I found the last 1/3 of my MGP 4-yr Willett to be actually enjoyable.

Ill have to watch for the Beam rye on sale sometime to try to find a budget rye that doesn't taste like industrial pool cleaner.

Love me some baby Saz!