EWSB 2005 & High West Double Rye - Comments and Opinions Please

[johnnyflake45]

I have been watching these for a couple of days now, but can't seem to pull the trigger. I really don't know much about them. Are they worthy buys? I am just starting to get into Rye and I am enjoying them. I am always interested in Whiskey & Bourbon.

Your opinions & comments will be appreciated.

[squire]

The EWSB is worth it to get an idea of what Heaven Hill can do with a mature hand selected expression. If you don't really care for it you're not out much and if you really like it's not hard to find more. I would prefer higher proof yet in the 30ish price range you are getting 9-10 year Bourbon from a barrel hand picked by the distiller who made it.

[BourbonGator]

The double rye was okay in my eyes and i will likely not buy it again. It did make a pretty tasty old fashioned though.

[typoerror]

ewsb is definitely a worthy buy if for no other reason then value.

haven't had hw dr, can't comment on that but hw gets a lot of praise.

[Richnimrod]

The EWSB is generally a decent pour, and a fairly good value for a (+-) 10-year old Bourbon. They vary somewhat from barrel to barrel; but I understand the barrels selected are done so in an effort to showcase a certain style in that age range, and HH tries to keep 'em similar within a vintage, so from year to year they may be rather more different; but within a single vintage they try to keep 'em fairly similar. I've found that to be generally true. This year's offerings (I've opened two bottles) are a tad less to my liking than '04, and that one was a tad less so than '03, and the best of the recent ones IMO is '02. That said, I still like '05 pretty well, and may yet scoop another bottle.

The HWDR is not in my wheelhouse. I don't love straight ryes nearly as much as Straight Bourbons.

[Harry in WashDC]

I'll echo Rich's comments on the EWSB - I liked the 2002 best (several bottles all gone), the 2003 almost best (two down, one to go), the 2004 only a little less (one and one), and my single 2005 is unopened. It's all 86 proof, and like Squire I've gravitated to BIBs and higher. I will continue to buy at least one each year but only as a representative of the style (always slightly above average). While I like the HWDR, for the price, I can get other and more things I like better (SAOS, for example, is still relatively available around WashDC). I think there's a recent thread on the EWSBs that contains more thoughts and comments about them.

[pellidon]

The High West Double Rye! has a laid back taste to me probably because of the strong menthol vibe going on. Not a bad thing to me. It is different from Rittenhouse BIB for sure. Not bad, just a different taste.

I haven't tried the 2005 EW yet but the 2004 was good and I have not had any bad bottles of any flavor of EW to date. I have a $5 coupon from HH to use so I might pick a bottle up soon.

[Jazz Nut]

I have gone through about half a bottle of the EWSB 2005, it's an easy drinking bourbon that is a good value. I usually drink barrel proof or BIB's, so this is actually a nice pop and pour option that offers classic bourbon flavors of dark sugar/caramel/baking spices, if you can get it for under $25 get it. You won't regret it. It's a good representation of what Heaven Hill does.

[johnnyflake45]

I am really appreciating the input guys. It appears that both can be good stuff, but nothing special about either.

[Paddy]

....echoing most of the sentiments above.

+EWSB (love everything about it but the proof, as it's too damn easy to drink).

-HWDR

[typoerror]

elijah craig 12 i find is better. also, there are other bourbons in the $20-$30 range that i would buy before buying ewsb again. mostly for the adventure of variation and exploration. it's definitely cheap enough and good enough to give a try. not too many single barrels in that price range. nope, it's nothing special but it's much better then regular evan williams imo.

[fozzy71]

I concur with the prevailing sentiment expressed in this thread about EWSB being a worthwhile purchase. I haven't yet experienced any of High West's whiskeys.

Great, I grabbed a '04 EWSB tonight. HW is few and far between up here (not sure I have seen the Double Rye yet) and they are generally a fair bit more than the $32 I paid for my EWSB. I think this store had a few more so if I like it I will be headed back.

[flahute]

The Double Rye is a mix of 2 and 6yr old ryes. The 2yr is too prominent in the mix for me. I was not impressed with it. I'd get EWSB every day over DR. If you want to get a HW rye, get the Rendezvous - it's a mix of 6yr LDI and 16yr old Barton ryes. Much better.

[Josh]

I love EWSB. Double Rye is one of the worst whiskeys I've ever tasted.