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Which Rye Whiskeys for Sweet Bourbon Lovers?


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Hey all!

 

I also posted this in the rye whiskey section, but don't know how much traffic that gets...

 

I'm completely new to rye whiskey, but want to give them a try. I just need a little direction and help from all you SB geniuses.

 

I prefer wheat bourbons (or bourbons on the sweeter side); my current favorite bourbons are as follows (in order):

 

- Larceny

- Weller 12

- Old Forester 1920

- Eagle Rare 10

 

I like any bourbon that has a lot of sweet notes on the palate, with a medium to long finish. A nice bit of heat is usually welcome.

 

If you need any more info to help me decide some rye whiskeys to try, let me know.

 

I'm excited to hear all of the suggestions!

 

Cheers!

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Stay away from Whistle Pig 10. It tastes like an old moldy basement. I actually like High West Double Rye.  It has more character and burn than the way more expensive Rendezvous Rye.

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Funny...I was going to say Whistle Pig 12 yr. I also like the 10 year. Drink a glass of this first. Then have a Woodford Double Oak on a rock. You will really be able to taste the cherry flavor.


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Give Rock Hill Farms a go if you can find it. I get this kinda candied cherry flavor with it. Certainly a favorite. 

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13 hours ago, Mako254 said:

Give Rock Hill Farms a go if you can find it. I get this kinda candied cherry flavor with it. Certainly a favorite. 

RHF isn't a rye though.

 

I like the AE rye... awesome sweetness to it.  a bit on the pricey side though.  I also like HW Double Rye as somone else had suggested.

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22 minutes ago, DonutsNBourbon said:

RHF isn't a rye though.

 

I like the AE rye... awesome sweetness to it.  a bit on the pricey side though.  I also like HW Double Rye as somone else had suggested.

 

My mistake. Saw the post after my 3rd pour of 1920. Thought it said rye forward. Sorry fellas. 

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5 minutes ago, Mako254 said:

 

My mistake. Saw the post after my 3rd pour of 1920. Thought it said rye forward. Sorry fellas. 

No worries, my friend! That 1920 is gooooood stuff! I had 2 pours myself last night... It might be creeping up my list of favorites.

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I've dropped plenty more than I should have on bourbon in the last month so if I want to keep my marriage, I should probably wait before buying any of these (even though I want to try them so bad).

 

I'll keep everyone posted as to which I buy and how I like it.

 

Keep the suggestions coming by the way!

 

Cheers!

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I was recently in Memphis at a bar for dinner and a pour or 2 of Bourbon. I ordered a pour of ER10 and the bartender asked if I ever had a straight rye bourbon. I have not was my reply, so she offered me a nice size sample of whistle Pig 10. She commented that this was the only bourbon she liked. I found it to be very smooth, little burn and a taste of honey. I have always stayed away due to price from the whistle Pig line up. If I ever see it on sale I will pounce. 

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2 minutes ago, Bourbon Fanatic said:

Keep  the suggestions coming by the way!

 

Cheers!

Sazerac. It was just delivered to my ABC (along with BT). For $30 I’m going to give it a try. There isn’t any Pikesville in Va which seems to be the crowd favorite here.

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Ditto the Sazerac (a/k/a "Baby Saz").  If I recall correctly, its mashbill just barely meets the minimum required for rye, i.e. 51%.  So, with the high corn content, its very nearly a bourbon, and retains a lot of the sweetness from the corn. Most places I see it is in the $35 range, but some less scrupulous retailers I've seen charge as much as $50 (which I will not pay for it).  I've also enjoyed the High West Double Rye and Willett Family Estate rye. 

 

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Both Baby Saz and Rittenhouse are very solid choices at a nice price point.

 

AE has a very distinct maple syrup smell to me that I found very enjoyable.  

 

Just tried my first bottle of Pikesville.  It is ok, not sure I would seek it out again.  Definitely spicier than the Saz and Rittenhouse.

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1 hour ago, Mako254 said:

 

My mistake. Saw the post after my 3rd pour of 1920. Thought it said rye forward. Sorry fellas. 

haha no worries, RHF is a great pour too though.  tough to find, but if you can get it, it's definitely a good one to try.

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On 10/17/2017 at 12:09 AM, FasterHorses said:

Stay away from Whistle Pig 10. It tastes like an old moldy basement. 

No.

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Colonel EH Taylor Rye

Whistlepig 10

Pikesville

 

Also, for 30 bucks see if you enjoy Crown Royal's Northern Harvest. It seems to have become fashionable to crap on it this year, but I still think it tastes really good and can't really be touched in the value department.

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I'll chime in to say that to me at least, WhistlePig 10 is very good. The store pick barrel proof bottles are even better. The standard 10/100 proof is a bit overpriced at the $80 or so that some stores charge for it, but in the $55-60 range (you can generally find it for this much if you shop around online), it's a great buy.

 

 

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Colonel EH Taylor Rye
Whistlepig 10
Pikesville
 
Also, for 30 bucks see if you enjoy Crown Royal's Northern Harvest. It seems to have become fashionable to crap on it this year, but I still think it tastes really good and can't really be touched in the value department.

I agree with you on the CRNHR, and I'd add Dickel Rye as another value buy.


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Hochstadter's Vatted Straight Rye, High West Double Rye, KC Rye, Rittenhouse, and WT101 or RR 6yr (if you cant find the WT101) are where I would start. From there if you like what you taste drop the coin on the higher end stuff like High West, RR SB Rye, Pikesville, Whistlepig, etc... 

Edited by kevinbrink
I guess I should have listed Baby Saz too
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Question for the group; with all this talk of rye, who fell victim to the power of suggestion, the herd mentality, the desire to post a picture of a new pretty bottle on SB.com went out and bought a bottle of rye?  (He slowly raises his hand) :D

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17 hours ago, The Black Tot said:

 

Also, for 30 bucks see if you enjoy Crown Royal's Northern Harvest. It seems to have become fashionable to crap on it this year, but I still think it tastes really good and can't really be touched in the value department.

I'll second this. CRNR has become a whipping boy since Jim Murray's proclamation 2 years ago, but I enjoy it for a very sweet rye.

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FWIW, I never (well, hardly ever) drank rye neat until really recently (like, the last year or so).  Back then (say, 1980-2015), I used it in Manhattans (and almost never used bourbons) but hadn't developed a taste for it by itself.  Some months ago, Paddy and some others on some thread got talking about the different ryes.  I counted about a dozen brands in my house, all open, and all used depending on mood only in cocktails.  Hence, I used that discussion as a starting point to drink ryes neat exclusively for several weeks.  I now have a few more open, and they don't hang around like they used to.

 

MY POINT - It is a learning process and a lot more fun than calculus.  Start with the CRNH.  If you can find a CR Hand Selected Single Barrel and the price is not outrageous (although I think it is out of production), it is not bad.  Pikesville 90 proof and 110 proof are "barely" rye (less than 55% IIRC) as is Rittenhouse.  I, too, would put  WP 10 toward the sweet end, but the other WP expressions are not.  WT 101 Rye (a liter of which I bought today) could follow those.  At some point, the MGP ryes sold by NDPs should be tried.  I'd likely stick with Bulliett Rye.  It is the best, I think, of a group of really similar MGP-sourced ryes and better priced than most of them.  WATCH OUT for the mint, though. 

Edited by Harry in WashDC
change CRNR to CRNH. Have no idear what CRNR is.
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FWIW, I never (well, hardly ever) drank rye neat until really recently (like, the last year or so).  Back then (say, 1980-2015), I used it in Manhattans (and almost never used bourbons) but hadn't developed a taste for it by itself.  Some months ago, Paddy and some others on some thread got talking about the different ryes.  I counted about a dozen brands in my house, all open, and all used depending on mood only in cocktails.  Hence, I used that discussion as a starting point to drink ryes neat exclusively for several weeks.  I now have a few more open, and they don't hang around like they used to.
 
MY POINT - It is a learning process and a lot more fun than calculus.  Start with the CRNH.  If you can find a CR Hand Selected Single Barrel and the price is not outrageous (although I think it is out of production), it is not bad.  Pikesville 90 proof and 110 proof are "barely" rye (less than 55% IIRC) as is Rittenhouse.  I, too, would put  WP 10 toward the sweet end, but the other WP expressions are not.  WT 101 Rye (a liter of which I bought today) could follow those.  At some point, the MGP ryes sold by NDPs should be tried.  I'd likely stick with Bulliett Rye.  It is the best, I think, of a group of really similar MGP-sourced ryes and better priced than most of them.  WATCH OUT for the mint, though. 

Harry, I think the Dickel Rye is a better value than Bulliet, and I believe it's the same MGP sourced rye with the added Lincoln County charcoal filtration...it's good stuff.


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7 hours ago, DCFan said:

Question for the group; with all this talk of rye, who fell victim to the power of suggestion, the herd mentality, the desire to post a picture of a new pretty bottle on SB.com went out and bought a bottle of rye?  (He slowly raises his hand) :D

Don't feel bad, my hand was raised long ago and now I've got over 20 (various labels) open!  :lol:

Edited by Paddy
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3 hours ago, Paddy said:

Don't feel bad, my hand was raised long ago and now I've got over 20 (various labels) open!  :lol:

Funny you should mention a number.  My first run-through of the post above had "about 20" instead of "a few more" open.  THEN, I thought that was too many.  THEN, I saw your post and went a-counting.  "20" seems to be a good, round, open number.

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