Purchased any new rye lately? (Fall 2017)

[BottledInBond]

1 hour ago, HoustonNit said:

 

Sorry what's BH SoM? Also I think your description of WP Rye store picks is spot on.

 

whistlepig Boss Hog Son of Mortimer

[Paddy]

Scored a couple of baby Saz's for the bunker.  'Tis the season...

[IncredulousNosco]

1 hour ago, BottledInBond said:

whistlepig Boss Hog Son of Mortimer

Right but wrong. WP Boss Hog, "The Spirit of Mortimer." It was the second BH release and the last non-barrel finished release  outside of perhaps bourbon barrels, which is common for WP's Alberta rye. At $160ish, it was before the price went crazy with "The Independent" (ADL w/ Islay barrel fin) and batshit with "The Black Prince" (MGP w/ Armagnac fin).

 

SoM was effectively a "traditional" style WP Alberta rye, but 13yo and CS. Which is, I suppose, why it reminds me so much of the store picks. 

[BottledInBond]

2 hours ago, IncredulousNosco said:

Right but wrong. WP Boss Hog, "The Spirit of Mortimer." It was the second BH release and the last non-barrel finished release  outside of perhaps bourbon barrels, which is common for WP's Alberta rye. At $160ish, it was before the price went crazy with "The Independent" (ADL w/ Islay barrel fin) and batshit with "The Black Prince" (MGP w/ Armagnac fin).

 

SoM was effectively a "traditional" style WP Alberta rye, but 13yo and CS. Which is, I suppose, why it reminds me so much of the store picks. 

Ah yes, always getting my spirits and sons mixed up. I'm admittedly not a WP fanboy either so my attention to it may not be great

[IncredulousNosco]

"Spirit" because the pig died. Yes, the OG whistle "pig" is dead! Not sure if he had sons though. 

[$helby]

I found this lone bottle on the top shelf in the bourbon section of a Chesapeake VA VABC store a couple of Saturday's ago.   Priced at $80 so I quickly grabbed it.    I've never before seen one in the wild, must less for MSRP. Not sure how it got there but my guess is either a misship or a VABC lottery winner failed to pick it up.  Either way , it will be the highlight of our next family get together.    

[flahute]

3 hours ago, $helby said:

I found this lone bottle on the top shelf in the bourbon section of a Chesapeake VA VABC store a couple of Saturday's ago.   Priced at $80 so I quickly grabbed it.    I've never before seen one in the wild, must less for MSRP. Not sure how it got there but my guess is either a misship or a VABC lottery winner failed to pick it up.  Either way , it will be the highlight of our next family get together.    

Nice! Love those little surprises.

[Sour Mash Esq.]

I came across Willet rye, which I think they actually distilled.  I liked it.  One session so I can’t really give much more of a review than that, but I’m looking forward to drinking it again.

[Ace1943]

I purchased a bottle of Bare Knuckle American Rye Whiskey today and will give it a shot, both figuratively and literally, tonight. It is distilled from 100% rye and is aged only a year and a half. It should give James E. Pepper Barrel Proof a run for its "spice" money. We'' see.

Edited November 22, 2017 by Ace1943
Habitual Stupidity

[firerat]

Redemption Rye.

Makes a nice old fashioned. Ok neat if you like rye spiciness. Judging by the flavor profile, I'd imagine this will make a nice Manhattan as well.

[Guss West]

Pikesville, Rittenhouse, WT101Rye all came home to my bunker today. 

Reckon I got enough (15-20) for a Rye shootout now. 

[IncredulousNosco]

Pennsylvania sucks. Well, not all of it, the mountain biking is spectacular. But if you're a whisk(e)y drinker your choices for stores are limited to the over-priced and under-stocked state stores. I was in Pittsburgh for the week and went to what I think is the largest liquor store in the state. It was an okay store. Not a great selection, but an okay selection. A Specs or a Total Wine would hold 4 of them. However there has began a small crack in the states liquor store monopoly! https://pennsylvanialibations.com/  has landed in a law loophole that allows them to operate as a liquor store for 15 of the states "craft" distilleries. 

 

Now I'm no big fan of craft whiskey. I think it's generally over-priced and under-aged. Usually I'd rather buy 100 sourced whiskies than one horror show of a craft. Yes, there are some bright spots, and I do love that the craft end of things pushes the boundaries and experiments with things. For example, Balcones Brimstone is amazing. And Corsair is doing some cool things with their ryes and malts. (Come to think of it, I don't think I've had an American Malt that I hate.) But the cool thing about Pennsylvania Libations is that they pour samples for you. They pour and pour and pour. For free. You really get to try as much as you want, and not buy a terrible whiskey un-tasted. And man, did I ever try some terrible whiskey! 

 

But Thistle Finch Straight Rye wasn't one of them. It was actually quite good, and I even picked up a bottle:

 

 

 

In the store during my tasting I noticed that no only was this the tallest midget, but it was actual a unique tasting and very good rye. The mash bill is 60% rye, with the balance being mostly wheat--yes, a "wheater" rye--with a little malted barley in the mix, and no corn. I then went next door and had a pour of this rye at bar. Still it was very good. It was the most rye bread tasting whiskey I've ever had. Maybe it's the wheat working with the rye, but I'll be damned if it's not just like sticking your head in a bag of pumpernickel. Black pepper is the other big note, along with some more traditional grassy and clove rye notes. Very little vanilla and oak notes are evident as it's only 2.5 years, but there was almost none of the acetone, bubblegum and glue you generally get on young rye. 

 

So I bought the bottle and got it back to my room. YUCK! Straight out of the new bottle this tested like every under-aged craft rye I've ever had. Nothing but acetone, bubblegum and glue. Nothing like my pour in the store or the bar. I even poured a glass and let sit for up to 2 hours with no noticeable change. I then called the store to ask what batch they were pouring. Yep, batch # 2, just like my bottle. 

 

So I electrical taped up the cork like I always do when I put a bottle in my checked bags, and I flew back home at the end of the week. Maybe it was the 3 days with some air in the bottle, maybe it was the 30K feet in the sky...but when I got this bottle home, it was the whiskey I remembered form the store! Great success.

 

So if you happen to come across this I recommend picking it up for a unique rye experience.  It was $49.99 and 45% abv. But don't be disappointed straight out of the bottle. Decant half of it into another bottle and wait a few days. If that doesn't work, fly it around the country before really getting into it!

 

 

Edited November 22, 2017 by IncredulousNosco
for a better photo

[Bourserker]

Got a bottle of Russell's Reserve Single Barrel rye.  Been scoping this one out for a while.  Have only seen it at this one place I go to when I travel.  Left it on the shelf last time I was here, and now the bottles have a little dust on them...so I guess it's a dusty too 

[kevinbrink]

10 hours ago, IncredulousNosco said:

Pennsylvania sucks. Well, not all of it, the mountain biking is spectacular. But if you're a whisk(e)y drinker your choices for stores are limited to the over-priced and under-stocked state stores. I was in Pittsburgh for the week and went to what I think is the largest liquor store in the state. It was an okay store. Not a great selection, but an okay selection. A Specs or a Total Wine would hold 4 of them. However there has began a small crack in the states liquor store monopoly! https://pennsylvanialibations.com/  has landed in a law loophole that allows them to operate as a liquor store for 15 of the states "craft" distilleries. 

 

Now I'm no big fan of craft whiskey. I think it's generally over-priced and under-aged. Usually I'd rather buy 100 sourced whiskies than one horror show of a craft. Yes, there are some bright spots, and I do love that the craft end of things pushes the boundaries and experiments with things. For example, Balcones Brimstone is amazing. And Corsair is doing some cool things with their ryes and malts. (Come to think of it, I don't think I've had an American Malt that I hate.) But the cool thing about Pennsylvania Libations is that they pour samples for you. They pour and pour and pour. For free. You really get to try as much as you want, and not buy a terrible whiskey un-tasted. And man, did I ever try some terrible whiskey! 

 

But Thistle Finch Straight Rye wasn't one of them. It was actually quite good, and I even picked up a bottle:

 

 

 

In the store during my tasting I noticed that no only was this the tallest midget, but it was actual a unique tasting and very good rye. The mash bill is 60% rye, with the balance being mostly wheat--yes, a "wheater" rye--with a little malted barley in the mix, and no corn. I then went next door and had a pour of this rye at bar. Still it was very good. It was the most rye bread tasting whiskey I've ever had. Maybe it's the wheat working with the rye, but I'll be damned if it's not just like sticking your head in a bag of pumpernickel. Black pepper is the other big note, along with some more traditional grassy and clove rye notes. Very little vanilla and oak notes are evident as it's only 2.5 years, but there was almost none of the acetone, bubblegum and glue you generally get on young rye. 

 

So I bought the bottle and got it back to my room. YUCK! Straight out of the new bottle this tested like every under-aged craft rye I've ever had. Nothing but acetone, bubblegum and glue. Nothing like my pour in the store or the bar. I even poured a glass and let sit for up to 2 hours with no noticeable change. I then called the store to ask what batch they were pouring. Yep, batch # 2, just like my bottle. 

 

So I electrical taped up the cork like I always do when I put a bottle in my checked bags, and I flew back home at the end of the week. Maybe it was the 3 days with some air in the bottle, maybe it was the 30K feet in the sky...but when I got this bottle home, it was the whiskey I remembered form the store! Great success.

 

So if you happen to come across this I recommend picking it up for a unique rye experience.  It was $49.99 and 45% abv. But don't be disappointed straight out of the bottle. Decant half of it into another bottle and wait a few days. If that doesn't work, fly it around the country before really getting into it!

 

 

Could also be the result of something else you ate that screwed with your palette, I have noticed that if I eat Chinese take out many whiskies I otherwise like pick up such desirable flavor components as chewed asprin, nail polish remover and moth balls!

Edited November 23, 2017 by kevinbrink

[IncredulousNosco]

44 minutes ago, kevinbrink said:

Could also be the result of something else you ate that screwed with your palette, I have noticed that if I eat Chinese take out many whiskies I otherwise like pick up such desirable flavor components as chewed asprin, nail polish remover and moth balls!

Yeah, the same happens to me, especially with Indian food! But alas in this case I went straight from the liquor store tasting to the hotel tasting. I think it's just a case of opening up with oxidation. Interestingly this is my experience with wheat heavy bourbon as well. 

Edited November 23, 2017 by IncredulousNosco
To change stuff

[EarthQuake]

TWCP has a store pick Bib & Tucker, 10 years at 133 proof. I find this interesting for a couple of reasons:

• I've never seen an MGP sourced Bourbon with a proof this high, usually SAOS, Redemption, et all MGP bourbons are in the 100-110 range
• The mash bill is 70/26/4 corn/rye/barley - MGP doesn't make a Bourbon with this mash bill as far as I am aware. 70/26/4 looks to be the mash bill for the standard 6 year as well.

I'm curious to know if anyone has any more info on this as I haven't been able to track any down. Not $110 a bottle curious (what TWCP is charging), unless there is something exceptional about the source.

 

Barrell has released a number of 70/25/5 Bourbons, I wonder if this is the same? Those are reportedly from Dickel, and at least some of the batches have been ~130 proof. Looks like Barrell's site says 70/25/5 but various other sites state 70/26/4, so this seems pretty likely.

 

Dickel's standard mash seems to be 84/8/8 though. I had a bottle of Barrell 008B which I thought tasted exactly like high proof Dickel. Color me confused.

Edited November 23, 2017 by EarthQuake

[bourbon4all]

9 hours ago, EarthQuake said:

TWCP has a store pick Bib & Tucker, 10 years at 133 proof. I find this interesting for a couple of reasons:

• I've never seen an MGP sourced Bourbon with a proof this high, usually SAOS, Redemption, et all MGP bourbons are in the 100-110 range
• The mash bill is 70/26/4 corn/rye/barley - MGP doesn't make a Bourbon with this mash bill as far as I am aware. 70/26/4 looks to be the mash bill for the standard 6 year as well.

I'm curious to know if anyone has any more info on this as I haven't been able to track any down. Not $110 a bottle curious (what TWCP is charging), unless there is something exceptional about the source.

 

Barrell has released a number of 70/25/5 Bourbons, I wonder if this is the same? Those are reportedly from Dickel, and at least some of the batches have been ~130 proof. Looks like Barrell's site says 70/25/5 but various other sites state 70/26/4, so this seems pretty likely.

 

Dickel's standard mash seems to be 84/8/8 though. I had a bottle of Barrell 008B which I thought tasted exactly like high proof Dickel. Color me confused.

I believe it is Barton or dickel not mgp

[bourbon4all]

I received a bib as a gift and thought it was terrible which if it is dickel is surprising as I have always liked dickel

[EarthQuake]

Oh whoops I just realized I posted in the Rye thread, not sure how that happened.

[jeffrey r]

Picked up a couple more bottles of Michter's Barrel Strength rye.  I don't know what it is about this stuff, but I really like it.  Perhaps the contrast to all of the MGP rye I have (which I am also very fond of), and down-home Kentucky goodness (I can live without knowing exactly where it came from...).  I own more complex ryes, but there is not much else that I enjoy more than the Michter's.

[Sour Mash Esq.]

On 11/20/2017 at 6:59 PM, Sour Mash Esq. said:

I came across Willet rye, which I think they actually distilled.  I liked it.  One session so I can’t really give much more of a review than that, but I’m looking forward to drinking it again.

So second run at it yesterday afternoon, and I did not enjoy it.  Could be a palette issue, but it seemed to have a strong medicinal mint flavor, almost menthol.

[Ace1943]

I picked up a bottle of Old Potrero Rye today and will try it tonight. I tried it some months ago when I was a bourbon sipper, and I thought it just tasted strange. Now that I am sipping Rye, and have experimented with many various "crafty" Ryes, I'm guessing that I will like it just fine.

[Ace1943]

I found a bottle of Robber Baron Rye today and couldn't resist. I also purchased a bottle of the James E. Pepper Rye at 100 proof.

[Cigars&Bourbon]

First post. Thanks for having me... My first 2 HW purchases and a not so rye guy in the center.

 

[kevinbrink]

46 minutes ago, Cigars&Bourbon said:

First post. Thanks for having me... My first 2 HW purchases and a not so rye guy in the center.

 

Well for a bourbon he is High Rye so there is that at least, welcome aboard!