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Help me pick my first Rye whisky.


Wrangler
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Gonna try my first Rye whisky this coming weekend.  

I'm thinking I want to try the Bulliet Rye as I really enjoyed their regular Bourbon.

I'll set the price point at $40 which is about $35 for the rest of the world as I live in the People's Republic of Washington.

What says the Straight Bourbon brainy trust?

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Well, other than the Bulleit Rye that you mentioned, what else do you have to choose from?  It is very hard to recommend something without knowing that information.

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29 minutes ago, Wrangler said:

Gonna try my first Rye whisky this coming weekend.  

I'm thinking I want to try the Bulliet Rye as I really enjoyed their regular Bourbon.

I'll set the price point at $40 which is about $35 for the rest of the world as I live in the People's Republic of Washington.

What says the Straight Bourbon brainy trust?

Bulleit doesnt distil their rye, it comes from MGP. I dont say that detour you from trying it, but it will be nothing like their bourbon. 

I suggest going to the rye whiskey section of SB and reading the what rye are you drinking thread. If you read through that it will answer some of your questions. 

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I enjoy Sazerac, Rittenhouse, Jim Beam rye, Old Forester, Jack Daniel’s rye, Old Overholt, and High West Double Rye, to name a few. 

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1 hour ago, Radioyada said:

Well, other than the Bulleit Rye that you mentioned, what else do you have to choose from?  It is very hard to recommend something without knowing that information.

Pretty much everything you have in your area.  Not looking for a $100 bottle of Rye so it's most likely going to be something that is available most everywhere.

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I would advise you to take the forty bucks to a bar and get a handsome pour of Thomas H Handy. Otherwise you’re popping your rye cherry on cocktail fodder. 

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2 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

I would advise you to take the forty bucks to a bar and get a handsome pour of Thomas H Handy. Otherwise you’re popping your rye cherry on cocktail fodder. 

$40 dollars a pour?  Thanks but no thanks.

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2 hours ago, Marekv8 said:

I would advise you to take the forty bucks to a bar and get a handsome pour of Thomas H Handy. Otherwise you’re popping your rye cherry on cocktail fodder. 

What are you trying to do, spoil him forever? He'll never be able to enjoy a regular rye whiskey again

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Old Forester 100 proof rye would be my first recommendation.  I also love Wild Turkey 101 rye but only if you can find the 101 version, which is not everywhere.

 

Hands down the best rye under $50 for my money is Pikesville. That one might spoil you though.

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9 hours ago, Wrangler said:

Pretty much everything you have in your area.  Not looking for a $100 bottle of Rye so it's most likely going to be something that is available most everywhere.

Well...since the Bulleit rye is available I would suggest you try that.

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@Wrangler keep in mind that rye mash bills can vary significantly.  What I mean is, there are many rye whiskeys that are known as "barely legal" ryes, because they have only 51% of the mash bill made up of rye, and up to like 40% or more as corn, with the remainder (~10%) being malted barley.  Those are, generally, going to be a closer profile to your high-rye bourbons (e.g. Four Roses, the Bulleit bourbon you like), which makes sense given those already have ~30% rye in the mash bill.  On the other end of the spectrum, the Bulleit Rye and many other sourced ryes are what might be referred to as the "Indiana style", where the mash bill is 95% rye.  There are also some 100% rye products out there too, and of course there are many products that fall in the middle of that range; I believe the Old Forester rye that has been recommended is 65% rye, and there are many craft producers that make ryes somewhere in that middle range.  

 

So, what I'm getting at is you may want to do some research on the mash bill of what you see on the shelf at that price range.  Your palate is going to be different than mine, but I would recommend considering whether you want to "dip your toe in" -- by going with a barely legal rye first -- or take a "deep dive" and go with something that is closer to the Indiana style and will be (in my opinion and experience) a markedly different profile than bourbon.  For example, I did not really care for the Old Forester rye, though others have raved about it.  Personally (again, YMMV) the only really high-rye ryes I've really enjoyed have been outside of your stated price goal, and I find the barely legal ryes to be more suited to my bourbon-attuned palate.  If you're going to go barely legal, I would recommend Sazerac 6 year (if you can find it), Rittenhouse, Pikesville, or Wild Turkey 101.  Good luck!

Edited by BigSkyDrams
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^^^ What he said.  Also, find a bar that has a a good whiskey selection and try several pours of different brands/styles of rye.  You don't have to go for a $40 pour of Thomas Handy like someone recommended but someday you should.  It's worth trying at least once...

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Keep in mind that the ryes out there can exhibit wildly different styles - for example, there's Kentucky style, where the rye in the mashbill is barely over 50%, and the now-common MGP formulation where the rye is 90% or more.    Also,  rye tends to mature more quickly than bourbon,  so there are some good craft ryes that are barely straights but are still delicious.  

 

If you're a bourbon fan new to rye,  I'd recommend Knob Creek rye - that stuff's drinkable as all get-out.   If the thought of drinking  liquid pumpernickel bread appeals,  try Dad's Hat (but stick to their straight rye which is properly aged in 53-gallon barrels. )

 

I

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Here's several to start, all in the $20 - $25 range.

MGP in Indiana supplies many brands.  "Distilled in Indiana" on the label means they made it.  Both Dickel and Bulleit offer a 90 proof rye sourced from MGP.  It's a toss up.  You could get either one.

Old Forester Rye has many fans, including me.  

Jim Beam makes rye that they put into several brands in different variations of proof or age (including KC Rye).  I happen to like the Old Overholt Bottled In Bond Rye.  It's not chill filtered.  That's a plus for flavor and texture.

Rittenhouse Bond is also well worth your attention.

 

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4 hours ago, Wrangler said:

Went with Old Overholt.

Bottled in Bond?  That would be a solid choice and a good place to begin your rye journey...

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1 hour ago, fosmith said:

Bottled in Bond?  That would be a solid choice and a good place to begin your rye journey...

No, just run of the mill stuff.

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1 hour ago, Wrangler said:

No, just run of the mill stuff.

The bonded is worth the $5 or so markup from the 80 proof.

 

Now that you've tasted "a rye", there are some pretty good threads from circa 2016 when Paddy and a few others walked me through my early rye experiences.  If you have some time, see if you can find some.  To help you, here are some hints they gave me -

 

Do a side-by-side with MGP 90% rye (uh, Bulleitt Rye and LOTS of other NDPs) and a "barely rye" (someplace around 51-55% rye) like the HH offerings (Rittenhouse 100, Pikesville, etc.) and most other major House ryes.   Two to try on their own are OF Rye 100 and WT Rye 101.

 

Watch out for the mint bomb - it can taint a palate for days.  I won't tell you which ones have it; you'll find out.  HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

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16 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

The bonded is worth the $5 or so markup from the 80 proof.

 

Now that you've tasted "a rye", there are some pretty good threads from circa 2016 when Paddy and a few others walked me through my early rye experiences.  If you have some time, see if you can find some.  To help you, here are some hints they gave me -

 

Do a side-by-side with MGP 90% rye (uh, Bulleitt Rye and LOTS of other NDPs) and a "barely rye" (someplace around 51-55% rye) like the HH offerings (Rittenhouse 100, Pikesville, etc.) and most other major House ryes.   Two to try on their own are OF Rye 100 and WT Rye 101.

 

Watch out for the mint bomb - it can taint a palate for days.  I won't tell you which ones have it; you'll find out.  HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Lol! Full steam ahead and dam the torpedoes!

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Ok, I really like the OH!!  So what this tells me is that I can add Rye whisky to my list of whiskies to buy. 

I saw a bottle of Old Templeton on the shelf at Winco today but I didn't buy it for the silliest reason, someone had stuck a big barcode sticker on the side of it.  It was nearly as big as the whisky label itself!  It was the only one so I passed on it.  I know, I know, I'm being a bratty booze hound!

So, next stop?

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