Rye Whiskey

Some great rye's mentioned so far and I agree with all of the recommendations.

I also enjoy Jim Beam Rye on occasion as well.

DogHair said:

Ive found Templeton Rye to be very good if is available in your area. Sometimes it's hard to find so I'm not sure about their distribution.

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It is damn near impossible to find, and I live in Iowa, where it is made (It is only available in IA, IL, NY, And CA right now). They underestimated demand, and since it ages like 4-5 years, it will be years before they have adequate supply. I bought 3 bottles (all the store had) the last time I found it, and I haven't seen any in probably 6 months. It is, however, my favorite spirit, period.

Another that I've had good luck with for cocktails is Old Overholt, which is cheap pretty widely available, and If I'm not mistaken, is the standard for Sazeracs.

I have been drinking Sazerac 18 year old lately and really like it for the price I paid, 4 bottles for only $88.00 I think I got it for the price of the 6 year old.

yardpup01 said:

Templeton is distilled in Iowa and they produce very few bottles. Every store owner I've talked to says that their shipments of Templeton are usually sold out within 48 hours. In December they distributed 5,000 cases in Iowa and all were sold by the end of the week. It's only distributed in Iowa, Illinois, New York City, and San Fransisco. Definitely worth a try if you ever find it.

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Stopped in last night for some wine. No shortage in my neck of the woods.

This always goes well with Rye Whiskey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=braQeLkJUvE

I just bought a bottle of rye called RI. really wonderful.

I am Canadian and if there is one thing Canadian know its Rye Whiskey!

Alberta Premium is the only 100% Rye Whiskey. All of the otehr "Rye" whiskeys have other products (corn etc). To get the full Rye taste try the Alberta Premium.

That being said, tehre are a lot of great Canadian "Ryes". Some of my favorites:

Crown Royal
Golden Wedding
5 Star
Gibsons Finest

I like my rye with ginger-ale please...or sometimes with ginger-beer mmmm

Templeton shortages usually work themselves out in a few months. I think the distiller holds back on supply to create more demand.

Koval, a distillery from Chicago, makes a really good white rye whiskey.

Straight Rye Whiskey is the original American spirit. George Washington distilled Rye Whiskey at Mount Vernon, and it was popular in Colonial America. So many of the classic cocktails that we know and love today were originally made with rye; The Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Whiskey Sours and so many others. Unfortunately Straight Rye didn't survive the travesty that was prohibition very well. By the 1950's most Americans equated Rye with blended Canadian whiskies (Canadian Club, VO, Crown Royal etc), which in fact only contain a small portion of Rye whiskies in their malt bases, which are then blended with neutral gain spirits. Fortunately the past decade has seen a renaissance of straight rye whiskies. The best ryes tend to be high proof, 90-101 proof being idea strength. A few brands that are in wide spread distribution that you might want to try:

Rittenhouse Bonded (the 100 proof version)
Sazerac Rye (any of them)
Wild Turkey 101 (which you have had)
Bulleit Rye
Michter's Single Barrel 10 Year

Craig made some great recommendations. I have tried quite a few and Bulleit, Wild Turkey and Mitchner's a very good ryes. I have been unsuccessful on securing a bottle of the Rittenhouse B-I-B to sample...I have had orders in two liquor stores for 11 months and counting....no dice thus far. I am looking forward to sampling that also. Ahh.....so many whiskeys and so little time!! LOL It's a great time to be a whiskey fan!

Old Overholt is decent but a little one dimensional and a little too antiseptic. Better than a lot of whiskeys, but not as good as Wild Turkey Rye or Bulleit.

Of course, this is all personal preference. Others may like OO for exactly the reasons I don't.

aceinyerface said:

Old Overholt is decent but a little one dimensional

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I'd agree with this, but for the price, I can't argue. Around me I can commonly find Old Overholt and Rittenhouse (<$15 each), and after that everything is like $45+. Nothing in the nice $25-$35 range. The fifth of Mitcher's runs $100 at the county store. Yikes.

Templeton Rye, but only in Iowa.

Here in north Texas I can find only two ryes. Old Overholt and Wild Turkey. I went with Wild Turkey Rye. Very woody, I like it with ginger ale and a twist. A fine tipple.

Templeton Rye makes the day for me. Living in Iowa makes it easier to track down, but not always easy. It's claimed that it's what Al Capone drank when he wanted the "good stuff" If anyone cares here is their distribution schedule by cases for the rest of the year.

Where I am I can only find Jim Beam Rye.

Is it worth buying a 4/5 for $18?

Or perhaps someone knows where, in AL that they carry other Rye Whiskies.

Epicurean said:

Where I am I can only find Jim Beam Rye.

Is it worth buying a 4/5 for $18?

Or perhaps someone knows where, in AL that they carry other Rye Whiskies.

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What's a 4/5?

I've never had Beam Rye.

I did just see the county liquor store has Bulleit Rye on sale this month, not that I've ever seen it in the store. Either they just started carrying it or the store closest to me doesn't carry it. I'll find out either way this weekend.

Maybe I don't care for rye. I've had Templeton numerous times, and..while it's good, I don't think it's the end-all.be-all of spirits. I personally think it's over-hyped...and maybe that's why I don't really care for it. I'll not turn down a glass if it's offered, but I won't go out of my way to find it. I guess that just means more for the lovers of it!

Like anything, YMMV. Not trying to troll, just stating my opinion...

Sazerac...great all around Rye. Probably should avoid "Ri" a toney designer type Rye with a price tag to match. Rumor control says it simply isn't that great, especially for the price. Bottle looks good on yout bar though.

"4/5"...old school terminology for "a fifth". No longer used in the liquor packaging world. Bottles are now 750 ml. Same as a fifth, go figure.....