Best Rye Whiskey

wagstaff said:

I did say "IIRC" on the Whistle Pig, so... I was mistaken. They source from a factory distillery in Canada, not a factory distillery in Indiana.

Don't get me wrong, I think Whistle Pig might be the best rye I've had. I like Templeton and High West, too (from LDI in Indiana). I've seen independent bottlers for Scotch do magical things, too, so "source" isn't everything. It's just a lot ;-)

An article worth reading: "Your Craft Whiskey Is Probably From A Factory Distillery In Indiana": http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...stillery-in-indiana.html?utm_source=hootsuite

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The article is a good read. i read it a while back, but re-read it again. It can leave you with a sour taste for some makers though. I know that many people could care less, because if they like it, they will buy it. I like the idea of transparency as to who the distiller is and whether or not the bottler is blending or otherwise. I'm not saying that it should be marked on the bottle, although the distiller should (IMO). I do think that true artisans should be able to stake claim on that and that others should not be able to make the same claim.

Side Story: I live in a coffee producing area and we fight the same battle, where some call their coffee "Kona" coffee, but is only a very small percentage (10%) of "Kona", whereas others are 100% Kona Coffee. The problem being that consumers are *sometimes* being blatantly misled into believing that they are receiving one product, but are actually receiving another.

I think that at the end of the day we will ultimately purchase what we like, but I would like to have peace of mind in knowing what I am supporting with my money. Case in point: I knew when I purchased WhistlePig that it came from Canada under a Vermont label. I also knew at the time that they are in the process of trying to get to a level to produce everything in house. This gave me peace of mind to purchase WhistlePig knowing in advance what the entire story around the product was.

I still want to try the Bulleits and Templetons, and if someone offered me a bottle of George Dickel, I would not hesitate to accept, knowing full well what I am receiving. The article does one thing for me, which is to bring to the front of my radar those who are making their product in house, so that given the choice I will purchase the Leopolds, Catoctins , and Manhattans.

Thank you for bringing this to the attention of fellow B&B'ers here who may not ever have known otherwise. Now we can all proceed with clear consciences.

Sorry for the "rant" and "soap-boxing", but it is a good point to be made. Enjoy your drinks friends.

I'm nursing along a bottle of rye from "Few" in Evanston, IL. For everyday drinking, it's Rittenhouse BiB.

Just made the round trip today. Picked up a bottle of Masterson's Straight Rye 10yr old (Batch 5 Bottle 23691). I believe that WhistlePig & Masterson's uses the same Canadian Distiller (Alberta Distillers), albeit with a different recipe. I also picked up a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch. The store should be getting in the selected Barrel Bottled from both Four Roses and Knob Creek in about a month or so as the lady at the store has just finished the selection process. I'm looking forward to getting a taste of those two and also joining my first whiskey tasting event this October up at the Kamuela Liquor Store!

I'll post my impressions of Masterson's here soon. I'll leave the Four Roses for a different thread.

PS. I'd love to hear a little more in depth reviews of various recommendations that have been made by our members here. I think that it would be great to have a compendium for our readers to gain a some first hand perspectives on items that they themselves might be interested in.

I got a bottle of Sazerac Rye a couple weeks ago and was very impressed. I agree with atison stay clear of the big name guys they just don't taste right tome. although I just read a review in whiskey review that George Dickel was producing a fantastic Rye. My liquor store doesn't carry it but when I find some ill give it a go.

I enjoy rye and have tried many of the ones already mentioned. Recently my uncle was in town from NJ and brought with him a bottle of Hudson Manhattan Rye. This stuff was amazing. I did a little more research on it and found that it is the first rye made in NY since prohibition. It is distilled in very small batches from locally sourced grain, and bottled by hand at the site of a historic gristmill in upstate NY. I believe it is 4 years old but am not 100% sure on that. I'm sure it is hard to find outside of the NY area, and it was rather expensive at $45 for a 375 ml bottle.

If you are looking for a cute, but entirely made up story about Al Capone, or grandpa's long lost secret recipe, you won't find it here. What you will find is a high quality, small batch rye that in my opinion is worth seeking out.

Icecold Dan said:

It is distilled in very small batches from locally sourced grain.

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Meaning they bought it locally ... because I grew up in NY and I can tell you there's not a whole lot of fields of waving grain anywhere near there.

@Icecold Dan. I keep eyeing out the Manhattan every time that I'm at the store, but the price tag is real steep for a bottle. i think that I'll splurge the next time I'm up there and get a bottle, but for the price tag it'll need to knock my socks off.

Review Time:

Masterson's Straight Rye 10yr old (Batch 5 / Bottle 23691)

On the nose: Vanilla dark browned Toffee, Crispness ?, Heavy Rye grain, Alcohol
On the palate: Crisp like mint but different, lighter toffee, spice, heavy dark rye, dry red chili flake, very subtle licorice
Swallow & Finish: Smooth, Spicy, very light sweetness similar to simple syrup, oak, dryness, and bitters

Overall impression. I felt that this one was a bit heavy served neat, but again it is "summer", so that could be influencing my opinion on that. I drank it with a single small ice cube as well, which I felt allowed it to bloom a bit and showed a bit more subtleness. At this point I would prefer the WhistlePig to the Masterson's. I am sure that Masterson's will open up a bit more as I get into the bottle, but at this point I feel that it is a little thin on character albeit bold. Good for a cold night, a person whom enjoys extra spicy and punchy ryes.

It has those crisp and subtle notes that give an air of mystery to the nose and a bit less so to the palate, but then they get crushed by the spice and heavy rye notes. I would really like for the spice to be tamed ever so slightly to allow for those delicate flavors to flutter about instead of being trampled.

LBussy said:

Meaning they bought it locally ... because I grew up in NY and I can tell you there's not a whole lot of fields of waving grain anywhere near there.

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This is what they have to say about it...

http://www.tuthilltown.com/about

Looking at Google Earth, they are certainly surrounded by fields, but it's hard to say what's in them.

I'll be damned ... that is the area I'm familiar with (I grew up on LI but spent a lot of time very near there) and never saw anything but dairy farms around there. The apple orchards for sure, the maple syrup without a doubt, but never any grain other than cow corn. I suppose the crops may have changed since I left way back in 19-dickity-2.

Funny how it always seems like "yesterday."

I was a Templeton drinker until a friend recommended "Bonesnapper" to me:

http://www.bonesnapperrye.com/

Beautiful stuff, always neat for me...that's my "go to" rye now...

I love this place. Y'all are all enablers. As soon as the wife figures out THIS is the place that gives me all the ideas there will be hell to pay I tell you.

Tempelton, wherever it's made, is good stuff. Catoctin Creek is very smooth, but probably hard to find too far from Virginia (where it's actually made). I'm currently (as in this very moment) drinking Filibuster, which is a little spicier than Templeton and Catoctin Creek.... Tastes good, goes down smooth, a little burn, and very nice lingering taste.

Had a sample of Bone Snapper Rye whiskey over the weekend. Tasted pretty good. However, I believe it is one of the 95% rye mash from Lawrenceburg IN. So depending on the price point, it may not really be that different from other offerings.

BaldyCoot said:

Tempelton, wherever it's made, is good stuff. Catoctin Creek is very smooth, but probably hard to find too far from Virginia (where it's actually made). I'm currently (as in this very moment) drinking Filibuster, which is a little spicier than Templeton and Catoctin Creek.... Tastes good, goes down smooth, a little burn, and very nice lingering taste.

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I live 20 minutes from the Catoctin Creek distillery. I think it will be my next bottle after finishing Templeton.

Matt S said:

I live 20 minutes from the Catoctin Creek distillery. I think it will be my next bottle after finishing Templeton.

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check out this WaPo article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifes...b9081a-32dc-11e4-8f02-03c644b2d7d0_story.html

also, regarding Filibuster, I did some checking and it starts out as the same Indiana rye as 90% of the other ryes -- they put it back in different barrels for a while before they sell it. Not really the small distillery experience....

Over the weekend I had High West Rendezvous Rye. It is a blend of 16 year old and 6 year old rye. The older portion is 95% rye. This stuff tastes like rye bread. It's great stuff although definitely on the expensive side of rye whiskey.

I don't like any rye whisky that has strong dill notes. If I want dill I'll go eat a pickle, but I don't want it in my whisky. That knocks a lot of rye out of contention.

My favorite rye is Whistlepig. It's excellent neat and also in a Manhattan.

--Jerome

Whistle Pig, Thomas Handy and Willet are my favorites right now. Also enjoy Jeffersons for a little lower price point.

reverseapachemaster said:

Over the weekend I had High West Rendezvous Rye. It is a blend of 16 year old and 6 year old rye. The older portion is 95% rye. This stuff tastes like rye bread. It's great stuff although definitely on the expensive side of rye whiskey.

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I had a bottle of HW Rendezvous Rye last winter. My favorite rye so far, but it isn't widely available ... in Utah and online from what I can tell. Spicy, makes a great Old Fashion, but also good for sipping straight.

http://whiskyadvocate.com/ratings-reviews/?brand_id=163&rating=0&price=0&category_id=5&issue_id=0&reviewer=0

Anybody ever try Jeffersons? I had a bottle a long time ago when I was first exploring ryes. I remember liking it, but I'm not sure what my opinion would be now, having tried many others.

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Yup, and it is probably my favorite rye I've tried. It's one to drink like a single malt scotch. I will drink 2 bottles of Bullit to 1 of Jefferson's, but not because I like Bullit more. Bullit is probably my favorite Manhattan rye. It has plenty of edge to stand out in the drink and is a damned fine whiskey. I think Jefferson's is a better drink, but what makes it better is lost in the cocktail. The bite of Bullit makes it better for the cocktail, IMO. I almost always have Old Overholt on hand. It's not something I drink neat, but it's also good in a Manhattan. I did a rye tasting with a few friends and Overholt came in 2nd to Rittenhouse and beat out a bunch of other $30 bottles that night. I can't remember what they were (unfortunately), but there were 3 other respected bottles. We blind tasted neat spirits. I do know Jeffersons and Bullit were not among the bottles beaten.