Best Rye Whiskey

Hello All,

I always have liked whiskeys & bourbons, but have not yet had the pleasure of tasting a Rye Whiskey. I am hoping for a little guidance from my fellow B&Bers as to which Rye you enjoy that is also *relatively* budget friendly (up to $50). I might be persuaded to look at a higher priced bottle if there are enough "votes" for it such as Whistle Pig which is about $70. So with that said:

What's your favorite Rye?

and since I can't get anything locally,

Where do you buy? (I was thinking about ordering through "drinkupny", but am open to better suggestions.)

I have had several rye's all over the price range. I have quit looking for other rye's as everything I want in a rye is available for very little in a bottle of Bulleit Rye. Its smooth yet spicy when had neat. It holds up to ice for straight on the rocks and it makes the best Manhattan.

I know your prices are going to differ greatly being on the islands but I can get a 1L bottle for $25 at a store near me (750ml goes for around $23).

My search for Rye's is over (although I won't turn down a taste of something new). But order a bottle and judge for yourself. Just make sure you give Bulleit rye a try before you end your search.

Yeah. I was looking for that particular one at Safeway, but they only had non rye version.

I really like Old Overholt (It's like $11 a bottle here) Bulleit is also a fine choice.

Ri(1).

Just checked the two liquor stores we have here on the island. They don't have Old Overholt or Ri(1), but they do have the 750ml Bulleit Rye for the low-low price of $40...Everything has a plane ticket added to the price tag.

Templeton, if you can find it.

packtray said:

Templeton, if you can find it.

Click to expand...

+1 on the Templeton. Easy drinking.

There are a lot of ryes coming on the market. It's great.

Rittenhouse 100 bottled in bond, Sazerac rye, Bulleit Rye.

MrSmith said:

Just checked the two liquor stores we have here on the island. They don't have Old Overholt or Ri(1), but they do have the 750ml Bulleit Rye for the low-low price of $40...Everything has a plane ticket added to the price tag.

Click to expand...

I would trade my cheap bulleit rye prices to not have to drink it inside while rain turns to snow yet again in Cincinnati.

I recently tried MacKenzie and was very impressed. Whistlepig is very unique and unlike any rye I have ever had. Sazarac is a great jumping off point for rye - very smooth. For the money, Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond can't be beat.

All good starting points mentioned above well under your price limit. Bulleit or Rittenhouse are probably your best value. Rittenhouse is a little sweeter than many ryes but has a more complex flavor than most at that price point. Sazerac 6 is a few dollars more but more refined. Personally I'd rather take Rittenhouse or Sazerac over Bulleit but Bulleit markets well and is easy to find most places. Rittenhouse might be more familiar to you as a bourbon drinker than a drier rye.

I am leery of the rye whiskeys produced by big bourbon names. Have not found many equal in quality. Rye isn't as in-demand as bourbon so there are plenty of good whiskeys at a reasonable price. You don't need to pay for an equal or lesser quality product because it has jim beam's name on it.

reverseapachemaster said:

I am leery of the rye whiskeys produced by big bourbon names. Have not found many equal in quality. Rye isn't as in-demand as bourbon so there are plenty of good whiskeys at a reasonable price. You don't need to pay for an equal or lesser quality product because it has jim beam's name on it.

Click to expand...

This ^^^ is exactly why I started this thread. I generally research well before I buy/try something new. I also try to start with something that is *widely* accepted as very good to best of that particular item so that I get an appropriate impression of what that item represents. I have found it interesting that most of the "new" quality items get bought up pretty quickly by the larger names. For example the Rittenhouse that has been recommended by several people is currently owned and produced thru Heaven Hill which has always been produced under the guidance of the Beam family (First cousins to Jim Beam). Whereas the lesser popular R(i)1 is the direct product of Jim Beam distilleries... Then there is Bulleit who has done some good advertising and product promotion to get into the public eye since he is the new kid on the block so to speak (not sure if I quite believe the lineage story on their website). And finally there is Sazerac which I guess might be considered the "red-headed stepchild" of the bunch since it is something of a morphling that developed first from a mixed drink into its own entity by way of brandy first.

I guess my best hope is that I can find more than one brand locally to get a sampling of what Rye brings to the table.

Another question in case anyone else stops by again. Does anyone drink Rye as their "daily" drink or do most hold it in reserve for "when the mood strikes".

Thank you all who have contributed some guidance and perspective to this endeavor.

I drink rye straight as my daily drink. My personal preference is Wisers 18 yr old or Forty Creek Double Barrel. Yes I prefer Canadian ryes.

I have been drinking Russell Reserve Rye for the past six months. At about $30 per bottle it fits your parameters. It's a notch above Bulleit in my opinion. In answer to the last question, I limit myself to only a couple of drinks a week on weekends. Some weeks it's bourbon, others rye. There are lots of brands out there I haven't tried yet so I very well may be missing some real gems.

Bulleit.

Templeton is just a hair better, but it's $10 more and IMHO not worth it.

In my opinion, stay clear of the big names who are throwing their "me too" attempts at rye. Wild Turkey, Beam and even George Dickel have ryes that I thought were less than stellar. At least when compared to my staple (Bulleit Rye).

I have been enjoying Hochstadter's Slow and Low recently. I am an old fashioned drinker so a rye made with orange and honey is fantastic for me. It's not for everyone but it's a great after work cool down for me!

jondeplin said:

I have been enjoying Hochstadter's Slow and Low recently. I am an old fashioned drinker so a rye made with orange and honey is fantastic for me. It's not for everyone but it's a great after work cool down for me!

Click to expand...

I saw that yesterday at my local store and was tempted, although any of the "flavored" whiskey's I have tried all have that slightly cough syrupy flavor to them and it scared me off. Awesome packaging though. Wish they made a plain rye.

Rittenhouse BIB Rye with a splash is my regular drink, and I recommend it heartily. I keep a bottle of Sazerac around all the time, and occasionally have Templeton or Russell Reserve in the bar.

I just don't like the Bulleit Rye. It just seems flat to me, and I agree with the earlier post re Beam, Dickel, and Wild Turkey, none of which approach the first four mentioned.

Good luck! The fun is in the chase.