Rye Archives - First Pour Cocktails

Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234

Posted on August 30, 2023August 30, 2023 by Nick

Castle & Key’s distillery starts it life in 1887 when Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr built the structure inspired by European architecture. The result featured a Castle, a classical Springhouse, and a Sunken Garden, and contributed to an age of bourbon hospitality. Sadly, it wouldn’t last, and the distillery was shuttered in 1920 with the passing of prohibition. Purchased in 2014, the team at Castle & Key began work to create a functioning distillery. Nearly 100 years later (2018) the first spirits became available for purchase, with aged spirits following in 2021/2022. Among these are single barrel selections, such as Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234. So has their effort paid off?

Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234

Mash Bill: 17% Yellow Corn / 63% Rye / 20% Malted Barley
Barrel No.: 234
Bottle No.: 32
Age: 4 Years
Released: 2022
Proof: 115.9 (A.B.V. 57.9%)

Sight: Russet Muscat to Tawny

Smell: Hello, would you like ALL OF THE PEANUTS. The noses explodes with peanuts, peanut brittle, peanut butter, and an armada of other peanut notes. A yeasty dough and mild milk chocolate flavor. The nuttiness covers a lot of the herbal notes, and instead lets some brown sugar and baking spice out.

Sip: It’s viscous, rich, and creamy on the palate. There’s a creamed honey and peanut that comes forward. The vanilla and pastry notes pick up a significant amount of clove and herbs. There’s a deep amount of caramelized brown sugar and light notes of fruit that comes through. There’s some apple and peach notes that get through too, but it’s heavily peanut and sugar orientated.

Savor: The finish carries through dessert like peanut notes mixed with peaches and light mint. The warm baking spices and a touch of tea like astringency gets into the mix. Welcoming oaky notes and light toasted elements finish the long, lingering, peanut finish.

Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234 is delightfully dessert like without losing the underpinned rye. It has a moderate amount of complexity and layered sugary notes. The yeastiness is pleasant and balanced, working as a good foil to neutralize some of the more predominate rye elements. Overall, this is a fun rye, and one that I think offers a lot at this price point.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye is smooth, hiding between the sweetness of the red plum in the vermouth. The herbal flavors emphasize slightly here, but there’s not a stand out element beyond the caramel and vanilla. The black tea notes creep up as it warms up. Overall, it doesn’t feel like a 120 proof rye Manhattan, and this disappearing act is a little disappointing.

Compared to another Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye

Another single barrel pick reveals a large gulf. The color shows a bit less, going toward russet muscat. The nose shows interesting aromas of honey and cinnamon with wine like fermented fruits. The herbal touches of the rye creep in adding a savory juniper kind of backdrop, but it lets a honeyed baklava come out. There’s a slight pastry and vanilla nose complexity. The palate explodes with raspberry, peaches, and mint. It’s moderate bodied, and pulls in honeyed tea notes. The flavor is almost similar to a deeply complex, aged dessert wine made with noble rot. There’s a hint of coffee and waffle cone here too. The sweetness here belies a funny sort of sweet white fruit character. The finish is complexly herbal and mixed with dried fruits. The finish brings forward some lingering dried red fruit notes.

Overall, it’s another stunner, even if it’s completely different. It gives me confidence in picking another barrel this rye.

In Review – Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye – Binny’s Barrel #234

Castle & Key Single Barrel Restoration Rye is really good on it’s own. Especially for the price point, and the step up over the standard shelfer (Castle & Key Restoration Rye). The premium bottle and cork add a richness to the experience, but the complex flavor of the rye inside adds up for a lot of fun. Having two bottles that both positively show this is a confidence booster for picking up another one of these, especially around $60.

Castle & Key Restoration Rye

Posted on July 7, 2023August 30, 2023 by Nick

After receiving a Castle & Key Restoration Rye Single Barrel from a friend in Chicago, I was intrigued to see how the Castle & Key entry level offering was. The single barrel offering was deep and robust, with lots of layered flavors. With a higher proof point than many standard offerings (coming in at 103), it would seem that this rye could have a lot of the same depth of the single barrel. So does show up like Wild Turkey 101 compared to Rare Breed, or do you have to go up scale with Castle & Key?

(This picture is from Christmas, when my wife was lovely enough to buy me a bottle)

Castle & Key Restoration Rye

Release Year: 2022
Batch: 2
Bottle No.: 08303
Proof: 103 (51.5% A.B.V.) (Annoyingly their website lists this as 105 / 52.5%)
Mash Bill: 63% Rye, 20% Malted Barley, 17% Yellow Corn

Sight: Burnished to chestnut oloroso sherry

Smell: The nose has an orange zest and peanut note off the bat. It gives way to some lightly honeyed notes with hints of herbs, black tea, and pine. There’s heat suggesting that the proof has a little bit of tilt northward, and it gives away some spice and fruitiness. The fruitiness is almost artificial, like candy.

Sip: It’s lightly bodied, but doesn’t feel thin. Notes of pine and slightly yeasty notes come though with hints of spice and oak. The mix isn’t overtly sweet, but not quite savory, running a very straightforward line. Touches of herbal notes and fruit are very minimal but present.

Savor: The finish carries forward a light yeastiness with a good hint of oak and spice. There’s a little more of that black-tea herbal note, but things are pretty simple and straightforward.

Castle & Key Restoration Rye is characteristically rye like in it’s nose, but then doesn’t quite make the transition to the palate. While it’s a bit warm, it doesn’t quite pull up on the flavors the way a 103 proof might suggest. The flavors therefore end up being rye, but rye light.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Castle & Key Restoration Rye’s flavor shortage of the neat preparation carry forward a bit. The start is a little heavy on the oak and spice, and then opens slightly into black tea and dried fruits. There’s a subtle oaky bitterness here, and a bit of sweetness from the vermouth. The weight is good, but it feels let down by the some of the more aggressive herbal notes. It’s not a Manhattan I would reach for again.

In Review – Castle & Key Restoration Rye

Castle & Key Restoration Rye is just really not great at nearly $40. It tastes young and reflects this in the lack of depth of flavor. The proof doesn’t seem to translate into weight or flavor. All these things that add up to a bottle that’s pretty, but hard to recommend. There are better options in this price range, and for nearly half as much. If you must have their distillate, go for a single barrel rye.

George Dickel Rye Whiskey

Posted on January 27, 2023January 15, 2023 by Nick

When someone told me that George Dickel Rye Whiskey was an amazing rye at $20, I was skeptical. I bold this, because most people associate Dickel with a particular flavor of minerality that is occasionally construed as ‘Flintstone’s Vitamins’. This doesn’t sound like the kind of thing you’d want in a Fancy Free or Manhattan. Yet, somehow, amazingly, George Dickel Rye became one of my breakout bottles of 2022, and possibly became the top rye we’d recommend for your bar.

George Dickel Rye Whiskey

Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana at 95% Rye – 5% Malted Barley, George Dickel Rye Whiskey is an MGP product. It does however go through a charcoal mellowing process where it’s filtered through maple charcoal to finish it. The specifics of where the aging actually occurs is fairly vague, however it is aged in a char #4 barrel with a #2 head. The proof is 90 (45% A.B.V.)

Sight: Amber

Smell: Vanilla, minerality, and dill jump out from the start. There are notes like fresh plums and carrot juice. There’s a bit of caramel going on here as well and maybe some orange marmalade.

Sip: The palate is light with honeyed sweet, vanilla, and dill coming right out. There are pleasant notes of spice, oak, and tobacco. The palate isn’t incredibly complex, but it is warm and inviting in it’s spicing and has a telltale minerality and orange chalk candy note.

Savor: The ending pulls in more dill, vanilla, and a good amount of minerality. It lingers gently.

George Dickel Rye Whiskey is tasty if a little straightforward for drinking on it’s own. The flavors have a minerality that compliments the vanilla and dill characteristics. The other notes are more fleeting but not unpleasant. Overall, it’s tasty, but not the more in depth rye ever.

In Cocktails

George Dickel Rye Whiskey plays well in a Manhattan adding it’s vanilla and herbal notes with a bit of spice. The sweetness also works well with the fruitiness in the vermouth. The finish is spiced, honeyed, and with a little bit of minerality. Overall, it’s a decent Manhattan that won’t have anyone writing home about it. Combine this with the love it or hate it reputation of Dickel, and it’s a polarizing a choice if it’s the only rye in your bar.

It’s worth talking about the amazing depth that it adds in the right context. Where more brown sugar forward ryes don’t pop in the Fancy Free, Dickel is positively eye opening. The minerality, herbal notes, and spice burst beautifully with the orange and maraschino. Again, this is a particular application, so we don’t recommend this as an indicator of versatility.

In Review – George Dickel Rye Whiskey

George Dickel Rye Whiskey is a wonderful choice of rye whiskey with a characteristically Dickel slant. The Dickel characteristic is really the tipping point of the value of this. If you find you like charcoal mellowed whiskies, this could make for an amazing bar addition, and a rye we absolutely recommend you try once. If you’re not a fan of those flavors, this might be a struggle even at $20. All that said, we recommend you at least try it and consider stocking your bar with it.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

Posted on November 30, 2022December 17, 2022 by Nick

Perhaps few Rye whiskeys capture the annual attention that A Midwinter Night’s Dram receives. Bottled by High West Distillery, this is their Rendezvous Rye finished in French oak port barrels. The combination leads to flavors most enjoyers compare to various notes of the holidays in a glass, which explains why it’s released toward the late fall. Each year is labeled with an Act, indicating the year, and a scene, which tells you the day of bottling. In the case of a Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 Scene 1, this means our bottle was bottled in 2021, on day 1 of bottling.

If you’re looking for the most current Act, Act 10, I’ve yet to get to try it, so we’re visiting last years offering which I was lucky enough to receive as a present!

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

Age: No Age Statement (NAS)
Base: Rendezvous Rye
Mash Bill: A blend of MGP sourced Rye (95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley) and High West Distilled Rye (80% Rye, 20% Malted Rye)
Finish: French Oak port barrels.
Proof: 98.6 (A.B.V. 49.3%)
Secondary Abbreviations: MWND

Sight: A lovely tawny-auburn.

Smell: The nose starts off with deep, jammy plums and fresh figs mixed into rye spices and light Christmas tree essence. Warm toasty vanilla comes through followed by a luxurious caramel, bursting ripe blackberry, and a raspberry sauce. Toasty pecans and baking spices join in with a little bit of an undercurrent of star anise and an underlying green peppercorn or herbaceous notes.

Sip: The vanilla leads off like a bomb with a nice caramel note and then a rush of raspberry and blackberry notes running from fresh to preserved. A light sweetness runs though, and notes of star anise, clove, and other baking spices join excitedly. The body is nicely balanced, and feels rich, and there’s a bit of chocolate and cigar going on here too to balance some of the sweeter dessert elements.

Savor: The finish carries forward a pleasant vanilla that underpins the entire mix. It’s full of subtle pressed plum and berry notes, complete with a bit of the port like tannins that you might associate with the skins. The rye spice grows with some of the oak influence as it lingers, complete with a little touch of that evergreen flavor.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 is a beautiful mix of well balanced rye spice and delicious vanilla laden port. The influence of both elements stands taught, and they play a balanced and beautiful game of tug of war across the palate. The flavors are clear, clean, and deliciously demonstrate what one would expect from the holiday. With the profile, it’s not hard to understand how just sipping this by the tree, you favorite people, holiday decor, or a fire is worth the price of admission.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the fig and berry notes of the port explode out with the sweet herbal, fruitiness of the sweet vermouth. The amazing vanilla notes grab some caramelization, and sweet baking spices run through adding complexity. Other notes pop out, like chocolate covered cherries and raspberry jam. The dessert like vanilla icing elements give way to hints of espresso and cigar. Overall, the Manhattan that A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 makes is special, unique, and deep.

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 vs Act 8

Over time, the make up of a Midwinter Night’s Dram has shifted. Originally, the mash bill was made up of not only MGP, but also some very old Barton distillate (some as old as purportedly 15 years+). While you’re unlikely to find any of the original acts, you still can come across acts that are primarily MGP and really leveraged French oak port barrels. A friend of mine was kind enough to provide a sample with one of these previous versions, Act 8.

Color wise, they’re quite similar, but the nose reveals some critical differences. Where Act 9 shows of it’s fruit from the port as the primary influence, Act 8 shows off this creamy vanilla and ice cream like sweetness. There are beautifully jammy notes that join in, with some rye spice, but the focus is more on the vanilla and dessert notes. This carries forward to the palate where the vanilla is more dominate, showing off the pastry cream like elements, including the texture. The spicing is great, and the fruit is more like a drizzled syrup and chopped preserved fruit add-in. The ending carries this linger forward, showing an amazing amount of vanilla. While they’re clearly very much related, the flavor profiles are significantly different.

In Review – A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 is nothing sort of amazing, and a wonderful bottle at the original MSRP. Original MSRP is the operative piece of this statement though, which was only $99.99. This year the MSRP went up to $129 (and $150 in the state of Ohio). The secondary has shifted as well, going from $200ish to over $250 in some cases on the most recent batch. The problem is that while this is a delightful finished rye, it doesn’t overwhelm something like Isaac Bowman (admittedly a bourbon), which retails for around $40. So is it good? Sure, but it no longer justifies it’s price for either MSRP or secondary.

Be aware, the shifts in Acts also create potentially large shifts in the taste. So their Act 10 may be better or worse than the Act 9.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

Posted on November 23, 2022November 21, 2022 by Nick

If you didn’t know, Wild Turkey also makes a rye. Similar to their bourbon, their rye comes in 86 proof and 101 proof offerings, as well as the barrel proof, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye. This product is bottled at the slightly lower 112.2 proof, and is distilled by Wild Turkey (unlike some other producers who use MGP sourced ryes). Given how good the bourbon is, should you also look at enjoying the rye?

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

Proof: 112.2
Age: No Age Statement (Reportedly a blend 4, 6, and 8 year old Kentucky straight ryes)
Filtration: Non-Chill Filtered

Sight: Burnished

Smell: The nose really shows a maturity here that’s rounded off some of the more obvious grain and cereal notes that can appear in younger rye. Pops of chocolate, coffee, oak, spice, and a bit of preserved cherry come out. More of the mint and herb rye notes being to emerge toward the edges, but the nose gives a dessert like caramel brown sugar character with a lot of fruitiness and chestnut.

Sip: The sip starts out a touch sweet and then opens up with preserved dark fruits, like cherries, plums, and prune. The rye spice picks up here bringing in brown sugar and massive chestnuts before pepper, spice, cigar box, tobacco, oak, and buckwheat. There’s a honey and resin flavor that sort of flits around and gives a little bit of a floral – herbal complexity. The body is quite big and smooth to start, but gets warm as it goes

Savor: The brown sugar and herbal notes carry over with touches of preserved dark fruit and plenty of rye spice. There’s a decent amount of tannin.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye is complex and refined in all the right ways. The balance of spice, fruit, oak, and delicate floral / herbal notes is well defined, and loaded with powerful flavors. The more important thing is it flows from floral to spicy to nutty to fruity to oaky. There’s no particular are it falls short in. It works neat and shows the restraint of maturity.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan it delivers on the sweetness of the dark preserved fruits with notes like blackberries and prune. These flavors are the amazingly powerful and defined. The rye spice joins with some chestnut notes and pulls out amazing flavors of buckwheat honey and complex tobacco notes. The oak builds on the finish, but almost becomes cabernet or port like. This flavor profile is distinct compared to what most individuals expect of a manhattan. Overall, the flavor profile that Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye brings is a bit unusual, but nothing short of spectacular.

In Review – Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

At $45 – $60 Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye represents a fantastic combination of flavors that work both straight and in cocktails. The cost is high, but at the lower end this is a serious contender to be one of the best possible values you can buy. The flavors are balanced across a variety of different elements, ranging from delicate floral and fruit to robust oak and spice. This is highly recommended as a bottle to add as your primary rye, or to splurge on if you don’t have the means to regularly stock it.

Old Overholt Straight Rye

Posted on June 24, 2022June 1, 2022 by Nick

Few whiskeys have the prevalence or brand lineage of Old Overholt Straight Rye. Take a close look at the rail of almost any bar, and you’re likely to see a bottle of Old Overholt hiding somewhere. The reasons for the prominence are multiple, including it being one of the oldest rye brands in the country. Not only did it survive prohibition, but it also managed to endure the decline of whiskey in the U.S. post World War II. The easiest reasons to note today are the price (typically at under $20 a bottle) and the ownership by Beam Suntory since 1987. The rye in the bottle is young, aged only 3 years, but is non-chill filtered and comes in at 86 proof.

Old Overholt Straight Rye

Sight: A chestnut oloroso sherry – deeper than expected.

Smell: The nose starts off with some elements of cigar box and peppery spice. Peach blossoms and touches of baked cherry Danish join in. There’s a slight touch of mint and a healthy dose of orange marmalade round things out. There’s also a bit of a burn.

Sip: The mouthfeel is thin and it’s slightly hot. The flavors of pepper, oak, and orange zest come through sloppily. Other touches of burnt caramel and touches of floral elements hang around the edges.

Savor: The finish picks up a cracker / cereal like note laced with spice and a bit of heat. The ending grows increasingly oaky with touches of rye.

Old Overholt Straight Rye is more inviting in the nose than on the palate. The palate isn’t necessarily muddled, but it works harder than the nose implies it would. The finish is also slightly more one note than might be expected. The fact of the matter though, is that you don’t buy this bottle for sipping. So how does it do at making cocktails?

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Old Overholt Straight Rye produces a surprisingly balanced Manhattan. The oak and orange flavors join up with the spice notes from the vermouth and balance sweetly. There’s a good moderate weight to it, and just a hint of heat. The finish maintains that cereal linger note after showing just a few fruitier elements.

In Review – Old Overholt Straight Rye

Old Overholt Straight Rye is certainly serviceable if not the most interesting rye in the world. While not as complex as Rittenhouse Rye, it also doesn’t lean heavily into some of the green notes that rye can produce (like Elijah Craig). Given the price differential (typically sold around $15), it’s also significantly cheaper. If you’re only looking to add a rye to your bar, and really don’t want to want spend the extra, there’s nothing wrong with Old Overholt, but for a few dollars more, you can enjoy the wonderful flavors of Rittenhouse.

Pikesville Rye

Posted on June 10, 2022June 9, 2022 by Nick

Pikesville Rye was originally distilled in Maryland and is now owned by Heaven Hill. Despite this, it holds the distinction of being one of the last remaining Maryland rye brands. Reportedly, the mashbill reflects it’s new Kentucky origin, and sits at a required minimum 51% rye. Coming in at $50, it almost doubles Heaven Hill’s slightly younger Rittenhouse Rye (coming in at 4 years). So is it worth it?

Pikesville Rye

Age: 6 Years
Proof: 110
Mashbill (Unverified): 51% Rye, 39% Corn, 10% Malted Barley

Sight: Between amber and tawny.

Smell: Buckwheat honey and caramelized sugar come through with deep baking spices and notes of dark chocolate. Mint, slight herb, malt, and touches of graham cracker join in. Undertones of forest floor and a robust nuttiness join in. There’s also just a touch of floral. The overall nose is sweet and relatively complicated with lots of earthy and baking notes – especially chocolate and nutty notes.

Sip: The body starts off with a moderate to heavy weight and is smooth. It quickly opens up with a barrage of caramel laden rye spices echoing things from clove to burnt cinnamon. Earthy notes make an underlayer here, giving a forest floor, cocoa, and slight dried mushroom underpinning. Buckwheat honey and slight blackberry notes come in. There’s also some mint and cereal. Hold it too long, and the smoothness gives way to alcohol.

Savor: The ending carries forward notes of cocoa, caramel, rye, and a hint of earthiness. The finish lingers – giving way to more rye spices and 100% cocoa as it lingers.

Pikesville Rye is delightfully complex and doesn’t impart quite as much wood as you might expect for a minimum 6 year release. The flavors are deep, complex, and layered. The earthiness bumping up against the chocolate notes with a hint of minty herbs is a beautiful combination. It invites the imbiber to continue to seek out new flavors in each sip. On it’s own, it’s a wonderfully layered and complex rye.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the earthy flavors manage to pull off this interesting background note where notes of dark cocoa powder, forest floor, and a slight grilled portabella mushroom umami play background. In the forefront is a great amount of caramel and latent rye spice. The more minty and buckwheat notes are present, but more minimal, subdued by some of the vermouth notes. The bitterness on the finish is more prominent, as the background note of unsweetened chocolate and forest floor come more to the fore with hints of burnt marshmallow.

In Review – Pikesville Rye

Pikesville Rye has incredibly deep and complex earthy notes. It’s important to note here that those looking for sweet flavors are going to find this more on the savory side. It does these savory flavors really well, giving depth and robust character to each sip. As a result, drinks made with Pikesville end up more taught and brooding than some younger more herbal – fruity ryes. There’s a ton of things to love here though, and at around $50, this is good value that you might want to try before you buy.

Barrell Seagrass

Posted on February 25, 2022February 15, 2022 by Nick

Barrell Seagrass was one of those polarizing whiskeys that made a lot of noise from reviewers over the past year. Consistently ranking highly, this Rye Whiskey is finished in Martinique Rum, Madeira, and Apricot Brandy Barrels for a one of a kind flavor. The result of this finishing is a character nothing quite like the rye whiskeys most people are used to. People have ranged from gushing to confused as a result, but most admit that it’s more of a flavor choice and price point than any actual defect with the whiskey.

Professional whiskey enthusiast Fred Minnick agreed, naming one of Barrell Seagrass’ one of his top 2 American whiskey of 2021. As result, Barrell Seagrass has been flying off the shelves, so it is worth the chase?

Barrell Seagrass

Barrell Seagrass is a blend of American (distilled in KY, IN, and TN) and Canadian rye whiskeys. These sourced whiskeys are then finished in the Martinique rum, Madeira, and apricot brandy barrels before being blended to make the distinctive flavor of Barrell Seagrass. As a result, proof varies between batches. This batch comes in at 118.58 proof.

Sight: Deep copper

Smell: Apricot and bubblegum come floating out with a good waft of heat. The apricot is sort of malleable, giving way to an apricot compote with a spiced note. Grassy notes with a touch of mint come in. The nose fringes into candy, almost like gummy bears laced with elderflower. The nose is very perfumed.

Sip: The palate is smooth and slightly sweet. The flavor of candied and dried apricot starts things off, before opening into spiced oak notes and a touch of grass. There’s a bittersweet almond and cocoa note that hints at the fringe. Grapefruit and elderflower come toward the tail and leave the ending with a floral character.

Savor: The ending brings in a wet stone, fresh rain on wood notes, and laces with grassy element, nuts and spices. The finish continues on with touches of unripe apricots and grapefruit pith.

Barrell Seagrass is distinct and unique thanks to the finishing process. The flavors are very well layered and balance between sweet, floral, and earthy. Apricot standouts out here, giving a perfumed character that runs all the way through the whiskey. The floral and nutty notes, combined with citrus makes for an exciting mix of flavors that keeps each sip evolving. Martinique rum also lends the earthy and funky flavors that make it hard to pin down what flavor is leading. Overall, the finishing job is tremendous, and it’s excitingly well done.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, the apricot sweetness comes through front and center. It mingles with the grassy rhum notes and slightly minty rye notes to vibe with the herbal notes in the vermouth. The juicy red berry and caramelized notes of the vermouth bring an additional level of fruitiness. Finally a crazy floral streak runs right through the middle to brighten and perfume the whole drink. Spice and apricot round things out for a long finish. Overall, it’s a wild Manhattan, but probably not the best use of a high end finished rye.

In Review – Barrell Seagrass

Barrell Seagrass is priced at $80 – $90. The price is undoubtedly high, but the quality of the product matches in this case. From a cocktail enthusiast’s perspective, Barrell Seagrass offers an opportunity to make supercharged, superstar unique cocktails – but the price is prohibitive to experiment with. For standard classic cocktails, you’ll want to go with something more traditional like Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye or Pikesville, or even Rittenhouse. However, none of those will be anywhere near the unique sipping experience that Barrell Seagrass offers. This is a must try (and perhaps a try before you buy for a full bottle.)

Elijah Craig Straight Rye

Posted on November 5, 2021October 1, 2021 by Nick

We’ve been a big fan of Elijah Craig’s Small Batch bourbon for a number of years. While it keeps tettering back and forth on our recommended bourbons list, we keep it there because the produce is incredibly well made for the price (even if the price creep is what keeps threatening to throw it off the list). Earlier this year, Heaven Hill committed to bringing a rye to the market under the Elijah Craig brand. Similar to Rittenhouse, Elijah Craig Straight Rye is a barely legal rye. This is surprising given Heaven Hill owns both brands, and only a small amount of supporting corn and malt separates the two. We previously also noted that Rittenhouse offers a great value, so should you give Elijah Craig the additional dollars?

Elijah Craig Straight Rye

Mashbill: 51% Rye – 35% Corn – 14% Barley
A.B.V.(%): 47% (94 Proof)
Age: No Age Statement (N.A.S.)

Sight: Tawny bordering on auburn.

Smell: There’s a heavy amount of herbal and minty elements that run parallel to a nice vanilla and spice mix. There’s a nice dried apricot and fresh plum note going on as well.

Sip: The herbal notes are definitely there giving it a black pepper and mint heavy character. Spice and black tea come out with an almost smoked character, similar to peat. Despite all the heavy elements going on, it’s not a very heavy mouthfeel.

Savor: The finish is leaned into campfire smoke and charred wood. Herbal notes run though the background over time with a bit a traditional bourbon sweetness.

Elijah Craig Straight Rye on its own is a smokey, herbal, and kind of bourbon like rye. Its nature is probably not for everyone, and not that inviting as a sipper. The result is also somewhat bitter, and oddly like licorice candies at the end of a meal. Both palate cleansing and somewhat off putting.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the spice of the rye is clearly forward. Notes of black pepper, banana, green apple, unripe black cherries, and cardamom all are present. An oversteeped black tea element and the tannic nature that goes with are around at the end. This flavor profile isn’t inherently smooth, but rather aggressive and bombastic.

In Review – Elijah Craig Straight Rye

Elijah Craig Straight Rye is uneven, aggressive, and a more savory set of flavors. Some of these flavors aren’t that weird in rye, such as herbal notes, but they get away from Elijah Craig here. In tasting side by side with Rittenhouse, the Rittenhouse displays more fruit, more caramelized sugars, and fewer burnt notes. The body is also more even. When you consider the Rittenhouse is $7 less per bottle, and comes in at a higher proof, then you end up with a hard sell on Elijah Craig Rye. For all these reasons, we don’t recommend you select Elijah Craig Rye over the cheaper, better Rittenhouse.

Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-In-Bond

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Nick

Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-In-Bond was one of the first, and most affordable, liquors I was able to purchase after I got seriously into cocktails. This standby staple is a go to in our collection, and from a value for money perspective – it’s not particularly hard to see why. Rittenhouse sparkles with a nutty nose, laced with baked vanilla, warm brown sugar, and hints of esthery banana, baking spices, and cedar box. The palate is a lovely mix of cocoa, black tea, almond extract, pepper, and hints of wood. At 100 proof – it gets a touch hot on the palate, but delivers full flavor in spades.

What Does Bottled-In-Bond mean?

Bottled-In-Bond is connected to the 1897 Bottled-In-Bond Act which was designed to help with the widespread adulteration of liquors. The idea was that the government would be the guarantor of quality – and participants would be a tax advantage. To participate (and be labeled Bonded or Bottled-In-Bond) the following conditions must be met:

Produced in one distilling season (Jan-Jun, Jul-Dec) by one distiller at one distillery.
Aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. Government Supervision for at least 4 years.
Bottled at 100 proof (50% A.B.V.)
The label must contain the distillery and where it was bottled.
Must be produced in the United States.

Do Bonded Whiskies Really Taste Better?

It’s a complicated question, and the answer is it depends. Governments have long sought to ensure quality, and the results are decidedly mixed. If you look at the wine world, you’ll see D.O.C., D.O.C.G., I.G.T., A.O.C., V.Q.A., A.V.A, and the list goes on and on. Does it mean the wine is better? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes a region with no standing produces something amazing. What it does do, is provide customers an assurance that spirits and wines produced in these regions meet certain quality requirements.

So How Does Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-In-Bond Play In Cocktails?

Going to the base choice of an Old Fashioned, we compared Rittenhouse to a competitor. The spicy notes came to the forefront and mingled well with the warm sugar and woodsy notes. The body holds up well thanks to the higher proof. When compared head to head, we agreed the Rittenhouse has more depth, and was more inviting thanks to the warm spice notes.

Final Thoughts

Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-In-Bond is a sturdy work horse of a rye that delivers a great amount of spice and warmth. At a value proposition typically around $25-30 a bottle, it’s hard to not argue that Rittenhouse deserves a spot in your home bar. This is a must buy.

Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-In-Bond Raw Tasting Notes:

A nutty nose – with baked vanilla and warm brown sugar – an esthery banana. There’s a spiciness present as well – hints of more baking spice – cedar box / wood. On the palate it gets warm, black tea – bitter almond / extract – pepper – and cedar come to the forefront. The flesh close to the pit of a peach’s nuttiness.

Distillery: Heaven Hill Distilleries – KY

Website: Heaven Hill – Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-In-Bond