Rye Whiskey

[XXL]

My collection of rye whiskies.

Rye may not be for everyone, but if it’s for you, lets discuss old favorites and bottles we want to try.

I just picked up the Highwest double rye and it’s a good sipper.
Very smooth with the initial drink but the finish is where it’s at this one.

 

[Indiedog]

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My collection of rye whiskies.

Rye may not be for everyone, but if it’s for you, lets discuss old favorites and bottles we want to try.

I just picked up the Highwest double rye and it’s a good sipper.
Very smooth with the initial drink but the finish is where it’s at this one.

I want to try the Knob Creek Rye. I have their other products.
I did like the Double rye by High West that I had in the past.

 

[ONYX]

I like the Knob Creek.

I also enjoy this one:

 

[MJ5150]

Smooth Ambler makes a nice rye.

-Mike

 

[DirtDog]

Gonna have to check out these premium ryes. In Canada, rye is synonymous with a cheap drunk. IF we wanted fancy, it was always Crown Royal!

 

[ONYX]

Gonna have to check out these premium ryes. In Canada, rye is synonymous with a cheap drunk. IF we wanted fancy, it was always Crown Royal!

My in laws are Canadian--and they refer to all whiskey as "rye"--which causes a great deal of confusion at drink mixing time. I usually end up drinking Scotch when I visit them.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I'm not even close to being a rye connoisseur -- I spent almost 40 years in a "No Brown Liquors For Me, PLEASE!" phase -- but after slowly coming around to appreciating the occasional single malt Scotch or bourbon-based Manhattans, I've rescinded my personal moratorium just in time for the artisanal/craft distillers fad. So far I've only tried Bulleit rye. I would buy it again.

But tbh I'm not even sure I know the difference between rye and bourbon and anything else that might be called "whiskey" so I probably need to educate my mind before I start educating my palette.

 

[DirtDog]

My in laws are Canadian--and they refer to all whiskey as "rye"--which causes a great deal of confusion at drink mixing time. I usually end up drinking Scotch when I visit them.

That’s very true! Partially because the only whiskey you could get here in the old days was rye whiskey. Scotch was for them city people!

 

[Fishheadjoe]

Gibson's Finest! And no, it is not made by the guitar manufacturer... much prefer over Crown Royal or Canadian club.
Fishheadjoe

 

[dedpool1052]

I'm not even close to being a rye connoisseur -- I spent almost 40 years in a "No Brown Liquors For Me, PLEASE!" phase -- but after slowly coming around to appreciating the occasional single malt Scotch or bourbon-based Manhattans, I've rescinded my personal moratorium just in time for the artisanal/craft distillers fad. So far I've only tried Bulleit rye. I would buy it again.

But tbh I'm not even sure I know the difference between rye and bourbon and anything else that might be called "whiskey" so I probably need to educate my mind before I start educating my palette.

IIRC, That main difference between bourbon and rye whiskeys is the mash bill.
Bourbon, to be labelled as such, is a 51% corn based mash bill.
Rye, OTOH, is a 51% rye based mash bill.

There's a lot of variables in between.

As a generalization,
Bourbons tend to be a bit sweeter, and smoother due to the corn based mash bill,
while Rye whiskeys tend to have a more spicy flavor, with some fruitiness in the character.

For Ryes, I've had

Jim Beam Rye - was less educated and my palate was less developed when I had it, no comment.

Rittenhouse - A nice rye. A bit sweet. You get the nice spicy character of rye.

Knob Creek Rye - Very solid. Spicy, some sweetness, full flavored. Will buy again.

High West Double Rye! - Another solid one. Complex character. A nice blend of old and young rye whiskeys. Will buy again.

Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye - Outstanding. On the initial dram I had, there was a lot of spice and graininess. On the second, more of the flavor profile developed. I got more of the fruity, sweet character. Reminiscent of stone fruit. Combined with the spicy character, a very enjoyable rye. Need another bottle for safe keeping.

 

[XXL]

IIRC, That main difference between bourbon and rye whiskeys is the mash bill.
Bourbon, to be labelled as such, is a 51% corn based mash bill.
Rye, OTOH, is a 51% rye based mash bill.

There's a lot of variables in between.

As a generalization,
Bourbons tend to be a bit sweeter, and smoother due to the corn based mash bill,
while Rye whiskeys tend to have a more spicy flavor, with some fruitiness in the character.

For Ryes, I've had

Jim Beam Rye - was less educated and my palate was less developed when I had it, no comment.

Rittenhouse - A nice rye. A bit sweet. You get the nice spicy character of rye.

Knob Creek Rye - Very solid. Spicy, some sweetness, full flavored. Will buy again.

High West Double Rye! - Another solid one. Complex character. A nice blend of old and young rye whiskeys. Will buy again.

Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye - Outstanding. On the initial dram I had, there was a lot of spice and graininess. On the second, more of the flavor profile developed. I got more of the fruity, sweet character. Reminiscent of stone fruit. Combined with the spicy character, a very enjoyable rye. Need another bottle for safe keeping.

Rye has caught my wallet.
I like bold flavors, like scotches, and though some bourbons have a nice flavor profile, I find them rather boring in taste. Ryes usually have that something Im looking for.

I agree about the Knob Creek Cask Strength.. probably my favorite overall sipping for supper whiskey these days.

I’m looking forward to this thread growing and trying all the other ryes that will be suggested.

 

[dedpool1052]

Rye has caught my wallet.
I like bold flavors, like scotches, and though some bourbons have a nice flavor profile, I find them rather boring in taste. Ryes usually have that something Im looking for.

I agree about the Knob Creek Cask Strength.. probably my favorite overall sipping for supper whiskey these days.

I’m looking forward to this thread growing and trying all the other ryes that will be suggested.

Agreed, on all accounts.
The overall flavor profile of Rye is more interesting to my palate than your typical Bourbon.
The Rendezvous Rye from High West is next on my list.

 

[MJ5150]

Agreed, on all accounts.
The overall flavor profile of Rye is more interesting to my palate than your typical Bourbon.
The Rendezvous Rye from High West is nest on my list.

Have you been to Radiator Whiskey? I just learned about it tonight. We're going to check it out Saturday night.
They have an impressive whiskey list.

-Mike

 

[fcleff]

IIRC, That main difference between bourbon and rye whiskeys is the mash bill.
Bourbon, to be labelled as such, is a 51% corn based mash bill.
Rye, OTOH, is a 51% rye based mash bill.

There's a lot of variables in between.

As a generalization,
Bourbons tend to be a bit sweeter, and smoother due to the corn based mash bill,
while Rye whiskeys tend to have a more spicy flavor, with some fruitiness in the character.

This is solid info. You can look at some other bourbons like Weller that have wheat in the mash bill. Wheat also provides a sweetness like corn. The rye grain is, by nature, a spicy grain; peppery. Try any beer made with rye and you will get it.
Look at Wild Turkey 101 and you will see that it is a 'high rye' bourbon. This only means that they increase the amount of rye in the mash bill.
The label of Bulleit rye has a 95 on it. This means that their mash bill contains 95% rye.

I am a bourbon guy. I prefer bourbon in my Manhattans and rye for my Old Fashioned. All that said, my favorite rye is Rittenhouse. It has the sweetness I like in bourbon and a nice peppery finish. And it is bottled in bond. A couple of Old Fashioned cocktails and you're feeling like you just got a smooth cob. Good stuff.

 

[fcleff]

Have you been to Radiator Whiskey? I just learned about it tonight. We're going to check it out Saturday night.
They have an impressive whiskey list.

-Mike

No. But I've had whiskey made in a radiator. Does that count?

 

[dedpool1052]

Have you been to Radiator Whiskey? I just learned about it tonight. We're going to check it out Saturday night.
They have an impressive whiskey list.

-Mike

Now I'M just learning about it tonight.
Looks like a fun place.
The only thing is I hate going into Seattle.
Too much traffic and parking sucks.

 

[MJ5150]

No. But I've had whiskey made in a radiator. Does that count?

Nope, sorry.

-Mike

 

[MJ5150]

Now I'M just learning about it tonight.
Looks like a fun place.
The only thing is I hate going into Seattle.
Too much traffic and parking sucks.

I agree, and if the Huskies win tomorrow, it'll be crazy down there.
We're riding light rail from Angle Lake, so no traffic or parking for us.

-Mike

 

[fcleff]

Now I'M just learning about it tonight.
Looks like a fun place.
The only thing is I hate going into Seattle.
Too much traffic and parking sucks.

Sounds like Austin.

 

[dedpool1052]

This is solid info. You can look at some other bourbons like Weller that have wheat in the mash bill. Wheat also provides a sweetness like corn. The rye grain is, by nature, a spicy grain; peppery. Try any beer made with rye and you will get it.
Look at Wild Turkey 101 and you will see that it is a 'high rye' bourbon. This only means that they increase the amount of rye in the mash bill.
The label of Bulleit rye has a 95 on it. This means that their mash bill contains 95% rye.

I am a bourbon guy. I prefer bourbon in my Manhattans and rye for my Old Fashioned. All that said, my favorite rye is Rittenhouse. It has the sweetness I like in bourbon and a nice peppery finish. And it is bottled in bond. A couple of Old Fashioned cocktails and you're feeling like you just got a smooth cob. Good stuff.

That's it.
I'm on my second bottle of Rittenhouse, and the flavor was perplexing.
Not good or bad, but cornfusing.
It's a rye, but the flavor is sort of an in between of bourbon and rye.