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We spent the last few months at InsideHook on a rye whiskey binge. We wrote about the best affordable ryes (and best the ones under $100), the best single barrel rye whiskeys, took a deep dive into the regional differences between American ryes and talked about the best ryes for an Old Fashioned. And we still have a few more stories in the pipeline.
What is it about rye that fascinates us and, increasingly, fascinates whiskey drinkers? It’s both a spirit with a lot of history and one that’s been overlooked both here and around the world for decades — until now.
What Are the Regional Styles of American Rye Whiskey?
Some distilleries still root their whiskey in provenance and history, but the regional designations may be fading into the pastWhile sales of rye whiskey are still modest compared to bourbon, the growth rate is staggering (though it’s hard to pinpoint year-to-year numbers, the Distilled Spirits Council noted a 1,275% increase in sales volume between 2009 and 2018). It’s an exceptional whiskey for mixed drinks, and it offers a more herbaceous flavor profile (we’d also argue it’s better than other American whiskeys when undergoing secondary barrel maturations.)
The 10 rye whiskey picks below are primarily American, though our favorite was a surprise: an affordable rye whiskey from Ireland.
Powers Irish Rye
While rye has been a component of Irish whiskey in the past and a bit in the present, the grain has usually only made up a small percentage of the whiskey’s mashbill. And the rye itself, at least in the present day, has been imported from other parts of Europe. This rye, however, is 100% Irish-grown. To create the new expression, Powers doubled the fermentation time and put the liquid through a column still instead of the traditional pot still. It also utilizes four different types of American oak (virgin oak, first-fill bourbon and refills) for aging less than five years. Overall, it’s an incredibly balanced yet surprisingly not-that-spicy rye; it has a sweetness and earthiness on the nose, while you’ll find a complexity on the palate with notes of cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, vanilla, toffee, butterscotch, banana and cherry.
Old Elk Rum Cask Finish
The Colorado-based distillery continues its Cask Finish Series — which previously included Port and Cognac Cask Finish Straight Bourbon Whiskeys — with a rye finished in 14-year-old Barbados rum casks for two to five months. While I’m partial to the distillery’s wheated whiskeys, this rye (a 95% rye, 5% malted barley mashbill) takes on tropical flavors (including pineapple) with a nice bit of rye spice. It made for an amazing take on an Old Fashioned.
Kentucky Owl Mardi Gras XO Cask Limited Edition Straight Rye Whiskey
Kentucky Owl released a very limited run of this whiskey, an 11-year-old rye finished for a year in Bayou Rum XO casks. The result is certainly a party: it’s full of nutmeg, toasted rye, cinnamon and allspice.
Knob Creek 7-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
While Knob Creek keeps pushing the age statement for their bourbon — it’s up to 18 — this is the brand’s first age-statement rye whiskey. Bottled at 100 proof (no mashbill given), this is both sweet and herbal — you’ll get notes of leather, vanilla, caramel and oak spice with a hint of apple.
291 All Rye Colorado Whiskey Batch #1
Also known as “All Rye, All Rye, All Rye,” Colorado’s 291 Distillery (which has had success with, surprisingly, white dog) just unleashed this 100% rye malt, which is finished with toasted aspen wood staves. Coming in at a whopping 132.6-proof, you’ll get a lot of spice and herbal notes on the nose, with some sweeter elements on the palate (still very spicy, though). It also has an oily mouthfeel and a lingering finish.
Barrell Rye Batch 004
Rye Batch 004 (115.7 proof) is a blend of straight rye whiskeys distilled and aged in IN, TN, KY and Canada, featuring a selection of five, six, 10 and 14-year-old barrels. This one features hints of marmalade, lemon (almost Lemon Pledge), brown sugar and oak spice with an underlying herbal character. It’s excellent and complex.
Widow Jane Paradigm Rye
The first nationally available product from Widow Jane, inclusive of whiskey distilled at the brand’s home Brooklyn, this rye features both Widow Jane’s liquid and barrels from Kentucky and Indiana. It’s non-chill filtered, bottled at 46.5% ABV and proofed with limestone mineral water from the Rosendale Mines of New York. Both earthy and sweet on the nose, you’ll find notes of vanilla, mint, wood spice, burnt caramel, pear and Earl Gray tea on the palate.
WhistlePig PiggyBank Rye
Now an annual release with a charitable element, this 110-proof rye pours from the rear of a one-liter pig vessel (there’s precedent: the bottle was inspired by a 19th-century antique pig decanter). A 10-year expression, this is a robust rye, full of mint, dill and oak spice. It’s both herbaceous and swee, with a long dry finish.
Pinhook Vertical Series Rye 7-Year
Pinhook’s Vertical Series follows a single group of bourbon and rye barrels sourced from Midwest Grain Products (MGP) as they mature from four to 12 years of age. Made with a set mashbill (95% rye and 5% malted barley), barrels and similar fill dates, the only thing that imparts new flavor to this liquid is the aging process itself. Proofed at 105.12, this one has obvious tasting notes of cherry, root beer and chocolate with a bit of mint lingering in the background, along with some wood and herbal notes. It’s spicy, but not aggressively so. See more on the rye here.
Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye
The third release in the Tennessee distillery’s new-ish Bonded Series and a replacement for Jack Daniel’s core rye product, this one takes on some surprising flavors. You’ll get a lot of oak, baking spices, herbaceousness and black pepper. While sweet at first, that rye aspect hits in the mid-palate. From there, it’s a melange of apple, apricot, molasses and a noticeable barrel influence. The rye is complex and rather bold, and yes, quite ideal for a whiskey cocktail where you don’t want to emphasize the sweetness.
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