Official Bourbon/Rye Thread

[Chadanth]

How is it?

It's very good. Maybe a bit overpriced, but I'm a huge rye fan, so worth it occasionally.

[tdig]

I haven't had the rye, but their bourbon is tasty. I don't know that it's worth the price (I just ordered a glass at a local bar), but it's quite delicious.

Never been much of a fan of the Hudson stuff myself. I can taste its youth and the price is simply too much for what it is.

[MikeAD91]

I've had the Hudson rye and bourbon so far, and enjoyed them both.

The price is fairly high... Unfortunately, I think most of the craft distillers are at such a disadvantage due to the high cost to get started, the prices will be higher than anything comparable from a large distiller. So, if I like the whiskey, I try to support them.

On the other hand, a $40 bottle of Hudson is a bargain compared to the Midleton I was drinking at a bar last night...

[Fred G. Unn]

The Hudson is honestly pretty pricey for what it is. I mostly picked it up since it's sort of local and relatives from out of town probably wouldn't have tried it before.

[ThatLarsenGuy]

Templeton Rye, the end.

[tdig]

Templeton Rye, the end.

To each his own. Never been much of a Templeton fan either. I enjoy some LDI rye's but I definitely prefer it at a higher proof than Templeton bottles it. Bit soft that low. I can't really get on board with an 80 proof NAS LDI rye at $40/bottle when I get get Bulleit for $18 or 110 proof Age Stated Willet at the same $40 price tag which blows the Templeton out of the water.

[ThatLarsenGuy]

To each his own. Never been much of a Templeton fan either. I enjoy some LDI rye's but I definitely prefer it at a higher proof than Templeton bottles it. Bit soft that low. I can't really get on board with an 80 proof NAS LDI rye at $40/bottle when I get get Bulleit for $18 or 110 proof Age Stated Willet at the same $40 price tag which blows the Templeton out of the water.

If i'm sipping n a Rye neat I agree with you, but if i'm making an Old-fashion I personally prefer lower proofs. Same with a Rye Sazerac. That's just me though.

[tdig]

If i'm sipping n a Rye neat I agree with you, but if i'm making an Old-fashion I personally prefer lower proofs. Same with a Rye Sazerac. That's just me though.

Definitely comes down to personal preference. In cocktails I try to use something BIB (100 proof) 99% of the time for both consistency and taste preference. Not too high to take over but not too low to get lost. With that said, I cant usually find any reason to spend more than $20 on cocktail whiskey either. Too many good options in that price range.

[yoyorobbo]

As far as Ryes go, I've personally only had bottles of Rittenhouse, Sazerac and Bulleit. My preference of those three is Sazerac, but it's near impossible to find locally. Once the *few* bottles are gone from the shelves, that's all you'll see for several months. Rittenhouse worked great in cocktails (mainly Manhattans and Red Hooks in my home bar XP) as it seemed to cut-through a little better; but for neat or rocks I really like that Sazerac Rye.

Any other mid-low range offerings you fellas suggest? I hear Old Overholt all the time, but it's NOwhere to be found around here. I'd prefer to keep it around $30 and under.

[greg_s]

We just need a tdig beacon we can flash into the sky like Batman.

[Shomas]

As far as Ryes go, I've personally only had bottles of Rittenhouse, Sazerac and Bulleit. My preference of those three is Sazerac, but it's near impossible to find locally. Once the *few* bottles are gone from the shelves, that's all you'll see for several months. Rittenhouse worked great in cocktails (mainly Manhattans and Red Hooks in my home bar XP) as it seemed to cut-through a little better; but for neat or rocks I really like that Sazerac Rye.

Any other mid-low range offerings you fellas suggest? I hear Old Overholt all the time, but it's NOwhere to be found around here. I'd prefer to keep it around $30 and under.

A good option for buying booze that may not be available locally is drinkupny.com. Their shipping rates depend on what your order weighs, but it may be worth checking out.

[tdig]

As far as Ryes go, I've personally only had bottles of Rittenhouse, Sazerac and Bulleit. My preference of those three is Sazerac, but it's near impossible to find locally. Once the *few* bottles are gone from the shelves, that's all you'll see for several months. Rittenhouse worked great in cocktails (mainly Manhattans and Red Hooks in my home bar XP) as it seemed to cut-through a little better; but for neat or rocks I really like that Sazerac Rye.

Any other mid-low range offerings you fellas suggest? I hear Old Overholt all the time, but it's NOwhere to be found around here. I'd prefer to keep it around $30 and under.

Ritt is my go to cocktail rye. I actually also prefer the Baby Sazerac for straight sipping but in all honesty I usually jump from cheap to expensive when I go from cocktail rye to sipping rye. For sipping ryes I currently have open 2012 and 2013 Thomas Handy, High West Rendezvous, Vintage 21, VWFRR, and EH Taylor Rye.

Old Overholt is an average cocktail rye. Its $10 near me. Honestly there are not too many reasonably priced sipping ryes. The only one I would recommend is Willett Family Estate which is slightly above your price range considering youd probably have to have it shipped too. You are better off in the $30 range to go for a high rye bourbon like Four Roses Small Batch which is quite high in rye content.

Willett Rye - $38 + shipping
http://www.internetwines.com/rws47026.html

[yoyorobbo]

Thanks tdig and Shomas. I'm not usually (OK, ever)a buy booze online kinda guy, but it's something to keep in mind, I guess for the hard-to-find stuff.

On the rye-ish bourbons: Woodford is supposed to be a high rye bourbon too, right? It did taste a bit spicier(?) than a few other bourbons I like.

I'm currently working my way through the bottle of Bulleit Rye from my b-day, and some Buffalo Trace bourbon. I really like that stuff!

I'll probably hold out for some more Sazerac, if and when it comes back in at my local joints.

[tdig]

Thanks tdig and Shomas. I'm not usually (OK, ever)a buy booze online kinda guy, but it's something to keep in mind, I guess for the hard-to-find stuff.

On the rye-ish bourbons: Woodford is supposed to be a high rye bourbon too, right? It did taste a bit spicier(?) than a few other bourbons I like.

I believe Woodford uses 18% rye which I would consider mid to high rye blend. Buffalo Trace has a low-rye mash bill (less than 10%) and a higher rye (12%-15%). The "Buffalo Trace" bourbon comes from their low rye mash bill also referred to as Mash Bill #1. Four Roses has ten recipes from two rye mash bills. Their OE line uses 20% rye and their OB line uses 35% rye. The Small Batch is a blend of OB and OE which puts it in the mid to high 20s and the standard single barrel is OBSV so 35%. The Limited Edition and Private Barrels are going to vary depending on the specific recipe.

You'd be surprised how much difference a little bit can make with rye. To be considered a "rye whiskey" vs "bourbon" the recipe has to use at least 51% rye whereas bourbon has to have at least 51% corn. Some Ryes are on the low end and others are closer to 95% and higher.

[Brent k]

I have been drinkin Maker's Mark straight and Jim Beam for whiskey sours. I use fresh lemon juice and homemade simple syrup.

Pretty sure I want to try Maker's Mark 46. Any reviews here on it?