Blaum Bros. Distilling Co. Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $50
- 100 Proof
 - NAS
- Illinois

Blaum Bros. has managed to get some nationwide recognition for the work that they've been doing, mostly due to the love for their MGP-sourced Oldfangled Knotter Bourbon (which I've had and I've loved!!).  They are now coming into their own distillate, though, and so far it's been well-received, at least in my internet and social media circles.

I went into Binny's with the intention of grabbing something that I simply haven't gotten around to trying (as opposed to the store picks or allocated items I'm usually keeping an eye out for), and this is what I came away with. They're so close to me, and the only product I've had of theirs wasn't actually theirs. So I felt like it was long overdue

The nose is very pungent. I could smell this whiskey from a couple feet away before even pouring it into my glass. I got a distinct maraschino cherry note, along with some cinnamon and brown sugar. However, I also got that overripe or cooked apple note that I always get in young whiskeys.

On my first sip, I got a weird kind of furniture polish note--that taste in your mouth you when you spray dusting spray and a few of the airborne particles get into your mouth. Perhaps it's not as relatable as I think it is, but that's what this reminded me of.

I primarily got notes of orange and cinnamon. The orange was more like orange pith, though, with a touch of bitterness to it. I also found that it came across as woody and piney. The pine notes are not unexpected in a rye, but these leaned more towards pine bark than pine needles, if that makes sense. I also, surprisingly, got a bit of a char note.

I say surprisingly given the overripe apple notes that I got on the nose, indicative of a young bourbon. Those same notes were there on the palate as well, but that apple note seemed to fade rather quickly to more of a nutty, spicy note, like cinnamon and nutmeg.

I also got some rich, more dessert-like notes. Particularly, I got a bit of dark chocolate, as well as a sort of dark fruit cookie note. At first I was leaning towards an oatmeal raisin flavor, but it wasn't that sweet. Eventually, I pegged it as similar to a fig newton, with that bready note and that almost-sweet fruit filling.

Once I got past the weird or off notes, I found a lot to like about this rye. It had good spice, light sweetness, and a certain richness that gave this whiskey a lot of character. However, it required some work to get past the young notes as well as that odd furniture polish note in order to get there.

Grade: B-