Templeton 4 Year Rye

VITALS:

- $28

- 80 Proof

- 4 Years

- Indiana

Okay, this is one of those whiskeys that is just always available at nearly any place (at least by me) that sells whiskey. I grabbed this off the shelf at Meier for the simple reason that it was a bottle I've never had before. After all, it's a four year old rye from a smaller distiller, it's sourced from MGP, and it's bottled at only 80 proof. It doesn't exactly scream, "Buy me!" 

But, I wanted something new, and, quite frankly due to requests from visitors at my house, I needed some lower proof options. So, I picked this up at a very easy to swallow price of $28.  I figure, at the very least, it will set the record for the shortest blog post title.

The nose on this one was surprisingly fruity. At different times I got all sorts of different notes from apple to pear to plum.  But, it wasn't all sweet. There was a slight resin note that added some earthiness, as well as a bit of a cinnamon spice, I'm sure coming from the rye. It was kind of like an earthy fruit salad (which sounds really weird). That said, those fruity notes did make it smell a bit young.

Not surprisingly, the first thing I noted when I took a sip was that this was thin and watered down. That tends to be the case with 80-proofers. However, after a moment the flavors tend to make their way to the front, and in this case that charge was led by a fresh pear note. There was a bit of spice to accompany it, like cinnamon and perhaps a little bit of chili powder, but this was all fresh pear.

The finish, despite the watery texture, was actually surprisingly long.  Here the cinnamon spice seemed to take much more of a foothold, leaving a spicy note at the back of my throat.  Coupled with the pear or even apple notes, I did find a cinnamon apple combination that I wish was more prevalent throughout, even if it gave of those "young" vibes.

This is one of those whiskeys where I knew what I was getting when I bought the bottle. And, both good and bad, it was exactly what I expected.

Grade: C

Cedar Ridge Distillery No. 9 Reserve Iowa Whiskey

VITALS:

- $80

- 99 Proof

- 4 years

- Iowa

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I love free whiskey!!!  This particular bottle was a Christmas gift from my sister.  When it comes to gift getting, I don't often get bottles of whiskey because people are usually concerned about whether or not I've had something before. While I certainly wish that train of thought went away, as I love getting bottles as gifts, regardless of whether or not I've had them before, in this instance my sister was very confident that wouldn't be the case. 

This is a collaboration that Cedar Ridge Distillery in Ioway did with Slipknot. It indicates that it's a blend of corn and rye, but it's not labeled as either one, but rather just "Iowa whiskey."  So I have no clue as to the mashbill. But, in any event, I was excited to try Slipknot's whiskey, and just to have something new!!

On the nose I did get a lot of rye notes. It was a good blend of cinnamon and pine resin, along with a rich nutty note, like walnut. There was also a slight licorice or anise note on the nose, which seemed to get stronger over time. I also got a distinct note of oatmeal, like cinnamon raisin oatmeal.

On the flavor, the cinnamon was front and center. It had that big red cinnamon note to it, along with the more natural cinnamon, giving it a place somewhere between cinnamon rolls and red hots.  I definitely got the pine resin notes as well, giving it a bit of mustiness. Also, despite its young age, I got a bit of oak right up front, along with a tannic bitterness.

As I had more pours, it started leaning more towards that oatmeal note I got on the nose.  I definitely got black licorice, very much like the candy I so hated growing up (and am still not much a fan of). But there was also raisin, a cereal note not unlike oatmeal, and loads of brown sugar. I think this combo did betray this whiskey's youth a bit, but I still found it enjoyable. 

On the finish a black pepper spice came through. Normally I would welcome that, but it just didn't seem to really have a place among the healthy amounts of cinnamon and brown sugar that were left lingering. The finish was just a bit all over the place.  

All in all, this was good, just with some rough edges that I needed to get past. I don't know if I would buy it again, but I was glad to have tried it, and did enjoy each glass. 

Grade: C+

Mississippi River Distilling Cody Road Experimental Rye Whiskey Finished in Brandy Barrels

VITALS:

- $30

- 80 Proof

- NAS

- Batch 1

- Iowa

It's been almost six years since I've purchased a Cody Road bottle  I'm not really sure why, though. The last one I had was a Binny's private select rye, which I thought was great! But with the overabundance of smaller, craft distilleries that are out there to try, not to mention the seemingly endless stream of products from the big guys, I just never made my way back to Cody Road rye.

This one, however, caught my eye. At first it was the bright pink/purple colors on the label. That really stood out among the sea of green rye labels.  Then it was the edgy looking "X" right on the label, telling me this was certainly one bad-ass whiskey (okay, not really, but it certainly doesn't exude "fancy"). Then, it was the fact that it's brandy finished -- I've always been a fan of such finishes. And what sealed the deal here was the price -- a mere $30!  Now it is only 80 proof, and likely a younger whiskey, but I was still more than willing to give this whiskey a try at that price.

The nose was definitely fruity, as would be expected. I immediately got notes of apple cider and cedar. There were also notes of green grapes and baked pears. In addition to that, though, I also got come rich brown sugar notes, as well as a bit of nutmeg. It definitely had a sort of apple pie quality, with a few other flavors added in. 

When I took my first sip, the first thing I noticed was the very watery texture. Of course, this is to be expected given the low 80 proof. It struck me as a bit more watered down than I anticipated, though. This resulted in it coming across as pretty light in flavor, which was disappointing. I really wanted that brandy barrel finish to shine.

What flavors that were there, though, were quite frankly what I was hoping to get. I got that apple pie note, with notes of baked apples and cinnamon. It even had a light, graham crackery note to it, like a sweeter pie crust. The baked pear from the nose came through as well.

The finish was probably what I liked the most about it, even if it didn't last very long. On the finish I got this sticky maple syrup note that changed direction from the other flavors just enough to make it interesting. On later pours it was still there but was more of a brown sugar and butter note which was my favorite part of tasting this whiskey.

All in all, I wanted a bit more from this, but at this price, if I'm in the mood for a brandy finished whiskey, it'd certainly have the potential to be a grab again.

Grade: B-