Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $45
- 90 Proof
- NAS

My wife is wonderful in so many ways, but one of the biggest ways is when she buys me random bottles of whiskey out of the blue. This was one such bottle. Intrigued by the sticker on the bottle advertising Dad's Hat's Rye as having been named Craft Whiskey of the Year by Whisky Advocate, and knowing it was one I've not tried before, she grabbed a bottle for me on a whim. (You should know she also grabbed yet another bottle of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof while she was at the store just because she knew I loved it!)

I feel like I've been lucky enough to get my hands on some of the harder to find or nicer bottles from the major producers lately, but, as a result, I haven't tried many of the hundreds of craft distillery products that are out there, so I eagerly popped the cork on this one right away.

Sometimes when I nose a bourbon it takes me a few tries before I can pin down the different scents I'm noticing. That was not the case with this one. This nose was a blend of tobacco leaf and dark cherry. Certainly these are not everyday scents, so I don't know why, for whatever reason, I was able to ascertain this one quickly, but I was certain of what I smelled. The tobacco reminded leave actually reminded me of some Irish whiskeys I've had in the past.

Upon the first sip, the first thing I noticed was that this Rye has an odd tanginess to it. At first I chalked it up to the fact that it is a young whiskey coming from a craft distillery. According to the label, it was aged for a minimum of 6 months in new oak quarter cask barrels. I've noticed that with young ryes, they have a certain young quality due to less time spent with the wood. This one was a bit different than that, though.

The tanginess was almost like the sweet tanginess you get from vermouth or even rum finished barrels—a sweetness that has a thin line between sweet and too sweet. I thought this rye came pretty close to that line, but did not cross it.

It had an interesting combination of flavors going on. Though it took me a few drinks to pinpoint it, it has a nutmeg flavor that seemed to mix with the plum (perhaps that's the tanginess I noticed, like biting into a not-quite-ripe plum). However, it had that sugar cane flavor to it as well. I can't recall ever having plum pudding, but I imagine that if I had, that would be my flavor comparison here. I could be way off base here, so for now I'll just leave it as is and make it a point to try plum pudding some time.

All in all, this is a good rye that I feel, with some additional aging, can become a really good rye. That being said, this one was already bottled, so I drank it and enjoyed it. While it may not be on the list of my priorities as far as future purchases, it certainly has me interested in some of the other products that Dad's Hat offers, including the port finished rye I've seen on the shelves recently, and I may give one of those a go.

Grade: B

Willett Family Estate 3-Year Straight Rye

VITALS:
- $45
- 110.4 Proof
- 3 Years

Last year I had the opportunity to try the Willett Family Estate 2 Year Rye, their own product which they distilled and aged, and I absolutely loved it. So, when the 3-year was released, I did not hesitate to grab a bottle to try immediately (and I'm sure I'll be grabbing each future release as well).

It's nice when a product you already know you love gets released as a slightly older version. It really takes the risk out of the purchase, not that I've found a whole lot of risk with Willett products to begin with. This one certainly did not disappoint. On the nose I immediately noticed cinnamon bread. It was a nice blend of sweet spice and grain that made my mouth salivate immediately.

What followed was a taste of traditional rye, but also, and not necessarily unexpectedly, a mild cinnamon flavor paired with an earthy maltiness, giving this rye multiple enjoyable layers, and certainly showing where the cinnamon bread nose came from. At points I even likened it to Cinnamon Toast Crunch (for some reason, I frequently find myself comparing flavors in whiskey to different cereal brands). It just had that familiarity to it. 

This rye really seemed to linger for ever. It's a more viscous rye, one that really coated the mouth and back of the throat, making that cinnamon flavor stick around for quite a while. A light minty-ness seemed to come through at the end, really only noticeable after I swallowed. This presented a nice complement to the sweet heat that maintained throughout each sip, even long after I finished each sip.

This remained a very rich rye from the beginning of the bottle to the end. Towards the end, it seemed to be almost all cinnamon and caramel (a combination of flavors that I really seem to enjoy!), really finishing strong.

I took my time getting through this bottle, and now that it's done, I feel like it won't be too long before their next release. I can't wait, as I enjoyed this more than the 2-year (which, looking back at my old post, I clearly loved!), and this stuff appears to be on an upward trajectory right now.

Grade: A

Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:

Price: $50

Proof: 110 Proof

Age: 6 Years (NAS on bottle)

Distiller: Heaven Hill

I held onto this bottle for quite some time before opening it. I'm not really sure why, just seemed to have something else I wanted to open first, and so my Pikesville Rye just sat bunkered, waiting to be loved. But, finally, I decided to crack the seal and give it a try, and before I knew it I was to the bottom of the bottle. I don't know what I was waiting for, because once opened I couldn't stay away from this stuff.

On the nose there's a distinct citrus note to it, very orange-y. Traditional rye flavors are also present, with a strong cinnamon spice, but the orange scent immediately set this apart from other ryes.

On the first sip, the citrus note remained, but it had more bitterness to it, more like orange peel. That bitter orange peel flavor mixed quite well, however, with prominent brown sugar and vanilla notes, making this rye neither too bitter nor too sweet. It found a nice cushion in the middle, like a slot receiver finding a soft spot in a zone defense.

This is certainly a different tasting rye, unlike your traditional ryes, but it still had some of the familiar characteristics I enjoy in a good rye, particularly that cinnamon spice. While it wasn't strong and didn't tickle the back of my throat or make my mouth water like some do, it again was enough to balance very well with all the other flavors going on.

This rye clocks in at 110 proof. Although it's not labeled as barrel proof, there certainly hasn't been much watering down of the product, and that complexity and richness that comes with higher proofs certainly exists in this rye. It's an incredibly easy sipper despite the high proof, and I didn't really notice any burn either in the nose or on the palate. 

Ultimately, this is one of the most well-balanced ryes I've had, giving almost equal doses of citrus, sweet, spicy and bitter. Since its release, Pikesville has been pretty readily available, and, although somewhat in the higher range of ryes, is certainly worth the price, as this is an excellent, albeit kind of different, rye whiskey. It's no wonder that I found my way through this bottle as fast as I did.

Grade: A-

Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $40
- 99 Proof
- 7 years
- Batch No. 52

The Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Rye had eluded me for quite some time. While it was supposed to be generally available, I simply hadn't seen it in the wild anywhere. Having heard good things about it, I always kept an eye out.

I ended up finding it at a local higher-end grocery store called Mariano's. Among their whiskey selections were a number of craft options the likes you don't find in most grocery stores, and there, at a cool $40, were a number of bottles of the Old Scout Rye. It only took me half a second to grab one and head for the checkout line.

The nose is a traditional rye spice, with some vanilla and pepper and a bit of cherry to it. On the first sip I couldn't help but notice how smooth it is. It's 99 proof, but had very minimal burn.

The flavor was all dark fruits and spice. It was like a mix of cherry and plum with cinnamon. It also had a nutty, pecan flavor behind it. I found it to be incredibly tasty from the first pour.

Perhaps it was the bottle, perhaps it was me, or perhaps it's just a complex rye, but while the cherry flavor stuck around, as I made my way through this bottle, the cinnamon and nut flavors were muted and a distinct coffee flavor came to the forefront to mix with the cherry, along with a chocolate undertone.  This cherry and coffee mix was really interesting, and the differing flavors continued to hit my tongue in waves, even if they were different than on the first pour.

This is a very warming rye, certainly spicy, and would be very good on a cold winter night. I happened to enjoy this bottle over the summer, and, don't get me wrong, I absolutely enjoyed it on warm summer nights, sitting on my couch in the air conditioning.

Grade: B+

Mellow Corn Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Corn Whiskey

VITALS:

- $13

- 100 Proof

- NAS

Let me just start off by saying this is by far the ugliest label on any bottle I've ever cracked open. The color scheme leaves much to be desired, and it's a good thing its cheap, because it otherwise does not necessarily scream attractiveness as far as whiskey labels are concerned.

But, of course, none of that matters. I only mention it because, considering how recognizable this label is, I couldn't figure out why I couldn't find a bottle near me. It wasn't until I made my trip to Louisville that I finally tracked down a bottle, and now it represents the last bottle standing from my Kentucky trip haul.

On the nose the ethanol is strong, as is expected from a corn whiskey, particularly a higher proof corn whiskey such as this. The nose is also very sweet, however, reminding me of the smell of a corn processing plant (if you've ever been near one, you know the smell I'm talking about).  

The first sip was sweet to match the nose. The corn provides almost all the flavor, but there's a bit of heat mixed with a cinnamon flavor at the end that was quite enjoyable, reminding me of those fireball jawbreakers I used to break my teeth on as a kid. That burn seemed to linger a bit as well, really warming my insides.

Mellow Corn holds up on its own as a sipper, but it is nonetheless pretty one-dimensional. It lacks in any real complexity, though it held up from the beginning of the bottle to the end. Also, considering the price, I fully expected a thin, watery whiskey. While it's not the most viscous I've ever had, it certainly doesn't come across as watery, and had decent texture.

As I worked my way through the bottle i noticed additional hints of almond and brown sugar to mix with the corn and cinnamon that initially dominated. These flavors were not strong and were ultimately overwhelmed by the cinnamon red hots flavor.

For the price I paid, Mellow Corn is a very good whiskey. As far as value whiskeys go, it's always nice to find one that is worthy of sipping neat or with an ice cube. It's nothing great, but it is certainly a better than average whiskey at a nice price.

Grade: C+

Barton 1792 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon - Gift Shop Single Barrel Select

VITALS:
- $50
- 98.6 Proof
- NAS

On my recent trip to Louisville I brought home what I thought was a decent haul of bourbon. In fact, my wife believed that the six bottles could last me three months (hahaha, silly wife!). Here I am, though, just over a month removed from that trip, and I'm finding the bottom of the last couple bottles from that trip. While it has saved me a number of trips to the liquor store, it nonetheless makes me sad to realize that I'm to the last drops of my mementos from my pilgrimage.

This Barton 1792 Single Barrel, a private selection from their gift shop, however, was the one bottle that I tried to make last. I first cracked into this bottle on the bus back to Louisville after hitting Barton as our last distillery tour of the day. I opened the bottle and was hit immediately with a heavy vanilla nose. Even my tour guide noticed the nose from across the aisle of the bus.

That vanilla nose very much carried through to the palate. In fact, this is the closest thing to a vanilla bomb bourbon that I've had in a while. I thoroughly enjoyed it after a long day of distillery tours and bourbon tasting, and I continued to enjoy it each pour thereafter.

In addition to the heavy amounts of vanilla, it had a buttery walnut undertone, making it almost pastry-like in flavor. However, at the back end it was complemented by an unexpected smokiness.

To add to the complexity of this bourbon, as I made my way through this bottle I began to notice a very tasty amaretto flavor that would hang around the back of my throat long after each swallow. This bourbon really coated the mouth and, in general, seemed to stick around forever.

Whoever picked out this barrel has incredible taste.  Although this cost a bit more than the bottles you find on the liquor store shelves, it wasn't that much more, and was still worth every penny. I was sad to see this one go, not only for the sentimental reasons noted above, but also because I knew I wouldn't be able to find this one again.

Grade: A

Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $11
- 100 Proof
- NAS

This is another one of the bottom-shelf bourbons that I just can't find anywhere in Illinois (though I understand it is available), so I grabbed a bottle while I was in Louisville last month. I'm quickly running short on my stash that I had built up during that trip. Though I hadn't planned on grabbing a bottle of the Evan Williams BIB, at only $11 it was hardly a gamble.

That being said, I'm glad that $11 is all I spent. This bourbon really comes across as a sub-par example of bourbon, something that I would really only use as a mixer, and, quite frankly, that's predominantly what this bottle was used for.

The nose gives off the traditional vanilla and caramel flavors, and leans more toward the caramel end. After getting that first sniff, I was hoping that I had found myself a gem on the lower shelf.

However, upon tasting it, the bourbon just comes across as watery and simple. Sure, it has the typical vanilla, but it lacked in the sweetness that I drew me to bourbon in the first place. Beyond that, it came across as dry and woody. Rather than mix with the wood and develop complex flavors, it simply took on the wood flavor and not much else.

This bourbon is also very watery in texture, and I just didn't really enjoy it as a sipper. As noted above, it just came across as a below-average bourbon, not like the Heaven Hill BIB which is a steal at this price point.

I ultimately ended up using this bourbon for making Old Fashioned's whenever the mood hit me. Even for this purpose, though, I think a sweeter, more robust bourbon would have made for a better cocktail.

Again, at the price point, it was worth the gamble, and I'm not exactly disappointed. However, knowing that there are quality bourbons, even sipping bourbons to be had at this price point, the Evan Williams BIB just doesn't stack up.

Grade: C-