Rye whiskey is where the fun’s at in American whiskey. The use of rye grains (a wheat varietal) in place of bourbon’s corn brings a different flavor profile to the whiskey. It’s often earthier, more floral, fruitier, more herbal, grassier, and sharper as a base ingredient. Add in various yeast strains, local water, and new oak barrel aging and you have almost infinite dimensions of flavor notes that range from darkly sweet to bright fruits to dankness to, yes, spice (though mostly thanks to wood influence).
As you can see, folks, I love rye whiskey. So today, I’m going to rank 100 great American ryes. And yes, I had to cut a lot to keep at 100 entries.
American rye whiskey has to adhere to pretty strict rules in the U.S. to be called “straight rye whiskey”. Here’s what to know before we dive into the list:
- American rye whiskey has to be made with a mash bill (recipe) of at least 51% rye grain.
- It must be distilled no higher than 160-proof (80% ABV).
- It must go into the barrel no higher than 125-proof (62.5% ABV).
- It has to be aged in new oak containers (the shape, size, or species of oak doesn’t matter).
- To be called a “straight” rye whiskey, it has to age a minimum of two years and cannot be blended with any other spirits.
Beyond those rules, anything is really possible. Since American rye whiskey is so widespread, there are tons of variables from barrel-proof or bottled in bond bottlings and special barrel finishes to unique yeasts in the mash, local terroir-forward rye grains, and one-of-a-kind water sources that can have a massive effect on the final product. Then there are the passionate people who are making rye everywhere from Kentucky to New York to Colorado to California and all points in between — genuine aficionados whose commitment to craft certainly translates into their final products.
In 2023, every major name in whiskeys big or small is making the grassy juice in one way or another. Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, Pappy Van Winkle, Elijah Craig, Balcones, Michter’s, Willett .. they’re all below alongside so many more. And the “crafty” smaller brands are in the mix too. Which is all just a long-winded way of saying: It’s a great time to be a rye whiskey fan. There truly something for everyone out there. So let me help you find the perfect American rye whiskey to add to your collection.
100. Old Overholt Bonded Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $28
The Whiskey:
This rye hails from the Pennsylvania rye traditions of the early 1800s. The brand was moved to Kentucky almost 200 years later thanks to Beam. The whiskey in the bottle is a bit of an enigma since Beam doesn’t disclose the mash bill. It is aged for four years and bottled at 100-proof per bottled-in-bond laws.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This leans a bit more towards a high-rye bourbon than an out-and-out rye whiskey, with hints of vanilla, dry oak, and sweet corn.
Palate: The taste really leans into the vanilla with a creamy pudding vibe leading towards salted caramel, more dry wood, roasted almonds, and a final spurt of heavy spice with a grassy edge.
Finish: The finish stays dry and nutty as the spiciness is more woody than peppery with a green edge.
Bottom Line:
This is a great place to start this list. This is a very solid rye at a great price point. It’s clearly built as a cocktail base, so use it accordingly to get a nice spicy/sweet creamy foundation into your drink.
99. Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky Bottled-In-Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $28
The Whiskey:
This rye is very much a bourbon drinker’s rye. The mash bill is only 51% rye with 37% corn and 12% malted barley. The juice then matures under the federal regulations allowing it to be “bottled-in-bond” and is barely proofed down to 100 proof with that soft Kentucky limestone water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this one is bold with layers of cherry, vanilla, winter spices, and old oak staves.
Palate: The palate is classic rye with a sprinkling of black pepper next to cinnamon sticks and cloves with a lush underbelly of vanilla cream that’s nearly eggnog.
Finish: There’s a hint of orange that leads back to the cherry with a touch of old wicker and woody spice rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is a very solid entry-point rye. It’s simple but does deliver on the most basic rye flavor notes, which will ready your palate for bigger-hitting and deeper ryes.
98. Sazerac Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $34
The Whiskey:
Sazerac Rye is an entry-point whiskey and a throwback to the 1800s. The brand was named after the famed Sazerac Coffee House on Royal Street in New Orleans where the Sazerac cocktail was born. Today, this expression is a true classic made at Buffalo Trace from their iconic rye mash bill.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a vanilla base that supports anise, sasparilla, clove, cardamom, and a hint of red peppercorn with a very soft minerality.
Palate: The palate has big Christmas-time vibes with candied fruits and nuts with plenty of dark spice alongside more of that red peppercorn with old pine wood paneling lurking in the background.
Finish: The finish is soft with candied fruits creating a spicy cream soda with an old sweetgrass rope drying things out that ultimately leads to a proofed finish.
Bottom Line:
This is another great option for mixing up cocktails. The deep dark spices add a great dimension to any whiskey-forward elixir.
97. Woody Creek Distillers Colorado Straight 100% Rye Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $42
The Whiskey:
This Colorado whiskey is made from a mash bill of 100% Colorado rye that’s grown up in the Rocky Mountains. The grain-to-glass whiskey is distilled on custom-built stills before four years of resting in new American oak.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep with a sense of dark yet sweet red cherry, leathery apricot, sourdough rye bread crusts with a hint of caraway, and this whisper of cinnamon and clove.
Palate: Bourbon cherry and dark winter spice lead on the palate before green herbal botanicals and more of that rye vibe come back with a sense of toffee and vanilla.
Finish: The end leans into the sweet side with a touch of cherry and vanilla countered by chili pepper and green savory dry herbs.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for something a little more herbaceous and then this is the play, especially if you’re shopping for a cocktail whiskey in the Rocky Mountain State.
96. Noble Oak Double Oak Rye Finished with Port Wine Oak Staves
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $36
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is made from Indiana whiskey that’s finished in Ohio. The “double oak” maturation process means that his high-rye mash was first aged in new American oak per law, and then re-barreled into old port casks for a final rest. Those barrels are batched and the whiskey is proofed with Ohio water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear grassiness on the nose that’s like a freshly filled lawnmower bag next to soft caramel, woody spices, and a whisper of oatmeal cookie dough.
Palate: The palate leans into the brown sugar and cinnamon of that cookie dough with a whisper of maple syrup next to more grassiness.
Finish: The end has a note of bell pepper next to more of that wet oat feel with a mild sense of fennel-crusted rye bread.
Bottom Line:
This has a freshness to it that plays well in cocktails, especially citrus-forward ones.
95. Bespoken Spirits Rye Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $54
The Whiskey:
This sourced whiskey is from MGP’s 95/5 rye, like so many ryes out there. In this case, the whiskey is finished and bottled in California, giving it a distinctly West Coast vibe.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Drip coffee and caramel come through on a tannic nose with a touch of brown spice and vanilla.
Palate: The palate has a touch of celery salt that leads to caraway and rye bread vibes next to plenty of dark citruses and stone fruit with a hint of soft creamy honey.
Finish: The end has a soft and very fruity finish with a hint of black pepper and cinnamon sticks.
Bottom Line:
This is kind of funky and fresh with a good herbal saltiness that just works. Still, we’re in cocktail territory though, so try this one in your next Bloody Mary.
94. Milam & Greene Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Casks
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $52
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is made in Indiana (at MGP) and shipped down to Texas where it’s batched. That whiskey is then refilled into port casks imported from Portugal. After a final rest under the hot Blanco, Texas sun, the barrels are small batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is sweet and fruity with grapes and maybe some blackberries next to dark chocolate laced with cinnamon and a light mustiness.
Palate: The palate leans into lush vanilla with a strong and dark fruit cake full of clove, cinnamon, candied fruits, and nuts.
Finish: The finish is shorter and a little light but delivers vanilla lushness beneath woody winter spices, roasted nuts, and a light sense of spicy chewing tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This has a nice balance of dark fruit and sweetness that just works, especially if you’re looking to make a good fizzy cocktail.
93. Great Jones Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $40 (Coming Soon)
The Whiskey:
This is a very local New York whiskey. The mash uses grains grown in New York before the juice is distilled and aged at the craft distillery. The whiskey ages for four years before batching, proofing, and barreling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This whiskey opens with a nose full of lemon and cumin with a dose of vanilla and pepper.
Palate: The palate is cinnamon candy forward with vanilla tobacco and lemon pepper mingling with a hint of old oak staves and maybe some sour cherry.
Finish: The end is light but spicy with a rush of dried fruits and sweet brown sugars.
Bottom Line:
This is another good standard rye that hits classic notes very clearly. Use it in cocktails.
92. Filmland Spirits Presents Ryes of the Robots Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This brand-new whiskey blends Hollywood B-movies with sourced whiskey is very new. The actual whiskey is a 95/5 rye/malted barley sourced whiskey from Kentucky. Beyond that, not much is known. Though there’s been an incredible amount of work about writing a script and drawing up storyboards around the release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a nice mix of dark berries and old leather next to cinnamon bark and clove berries with a hint of caramel.
Palate: The palate starts off pretty thin but ends up hitting a mint chocolate chip vibe and a dash of black peppercorn with a hint of red berries floating in vanilla-laced cream.
Finish: The end is pretty thin with brief hints of oak staves and cinnamon next to very mild menthol tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This has the funniest branding on the list. It’s also a solid entry-point rye with a good balance of classic flavors that play well in cocktails.
91. Frey Ranch Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Nevada is a single-estate spirit. That means it’s made with 100% rye in the mash bill and that rye (Winter Rye specifically) came from the Frey Ranch farmland. The spirit was then aged a few years before only a few thousand bottles were filled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a nice dose of old leather and black pepper next to a hint of dry citrus rind — orange and grapefruit — with minor notes of honey and rum raisin.
Palate: The palate adds in a spicy and tart apple crumble with a line of dried rose and floral honey that gives way to rye bread crusts and cinnamon/clove spice.
Finish: The end kicks the spice up with fresh ginger sharpness, dark cacao, more black pepper, and a soft and chewy tobacco vibe.
Bottom Line:
This has a great balance of citrus and spice with a sharp pepperiness. The vibe is very “whiskey sour with a sharp edge” and, trust me, you’ll dig it!
90. Sagamore Spirit Rye Straight Whiskey
ABV: 41.5%
Average Price: $43
The Whiskey:
This Maryland whiskey (though part of it is still sourced from Indiana) is two rye mash bills that are put together for maximum ryeness. The low and high rye whiskeys are aged four to six years before batching. The whiskey is then proofed with limestone water from a Maryland spring ahead of the bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Winter spices and orange oils mingle with candied walnuts and deep umami, kind of like tomato paste.
Palate: The taste marries dried orange peels with nutmeg and vanilla cream with more candied walnuts and a hint of pecan.
Finish: The vanilla amps up with a cookie vibe that leads to more of those winter spices and a good dose of wet brown sugar with a wet wicker end.
Bottom Line:
This is a great gateway into Maryland’s deep-running and very old rye scene. Though this is clearly built as a cocktail base, it still carries clear notes that speak to the old-school regional style.
89. Hudson Whiskey NY Back Room Deal New York Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $62
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in the bottle of this New York whiskey is Hudson’s three-year rye. That whiskey is then finished in their former bourbon barrels that Hudson sent to Scotland to age peated malt in. Those barrels were later sent back to New York so that this whiskey could finish aging in them.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Hints of orchard fruits — pear, peach, maybe some tangerine — lead the way on the nose with a dash of an almond shell.
Palate: The palate takes on a lightly smoked peach vibe as mint and vanilla kick around with a hint of winter spice and a thin line of tobacco.
Finish: The end has an apple peel and core feels with a small note of tannic wood.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice crafty whiskey with a deep fruitiness. Check it out the next time you’re up in New York.
88. High West Double Rye Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $35
The Whiskey:
High West’s Double Rye is quickly becoming a modern classic. The Utah whiskey is made from a blend of 95% rye from MGP of Indiana and two-year rye from High West’s Utah distillery with a mash of 80% rye and 20% malted rye. All the whiskeys in the mix are at least two years old before they’re blended and proofed for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is full of berries and orchard fruits with a hint of mint chocolate chip tying it all together as mild notes of sassafras, orris, and allspice linger in the background.
Palate: The palate pops with the same bright red berries with a sweet and creamy vanilla/caramel vibe next to creamed honey, green tea, and menthol tobacco.
Finish: The end has a hint of spiciness that’s more nasturtiums than peppercorn with a brief hint of burnt orange and eucalyptus next to a floral honey sweetness.
Bottom Line:
This Utah whiskey is a hardcore rye that lands very softly on the palate. It plays very well with citrus and floral cocktails while also inching into easy, everyday sipper territory.
87. Elijah Craig Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $32
The Whiskey:
This is a subtle rye whiskey. The mash bill only has 51% rye grains next to 35% corn and 14% barley. The hot juice is then aged for several years before being blended, proofed, and bottled with no age statement.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a real sense of a dark chocolate bar that’s cut with dried chili and a touch of cinnamon that draws you in.
Palate: The palate mellows that spice into a Christmas spice mix while a honey sweetness and texture lead towards sweet oak and the slightest wisp of pipe tobacco smoke.
Finish: The finish takes its time as those spices keep your senses warm and buzzing on the slow fade.
Bottom Line:
This is where you should start your Kentucky rye whiskey journey. It’s an essential mix of Kentucky sweetness with a grassy rye baseline that’s pure classic rye whiskey through and through. All of that said, this is still a cocktail base more than a sipper but only barely.
86. Middle West Spirits Straight Rye Whiskey Dark Pumpernickel
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $46
The Whiskey:
This Ohio whiskey is made with dark pumpernickel rye, Ohio soft red winter wheat, yellow corn, and 2-Row barley malts. The juice is then aged for three years in new white oak before it’s bottled with a touch of local Ohio water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of slight sourdough rye funk on the nose with a hint of pumpkin seed, caraway, sweet cinnamon, vanilla husks, and a whisper of candied ginger.
Palate: The palate leans into that sour funk and caraway as oolong tea, piney honey, and spicy, raisin-filled oatmeal cookies vibe.
Finish: The mid-palate kicks in hard with the heat as sharp cinnamon and chili dominate until a soft sense of vanilla, toffee, and dark fruit leather mingle on the finish.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a funky, fresh, and kind of dank whiskey, this is the play. It’s a thinker from top to bottom but worth taking your time with and then mixing into your favorite whiskey cocktails to see how it changes them. It’s a lot of fun to play with is what I’m getting at.
85. 291 Small Batch Colorado Rye Whiskey Finished With Aspen Wood Staves
ABV: 50.8%
Average Price: $88
The Whiskey:
This award-winning rye from Colorado’s 291 Distillery is a modern classic. The whiskey is made from malted rye in a one-of-a-kind pot still. The hot whiskey goes into new American oak with toasted aspen wood staves for a year before batching and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is lush and leans into rich dark chocolate over dried cherry and cranberry with a hint of raspberry in the mix next to apricot jam cut with cinnamon and clove.
Palate: The taste runs deep with salted dark chocolate kissed with orange and red chili next to gingerbread, pecan maple syrup, and winter spices next to a rush of rye bread crispiness, lightly dried dill, and a sharp sense of fresh mint.
Finish: The salted dark chocolate smooths out the finish with a deep sense of old spice barks, moist marzipan, and a funky sense of herbal rye.
Bottom Line:
This Colorado crafty runs deep. The flavor profile on this one is bold but balances by the end. If you’re looking for a big and brash old fashioned base whiskey, this is it.
84. Bradshaw Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 51.9%
Average Price: $44
The Whiskey:
Terry Bradshaw’s rye whiskey is a compliment to his new bourbon. The whiskey is made at the Green River Distilling Company (now part of Bardstown Bourbon Company) from an undisclosed mash bill. That whiskey ages for a mere two years before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with soft leather and Dr. Pepper spices next to plenty of vanilla and a deep sense of burnt popcorn (that’s slightly rough).
Palate: The palate is oaky put white peach and brown sugar cut through it with a sense of subtle winter spices and mild peppercorns.
Finish: The end mixes soft vanilla with old oak as a butter toffee and spiced cherry tobacco finishes things off on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This is just really solid rye whiskey. It’s classic, tasty, and plays well however you want to drink it. You can’t beat that.
83. Ragtime Rye Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 56%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This Brooklyn whiskey is made from grains grown in New York state. The juice is aged for at least three years before single barrels are hand-selected for their excellence and bottled with a touch of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a cherry-forward nose next to vanilla beans, burnt orange, a hint of old leather, and a whisper of lavender.
Palate: The palate is woody with a soft oak and old wicker vibe next to sweet orchard woods and a hint of white moss next to a blackberry milkshake with a hint of vanilla.
Finish: The end leans into the blackberry and ties it to cinnamon and menthol tobacco on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This has a nice balance of floral, sweet, and spiced that just works. Grab one the next time you’re in New York. Take it home. Mix good cocktails with it.
82. Wild Turkey 101 Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $28
The Whiskey:
This is the sibling bottle to the classic Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon. The whiskey is made from Wild Turkey’s standard rye mash bill. It’s then aged in heavily charred barrels for about six years. The whiskey is then batched and proofed down to Wild Turkey’s signature 101-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The peppery rye spice is cut with rummy Christmas cake topped with rich vanilla ice cream next to a clear note of toasted oak on the nose.
Palate: The taste leans into the spice with a rye version of the Kentucky hug, as hints of cedar, white sugar, popcorn, and charred bitterness lurk in the background.
Finish: Like Wild Turkey’s 101 Bourbon, the end is long and hot, with pops of peppery spice, creamy vanilla, and charred wood. A very distant wisp of smoke acts as a button on the end.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent rye whiskey at this price point. It’s not just essential, it’s a quintessential Kentucky rye experience that you can shoot, sip, or mix. Get two.
81. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 45.2%
Average Price: $35
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was a long time coming. Master Distiller Chris Morris tinkered with this recipe for nine years before it was just right. The whiskey has a fairly low-rye mash bill — for rye, that is — with only 53% of the grain in the recipe. The rest is made up of local corn and malted barley. The whiskey then spends up to seven years maturing at their Versailles, Kentucky facility before its blended, proofed with soft limestone water, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens nicely with soft green grass next to a dusting of freshly cracked black pepper and dry cedar that’s countered by pear and marzipan.
Palate: That pear infuses into the marzipan on the palate as floral honey balances a rye pepperiness and hint of clove.
Finish: A whisper of fresh mint drives the mid-palate toward more of that sharp clove with a final note of honey-soaked pear on the thin finish.
Bottom Line:
This is pretty much the same as the entry above. Quintessential Kentucky rye that’s affordable and findable. This leans a little more toward slow sipping but makes one hell of a cocktail too.
80. Templeton Rye Stout Cask Finish
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $55
The Whiskey:
This year’s brand-new Stout Cask Finish from Templeton out in Iowa is a classic 95/5 rye/malted barley whiskey. Those barrels are vatted and re-barreled into chocolate coffee stout casks for an additional three months before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a mix of cherry candy and dried chili pepper on the nose next to a hint of creamy dark chocolate and maybe a hint of marmalade and dried apricot.
Palate: The palate has a lushness that’s accentuated by chocolate-dipped black cherry next to Amaretto-spiked mocha lattes and a hint of dark red chili next to old vanilla pods.
Finish: The end leans into the bitter espresso with a dark chocolate vibe countered by vanilla tobacco, rum raisin, dried figs, and a hint of winter spice.
Bottom Line:
Stout flavors play well with rye and this whiskey is a great example of it. The best part is that you don’t have to go to Iowa to find that out since this is pretty widely available these days.
79. Redemption Rum Cask Finish Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $45
The Whiskey:
Redemption is a Connecticut mainstay that sources its whiskey from MGP of Indiana. This MGP 95 is then finished in rum casks in partnership with Plantation Rum. They’re using both Jamaican and Barbadian rum barrels that are then blended for this fascinating rum cask finish expression.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a mix of rummy molasses that’s spiced with Christmas spices and vanilla, with a hint of tart fruit and sherried jamminess.
Palate: The taste doesn’t really deviate too much from those notes and holds onto the molasses, spice, and vanilla while a touch of oak arrives late with a note of citrus.
Finish: The end is short-ish and really leans into the rummy nature of the spices and sweetness.
Bottom Line:
Rum and rye go together so well. This is a great example that really pushes the whiskey toward working wonders in a funky and fresh cocktail with a lot of deep spice and fruit.
78. 291 M Colorado Rye Whiskey Finished with Aspen Wood Staves and Maple Syrup Barrels
ABV: 63.5%
Average Price: $108
The Whiskey:
291 out in Colorado is an award darling distillery and a crowd-pleaser as well. This whiskey is made with shorter aging in new American white oak with treated Aspen staves in that barrel to accelerate the maturation process. That whiskey is then transferred to old 291 barrels that were used to age maple syrup in Wisconsin for Lincoln County Reserve Maple Syrup. Finally, those barrels were batched and bottled at cask strength as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a good sense of maple syrup on the nose with blueberry pancakes, fig jam, and toffee candies next to cinnamon sugar and a hint of burnt orange layered into caramel sauce.
Palate: The palate has a French toast vibe with plenty of custardy lusciousness and nutmeg leading to dark chocolate and powdered sugar with a slight woody winter spice warmth.
Finish: The end turns into a cinnamon bomb that’s kind of like taking a whole box of Hot Tamales to the face and chasing it with maple-syrup-soaked French toast and spiced apple cider.
Bottom Line:
This is some deeply tasty whiskey that hooks you in with the sweetness of the maple and then drives home a great rye profile. It runs deep and sweet.
77. Leopold Bros Single Barrel Three Chamber Rye Whiskey 2022 Release
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $249
The Whiskey:
The latest release of Leopold Bros.’s famed Three Chamber rye is a stellar single barrel release made in a bespoke still designed by Todd Leopold specifically to make this whiskey. The 2022 release is made with Abruzzi rye and sourced from the best five-year-old barrels in the warehouse, according to Todd Leopold’s master-level palate. Once a single barrel is selected, the whiskey is then slightly touched with water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a crafty sense of rich grain porridge cut with maple syrup and rum-raisin next to creamy Nutella and salted peanut shells on the nose.
Palate: The taste is luxurious and opens with a molasses-filled bran muffin crafty vibe that leads to a deep and murky apple cider, Cherry Coke, cloves, allspice, and creamy eggnog.
Finish: The finish leans botanical and spicy with salted black licorice, cinnamon candies, bright nasturtiums, and chewy apple-candy tobacco on the very end with a flutter of dry prairie sweetgrass.
Bottom Line:
This is a truly crafty whiskey for whiskey nerds. It’s also delicious any old way you drink it.
76. Still Austin “The Artist” Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 49.8%
Average Price: $50
The Whiskey:
This Austin whiskey is made with 100% Texas rye. The juice is loaded into the barrel at a lower proof and “slow watered” throughout the aging process so that the whiskey comes out of the barrel already proofed and ready for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with Wether’s Original candies still in the wrappers next to dark cherry, fig jam, a whisper of espresso bean bitterness, and a touch of orange rind studded with cloves.
Palate: The taste has a fruity saltwater taffy vibe next to vanilla, dried apricot, a touch of ginger candy, and some dark caramel.
Finish: The end leans into woody spices — cinnamon, cloves, and some soft nutmeg — next to burnt orange and sweet caramel tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This feels like digging through your grandma’s candy dish while stealing nips from her whiskey cabinet. It’s a truly nostalgic pour that works wonders in cocktails or poured for sipping.
75. Buzzard’s Roost Straight Rye Whiskey Smoked Barrel
ABV: 52.5%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
Buzzard’s Roost is a female-led Kentucky bottler. The whiskey in this bottle is double-casked rye from Indiana (MGP’s famed 95/5 rye). After four years of resting, the rye whiskey is re-barreled into new American oak that was toasted and then smoked instead of charred for a final maturation rest before blending and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is rich and full of nutty banana bread brimming with cinnamon and cardamom next to salted caramel and moist vanilla cake kissed with tart cherry and a pinch of dark chocolate.
Palate: The palate leads off with a hint of burnt orange that sweetens towards marmalade with more of that vanilla and caramel accented by a campfire-singed marshmallow.
Finish: The end has a light smudged sage vibe that circles back to that nutty and spicy banana bread with a buttery softness.
Bottom Line:
This is a great rye from a brand that’s really shaking things up right now. The layer of “smoke” adds a great dimension that helps keep things fresh and exciting in the style. Drink it how you like to drink your whiskey.
74. Pinhook High Proof Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 58.2%
Average Price: $45
The Whiskey:
Sourced from Castle & Key (a true whiskey nerd’s haven), this whiskey was made from a unique mash bill. The juice is derived from a mash of 60% rye, 20% corn, and 20% malted barley. Once distilled, that whiskey rests for at least four years before it was batched and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a soft sense of orange blossom and floral honey on the nose with a tart green apple skin vibe next to cinnamon, clove, and allspice, a touch of nuttiness, and some caramel sweetness.
Palate: The palate leans into sticky toffee pudding with black-tea-soaked dates, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salted caramel with a hint of orange zest, walnut clusters, and light chili pepper spiciness.
Finish: The end has a slight woody chili spice that leads back to the salted caramel and a light sense of walnut cake cut with plums.
Bottom Line:
This is a wonderfully complex whiskey that deserves a lot of time as a sipper or whiskey-forward cocktail base.
73. Wheel Horse Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $35
The Whiskey:
The latest batch from Latitude Beverage, which pulls its whiskey from the famed Green River Distilling Co. in Kentucky, is another classic rye. The contract distilled whiskey is the quintessential 95/5 rye/barley mash. This one is aged for up to three years before it’s batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Chili salt and black pepper lead to peach cobbler and a hint of vanilla frosting mingle on the nose.
Palate: The palate is full of winter spices that lean toward cinnamon and black licorice candies.
Finish: The finish is all Red Hots with dashes of dark chocolate, dry grass, and old vanilla husks.
Bottom Line:
This is a very succinct and classic rye. There are no bells or whistles. But there doesn’t need to be when a whiskey delivers perfectly on what’s promised.
72. Guero Rye Whiskey Aged 6 Years Finished in Cognac Barrels
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $107
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Savage & Cooke is a Tennessee and California collaboration. The juice is a 51% rye that’s cut with 45% corn and 4% malted barley in the mash. After several years of resting, the whiskey is re-barreled into Fine Champagne cognac casks for that final rest. Once ready, the barrels are batched and the whiskey is proofed down with local spring water from the Alexander Valley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of Swedish Fish next to orange marmalade on scones with a touch of rum-raisin, walnuts, and winter spices rolled into soft tobacco.
Palate: The palate layers pine-y honey with salted caramel, oatmeal cookies with walnuts, raisins, and plenty of cinnamon and vanilla next to a hint of Cherry Coke.
Finish: The end fades through woody cinnamon sticks and old star anise as apple-cinnamon tobacco folds in with dry sweetgrass and old cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is rye with a deeper balance of fruit and woody spice that works wonders in a cocktail like a Manhattan or Sazerac.
71. Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 10 Years
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $78
The Whiskey:
This is Beam’s high-end brand and their high-end rye within that brand. The barrels are the ones that made it to ten years and hit just the right marks of flavor and texture to be batched, proofed down to a very accessible 80 proof, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: You’re met with aromas of peppery rye, subtle toasted oak, and lingering vanilla on the nose that leads to Beam cherry with a hint of Coca-Cola next to winter spice cakes full of nuts.
Palate: The sip leads you into a symphony of sweet toffee cut with eggnog spices and mincemeat pies with a nice underlying butteriness tied to vanilla.
Finish: It’s all finished with a flourish of warming cinnamon and smoky dark chocolate next to black pepper spice and soft clove tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This hits every classic Kentucky rye note so clearly. It’s well-built and really tasty. It’s a little low on the proof side, which is why it’s so low on the ranking. Otherwise, this is a great slow sipper for neat whiskey drinkers who are looking for the easiest time ever.
70. Smooth Ambler Contradiction Rye Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $43
The Whiskey:
This release from Smooth Ambler mixes some very interesting whiskeys together. The blend is two Tennessee ryes (one 70% rye, one 51% rye), MGP 95, and Smooth Ambler’s own rye which has a mash bill of 88% rye. Those whiskeys are then blended, proofed, and bottled in the hills of West Virginia.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a stewed cherry that’s heavy on woody cinnamon sticks next to hints of vanilla pods and maybe some dried florals.
Palate: The palate leans into the woodiness of the cinnamon stick to the point of feeling like a cedar box full of spicy cinnamon tobacco as creamy vanilla leads to a toasted coconut vibe.
Finish: The finish lets the creaminess of the vanilla drive a sweet edge as the spicy cinnamon tobacco is just kissed with cherry syrup and dark chocolate on the very back end.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for an essential rye experience, this is the buy. It works however you want to use it.
69. Penelope Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Tokaji Wine Casks
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $85
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Penelope really leans into the specialty cask finish. The base is a six-year-old MGP 95% rye. Those barrels are shipped out to Penelope and they re-barrel that whiskey into Hungarian Tokaji barrels for a final rest. Once the whiskey hits the right spot, the barrels are blended and bottled with a touch of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of mild citrus oils on the nose next to tart green apples, rose water, plenty of sharp cinnamon, and a touch of soft brown sugar.
Palate: The palate leans into oatbread and prune jam with a hint of blackberry and fig lurking there somewhere.
Finish: Those fruits drive the end with a sweet tartness that’s countered by mild winter spices, orange rinds, a touch of anise, and soft vanilla toffee.
Bottom Line:
This is another succinct sip of rye that just tastes great.
68. Old Potrero Single Barrel Reserve Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 65.16%
Average Price: $86
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a bit of a throwback with a West Coast vibe. The whiskey is 100% rye whiskey made at Hotaling & Co. in Potrero Hill, one of San Francisco’s most iconic spots for booze. As of this year, the spirit is being distilled on the waterfront in San Francisco but still carries that Anchor Brewing heritage. With that move, the bottle also got a brand new design that leans into San Francisco’s sea-faring history.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Molasses heavy bran muffins mingle with dry cinnamon sticks, Granny Smith apple skins, and Red Hots next to rum-raisin and a twinge of an old oak stave and craft grain porridge with a caramelized edge.
Palate: The palate leans into ginger snaps with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg next to vanilla pudding right out of the cup and a dry sense of cedar kindling.
Finish: The end holds onto the dry woodiness with a layer of salted caramel raisins, sweet porridge, and vanilla candy on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is fun and crafty in the best ways with a deep sense of the rye grains that made this whiskey front and center. It’s a solid cocktail base — especially with fruits — while also being a good everyday table sipper.
67. Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Rum Barrels
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $89
The Whiskey:
This is a five-year-old 95/5 (rye/malted barley) rye whiskey. The nuance here is in the finish. That 95/5 rye is re-barreled in 14-year-old Barbados rum barrels for a final two to five-month-long finishing touch. Those barrels are then touched with water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of grilled pineapple and clove on the nose that leads to woody tropical spices and an overall feel of rummy tropical cocktails with plenty of spicy booze in them.
Palate: The palate leans into the woody spice bark with bitter orange, bright lemon, and a hint of lime leaves before delving into vanilla pods and a touch of warm tobacco.
Finish: The tobacco drives the finish toward a whisper of mango and pineapple with a dried and almost salted vibe before ending up in a nice and rummy-spiced note.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for tobacco-spiced rummy rye whiskey, this is the whiskey for you.
66. New Riff 100% Malted Rye Bottled In Bond Aged 6 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $56
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from New Riff is a whiskey lover’s dream pour. The mash is made from 100% malted rye (most rye that is used for whiskey is unmalted). That means more sugars are available in the grain as it goes through germination and then heating to stop that process, which helps create a lot of sugars. The juice then rests for six years in new oak before the barrels are blended, proofed down, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of figs and dates on the nose that leads to a spiced Christmas cake covered in powdered sugar frosting with plenty of candied citruses, dried dark fruits, and roasted nuts next to vanilla pudding and dried pear skins.
Palate: The taste has a hint of orange saltwater taffy on the front that leads to a mix of clove, allspice, and sassafras as dark fruit leather and white peppercorns pop.
Finish: The end is lush and mellow with a hint of that pepper next to dark dried fruit layered into a tobacco leaf alongside cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and dark orange oils.
Bottom Line:
Look, we’re already deep into this list and deep into very good whiskeys. This is just an excellent craft whiskey with an incredibly deep and classic vibe.
65. Chicken Cock Rum Barrel Rye Island Rooster Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $200
The Whiskey:
This contract-distilled whiskey (by Bardstown Bourbon Company) from Chicken Cock is from 25 hand-picked four-year-old Kentucky rye casks (with a mash bill of 95/5). Those barrels were vatted and then re-barreled in Caribbean rum casks for six more months of maturation. Finally, the whiskey was bottled with a touch of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a hint of sour orchard fruit next to fresh grains, light molasses sweetness (with a twinge of tannic oak) next to a mild dose of dried and woody chili pepper.
Palate: The palate starts off with a sour apple candy sweetness next to rum-soaked raisins with more of that tannic molasses, a good layer of vanilla creaminess, buttery toffee, and a dash of red peppercorns.
Finish: The end lets the butteriness of the toffee take over as crusty rye bread flour mixes with dark sugars.
Bottom Line:
This rummy rye also plays really well in fruity-spicy cocktails or just over a glass full of ice. Your choice.
64. Blue Run Emerald Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 58.35%
Average Price: $110
The Whiskey:
The latest release from Blue Run is their second rye release, Emerald Rye. The whiskey is contract distilled at Castle & Key in Frankfort, Kentucky. The limited run yielded only 189 barrels that were expertly blended and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Woody winter spices — clove, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon — lead on the nose with a hint of creamy toffee and vanilla cake that’s countered by chili spices and a pinch of cumin, almost like a garam masala.
Palate: The palate has a thick buttery caramel sweetness with a sharp chili pepper fresh spiciness next to stewed apples and pears with sultanas, woody winter spice, and cut with a hint of clove brandy.
Finish: The end has a leathery vibe with a buttery apple crumble tobacco vibe with a hint of old cedar bark and spiced barks rolled up with burnt orange and dried tart cherry.
Bottom Line:
This has become the cornerstone of Blue Run’s line because, well, it’s delicious whiskey that deserves your time. Pour it beat, add some rocks, or mix up your favorite cocktail. You will not be disappointed.
63. Old Bones Rye Whiskey 10 Year Reserve Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This Indiana whiskey was aged for 10 long years before it was finished. The batched whiskey — a classic 95/5 rye — was re-filled into Apera barrels (an Australian sherry) for a final touch of maturation. The whiskey was then bottled with a tiny touch of water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is bold with dark burnt orange and vanilla cake frosted with toffee and rum raisin countered by mild winter spices and a sense of old oak staves in a cellar.
Palate: The taste has a mint chocolate vibe that drives the palate toward orange blossoms and fresh honey that’s cut with black pepper and chili powder with a hint of old oak adding a woody underbelly.
Finish: The end leans sweet with toffee and caramel next to honey-dipped apple next to apple cider tobacco rolled with cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This feels like Christmas in a glass. Save it for then and you’ll be in pretty good shape pouring all season long.
62. Woodinville Straight 100% Rye Whiskey Finished in Port Casks
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
Following in the footsteps of Woodinville’s beloved Port Cask Finished Bourbon, this year’s Woodinville 2022 Harvest Season selection is a 100% Washington rye whiskey finish in Ruby Port Casks for four months of additional mellowing. Finally, those barrels are batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a spiced plum jam feel to the nose with a hint of dried nasturtiums and a dash of old boot leather and dry cedar bark.
Palate: The palate dips some dried sour cherries into salted dark chocolate with a hint of rye bread crusts just kissed with caraway and fennel leading to a mild line of apple cores and stems.
Finish: The end has a soft mix of vanilla fruit cake with plenty of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon next to raisins, dates, and prunes with a hint of chili pepper warmth.
Bottom Line:
It’s crazy that this good of a whiskey is not even in the top 50. This is excellent whiskey, folks. If you’re in Seattle, it should be the only thing you drink while there. Well, maybe add some local wine in there too.
61. Smooth Ambler Founders’ Cask Strength Series Rye Aged 5 Years Batch Two
ABV: 61.6%
Average Price: $54
The Whiskey:
This 100% West Virginia whiskey is made from a mash of 88% rye and 12% malted barley — no corn needed here, folks. The barrels are left to age in the Appalachia hills for five long years before coming together in tiny batches and bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of leather and pine tar on the nose with a hint of tart red berry and burnt toffee.
Palate: The palate opens with a bourbon vibe with dark cherry, soft vanilla cream, and light old oak staves with a hint of bitter dark cacao.
Finish: The end leans into cinnamon bark and clove layered into a vanilla tobacco leaf that’s braided with wet cedar, dry leather, and old bouquet garni with a light sense of an old cheese cellar lurking on the very backend.
Bottom Line:
Yup, it’s delicious. Cocktails, neat, on the rocks…it all works.
60. Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Solera Method Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Rum Casks
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $46
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a blend of classic Indiana 95/5 rye/malted barley whiskey with a very low-rye mash whiskey made with 45% corn, 51% rye, and 4% malted barley. Once blended, those whiskeys are added to Doc Swinson’s solera system where they’re finished in a mix of rum casks from St. Croix, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, and Jamaica. As the barrels are emptied, new whiskey is added to keep the solera method going indefinitely.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Quince jam and stewed pears lead the way on the nose with a sense of apple cider spiked with cinnamon bark and allspice berries next to a mild sweet oakiness and grassiness.
Palate: Grilled peaches drizzled in caramel mix with the syrup from a can of fruit cocktail next to smudged wild sage, pineapple rinds, burnt orange, and a sense of sweet wet herbs.
Finish: Those sweet herbs drive the finish toward a sense of spiced cherry next to vanilla cookies with a nice dose of winter spice.
Bottom Line:
This bottler out in Washington has this magic touch with barrels that seems almost unbelievable. They’re always so good and this one does not disappoint. The only drawback is that these sell out fast so act quickly.
59. Kentucky Owl Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 11 Years Limited Edition Bayou Mardi Gras XO Cask
ABV: 51.4%
Average Price: $500
The Whiskey:
The latest limited edition from Kentucky Owl celebrates Mardi Gras with a small release of rum-finished whiskey. The whiskey in the bottle is 11-year-old Kentucky straight rye that then spends another year in Bayou Rum XO casks from Louisiana.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a soft leatheriness on the nose with a sense of old rye bread, sweet butter, and winter spices layered into a vanilla cake.
Palate: The taste is on the sweeter end with dark cherry and stewed plum next to orange marmalade, allspice berries, creamy vanilla pudding, and a mild sense of dry and old herb gardens.
Finish: The lush end layers in that sweet butter and creamy vanilla with a sense of clove tobacco, sharp and spicy root beer, and lush eggnog with plenty of nutmeg.
Bottom Line:
It doesn’t have to be Mardi Gras to enjoy this whiskey. It’s one of the best releases from Kentucky Owl in a while and worth adding to your collection.
58. FEW Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $55
The Whiskey:
This brand-new rye from Illinois’ FEW Spirits is a follow-up to last year’s Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon from the brand. The whiskey is made from a mash of 70% rye, 20% corn, and 10% malted barley. That hot juice is then mellowed in both standard 53-gallon barrels and smaller 30-gallon barrels for about four years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a mix of salted black licorice, cherry root beer, and mint chocolate chip next to old porch wicker and boot leather.
Palate: The palate has a nice balance of cinnamon candy with dark milk chocolate just kissed with dried chili flakes and woody allspice before a hint of black cherry tobacco kicks in.
Finish: That tobacco vibe continues on the finish as the allspice, sweet cinnamon, and cherry counter a slight sense of whole black peppercorns.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic and very sharply spiced rye. It pairs amazingly well with a bowl of salty buttered popcorn and movie night.
57. Pikesville 110 Proof Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $49
The Whiskey:
This is a real throwback rye whiskey. Pikesville Rye was at the center of the Maryland rye whiskey scene until Prohibition put it in the grave. Heaven Hill saved the brand and moved the production to Kentucky while holding onto the whiskey’s traditions of longer aging and higher proofing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose pulls you in with a mix of dark cocoa powder packed into a cedar box with a touch of rye bread, caraway seed, and salted butter with this thin line of spiced honey.
Palate: The taste leans into clove and salted black licorice with that spiced honey leaning a little floral next to a touch of dry singed cedar bark.
Finish: The end mellows significantly towards a vanilla pudding spiked with eggnog spices and a touch more of that dark chocolate shaved overtop with a hint of spiced caramel sauce.
Bottom Line:
This feels like you’re drinking whiskey with Don Draper in 1959. It’s a unique vibe that’s 100% worth checking out, mixing with, and enjoying all summer long.
56. Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 50.4%
Average Price: $53
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is part of Kentucky Owl’s new accessible line of whiskeys (its previous releases were very exclusive and expensive generally). The whiskey is contract distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Company. The whiskey is made from a classic 95% rye and 5% malted barley mash. That ages for at least four years before bottling as is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Citrus and green spices open up the nose toward a lot of sweetness — honey, caramel, apple candy — before hitting a light dry sweetgrass note.
Palate: The taste opens with a warm hit of winter spices with sharp cinnamon and a hint of black pepper before a dry forest moss vibe moves the taste toward old leather and dried apricot with more honey and candy.
Finish: The end is more warm than spicy with more honey as a counterpoint and a hint of vanilla tobacco.
Bottom Line:
If the Kentucky Owl above is too pricy, give this one a try. It’s affordable, findable, and tastes pretty damn good.
55. Frey Ranch Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel Strength
ABV: 68.73%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This version of Frey Ranch is the farm and distillery in a single bottle. The whiskey is made with 100% Winter Cereal Rye grown on the ranch by Colby Frey, who also oversees harvesting and processing the grain for mashing. After several years of aging, single barrels of rye are chosen for these releases and they’re bottled without any fussing whatsoever.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a light sense of old orchard wood and dead leaves (that might just be my open window) with a twinge of potpourris, dried Italian seasoning, and a hint of strawberry soda.
Palate: The palate leans into the sweet red berry vibe with a nice mix of spiced holiday cake, old leather, moist marzipan, and even some dried fig.
Finish: The end gets warm a little woody with almond shells, singed apple wood (and maybe hickory?), a touch of root beer, and more of that old leather.
Bottom Line:
This is damn near perfect craft rye whiskey. It’s floral, funky, and herbal in all the right ways. If that’s your jam, you know what to do.
54. Russell’s Reserve 6-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $36
The Whiskey:
Russell’s Reserve is where we really dive into the “good stuff” with Wild Turkey. This expression is a collaboration between Master Distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell, who search through the center cut of barrels in their rickhouses for the exact right minimum-six-year-old ryes. The end results are a window into the Russells’ shared palate for the whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This a subtle rye with hints of crusty rye bread soaked in apple honey paired with a hint of vanilla, a touch of caramel, and mild orchard fruit.
Palate: The palate is all about a spicy and sweet Christmas cake full of dried fruit, nuts, and spicy minced meat pie with a flutter of black pepper.
Finish: The oakiness shines late as the winter spice, vanilla/caramel sweetness, and singed cedar fade away toward a touch of apple cider tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is the next step on your Wild Turkey rye whiskey journey. It’s just more refined and deep than the 101 but still feels like an older and wiser sibling of that whiskey.
53. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $36
The Whiskey:
This release from Jack asks “what would straight rye whiskey taste like if it was given the ol’ Lincoln County treatment?” Jack’s mash bill utilizes 70% rye mash bill and water from the nearby Tennessee mountains. They then treat the hot distillate as they would a standard Tennessee whiskey, with sugar maple charcoal filtration before barreling and aging.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is very mellow with soft layers of rich vanilla pudding, peach/apricot, rum-raisin, and cinnamon-heavy oatmeal cookies on the nose.
Palate: The palate lets the cinnamon sharpen a bit as the silky vanilla takes over and leads to applewood, floral honey, and a hint of nutmeg.
Finish: The mid-palate lets the fruity sweetness fade as a vanilla/cinnamon tobacco chewiness leads to an old oak stave.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most underappreciated whiskeys on earth. This is a great rye whiskey (at this price point) that works amazingly well however you want to use it.
52. Pursuit United Blended Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished in Sherry French Reserve Oak
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $75
The Whiskey:
This brand-new rye from the team over at Bourbon Pursuit is a masterful blend. The whiskey is hewn from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s 95/5 Kentucky rye batched with two Sagamore Spirit ryes — one a 95/5 and one 52/43/5 rye/corn/malted barley. Those whiskeys are batched and re-barreled into a French sherry reserve cask for a final rest before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of dark fruits — black cherry, dates, rum raisin — on the nose that leads to soft and sweet oak next to worn leather, mulled wine, and brandy-soaked fig cut with nutmeg and clove.
Palate: The taste is more on the woody side of the spice with a clear sense of old-school mulled wine with sweet vanilla and star anise over orange rinds and raisins with a slight chili warmth underneath.
Finish: The chili warmth drives the finish toward a soft red-wine-soaked oak that’s spiced with orchard barks and fruits next to vanilla/cherry tobacco just kissed with dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that’s just really good. It’s also becoming far more widely available nationwide so get y’all some.
51. High West Rendezvous A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This Utah whiskey is a blend of High West’s own 80% rye and 20% malted rye mixed with MGP’s classic 95% rye and 5% malted barley rye. Once blended, the whiskey is proofed down and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Nice winter spices — clove, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg — draw you in on the nose as hints of old pears, burnt orange peels, and new leather mingle.
Palate: The palate has a hint of fig and red chili pepper with a whisper of Cream of Wheat on the mid-palate.
Finish: The finish fades through apricot jam and walnut bread with a hint of brown sugar icing and plenty of dry apple cores.
Bottom Line:
This is a big step up for High West rye (though not the mountaintop yet). It’s just easy-drinking whiskey and works however you want to drink it.
50. 15 STARS Fine Aged Rye First West A Select Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys
ABV: 52.5%
Average Price: $89
The Whiskey:
This new release from 15 STARS is a blend of six, seven, and eight-year-old ryes from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. That blend informs the name “First West” as those states were considered the “West” during the early days of the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a deep winter spice — clove, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg — next to Earl Grey tea, dried cranberry, dried cherry, and a dash of sour plum.
Palate: Apricot jam over buttermilk scones dusted with cinnamon leads to dry oolong tea leaves, sweet sage, creamed honey, and a touch of ginger tobacco just kissed with dark chocolate sauce.
Finish: That sharp gingery tobacco drives the finish with a bitter chocolate underbelly toward lush cherrywood and sour plum sauce with a hint more of those opening winter spices.
Bottom Line:
Yes, this is great too. It’s very rare though and will be hard to find outside of Kentucky. If you do snag a pour, take your time and enjoy the goodness that runs deep in this one.
Intermission. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. Every whiskey below this point is excellent. Find the one that speaks to you and go with it.
49. Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Rye Whiskey Cask Strength
ABV: 58.2%
Average Price: $70
The Whiskey:
This brand-new whiskey from cult-favorite Redwood Empire out in Sonoma, California, takes their tried-and-true method of blending California, Indiana, and Kentucky whiskeys to the next level. The blend ended up being a lightly wheated rye with a mash bill of 94% rye, 5% malted barley, and a mere 1% wheat. The barrels were all a minimum of four years old (with some reaching past six years) when batched and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a soft leatheriness that’s embued with dry chamomile tea, burnt orange, dark cherry bark, and old cinnamon sticks that spent too much time in mulled wine with a hint of sour cherry and tart apple.
Palate: The palate amps up the tea leaf vibe with lush Earl Grey next to dark chocolate-covered espresso beans flaked with salt and maybe some dried nasturtiums that build out the spices toward a spiced winter cake.
Finish: Those baked winter spices lead back to a soft creamy espresso dusted with nutmeg and dark chocolate powder and layered into a spiced tobacco leaf rolled with cedar bark.
Bottom Line:
This is a must-buy the next time you’re in Northern California.
48. Sagamore Spirit Reserve Series 8-Year-Old Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 55.7%
Average Price: $86
The Whiskey:
This newest spring reserve release from Sagamore Spirit is an eight-year-old rye made from locally-grown Maryland grains. The whiskey was batched and bottled as-is to highlight the deep maritime aging in Maryland.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with dried cherries dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with ground clove and allspice and then dipped in old vanilla syrup made with burnt pods and orange peels.
Palate: A soft cherry sweetness plays with a classic winter spice mix — think cinnamon sticks, anise, clove, orange rind, holly — next to ginger rock candy, peanut butter cookies, and a hint of rum-raisin.
Finish: That sweet/rummy dried fruit drives the finish toward clove-laced plum jam, peanut brittle, vanilla oils, and a whisper of pine resin layered into rum-raisin tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best Maryland rye whiskeys on the shelf today. Make it the cornerstone drink during your next visit to Baltimore.
47. Jefferson’s Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This release from Jefferson’s leans on masterfully selected barrel picks. The sourced whiskey is picked from single barrels of cognac-finished rye whiskey and bottled with a touch of proofing water at Jefferson’s Kentucky bottling facility.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft old leather and meaty raisins with a good dose of sharp cinnamon cut with floral and fresh honey with a mild creaminess.
Palate: The palate is plummy and full of lush vanilla with a plum pudding vibe next to a hint of orange studded with cloves while soft nutmeg smoothes everything out.
Finish: The end brings the fresh honey back and laces it with rich and almost burnt orange oils next to a mix of old cedar bark and dry cinnamon wrapped in dry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is an amazingly good seafood pairing whiskey, especially with fresh oysters. You’re welcome.
46. Cascade Moon 13-Year-Old Straight Rye Whisky
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $399
The Whisky:
The whisky in the bottle is rye whisky that spent 13 years chilling in the cool Cascade Hollow warehouses in Tennessee (where George Dickel is made). The barrels for this bespoke blend were hand-selected by Cascade Hollow’s general manager and distiller Nicole Austin for their perfection. They were then proofed down to 100 proof and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is incredibly fresh with bursts of green apple, freshly cut sweetgrass, dark citrus oils, semi-dry roses, and fresh cinnamon sticks.
Palate: The palate leans into the green apple with a tart edge as the spices kick up a wintry vibe before a savory note arrives with a hint of dill, anise, and maybe some rosemary. On the mid-palate, the citrus comes back with a bright orange and grapefruit touch that turns into wet black peppercorns, white moss, and an echo of dried green tea leaves.
Finish: The finish lets that green tea vibe settles into the earthiness and savory herbs as the sip slowly fades out, leaving you with a whisper of dried wicker deck furniture.
Bottom Line:
This is funky, rare, and female-led whisky that rises above whiskey in general, not just rye whiskey. Look for it the next time you’re in Tennessee.
45. Catoctin Creek Ragnarök Straight Rye Whisky
ABV: 46%
Average Price: $99
The Whisky:
This collaboration brings together Virginia’s Catoctin Creek with thrash metal legends, Gwar. The whiskey in the bottle is classic Catoctin Creek rye aged in new white oak and finished in sugar maple and cherrywood casks. The barrels are blended and proofed before bottling in specially labeled bottles with metal die-cast toppers representing each member of the band.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This one opens with a hint of buttercream on the nose with a bespoke cola spiciness, a hint of sour orchard fruit, and plenty of dark yet sweet wintry spice with a dry cedar edge.
Palate: The palate opens with soft vanilla next to some cardamon and cinnamon with a sour quince vibe.
Finish: The end is part warm and woody spices and part soft brown sugar with a buttery edge and some light dark and sharp cinnamon.
Bottom Line:
This is a no-brainer buy if you’re into rye and Gwar.
44. Journeyman Distillery Last Feather Rye Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $52
The Whiskey:
This Michigan whiskey is a bit of a rye outlier thanks to a unique recipe. The mash is made from 60% rye and 40% wheat, making this one of the only high-wheat ryes on the market.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a rich caramelized sense of grains and toffee on the nose next to vanilla cake with orange frosting and dusted with nutmeg and cinnamon.
Palate: The palate is lush, with a sense of marzipan dipped in dark chocolate with touches of vanilla, orange, and rose oils next to woody cinnamon bark and apple cores.
Finish: The end has a hint of vanilla tobacco next to toffee covered in almonds with a dash more cinnamon leading to cloves and sweetgrass.
Bottom Line:
If you go to Michigan and don’t try this, you failed your trip to Michigan and have to go back.
43. Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey BTAC 2022
ABV: 65.45%
Average Price: $1,499
The Whiskey:
This year’s Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye was distilled back in the spring of 2016 with a mix of Minnesota rye, Kentucky corn, and North Dakota malted barley with some of the iconic Kentucky limestone water. The hot juice went into new white oak from Independent Stave from Missouri with a #4 char level (55 seconds). Those barrels were racked in warehouses I, L, and M on floors 2, 4, 5, and 6. After six years and four months, 31% of the whiskey was lost to the angel’s share before these barrels were batched and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is tannic from the jump with a nutty sense of an old almond cookie next to buttery biscuits with marmalade and a trio of old saddle leather, star anise, and lemon meringue pie with a flutter of dried flowers in the background.
Palate: The palate lights on fire with high ABVS. Then, those florals pop on the palate as candied orange and spiced holiday cake lead to a dark chocolate brownie, some burnt orange, and sweet cinnamon with a peanut brittle sweetness.
Finish: The end is piney and full of dried roses, orange rinds, and incense.
Bottom Line:
This is bold slap-in-the-face rye whiskey that’s super floral and funky. It’s not for everyone but that in no way means it isn’t amazingly well made.
42. Balcones Texas Straight Rye Whiskey 100 Proof
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $40
The Whiskey:
This rye is Texas in a bottle. The expression is made of 100% rye from a mix of Elbon Rye sourced from Northwest Texas as well as crystal, chocolate, and roasted rye. The juice is then aged for just under two years in a hot Texas rickhouse and cut with Hill Country spring water and nothing else.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cherries dipped in chocolate support black tea bitterness, light oak char, and a rush of cracked black pepper.
Palate: The pepper leads the way as the bitter chocolate leans into an oolong green tea vibe as the sip gains a creamy and buttery toffee taste.
Finish: The sip then barrels towards its end with a flourish of roasted peanuts and more of that tea bitterness and a final hint of salted dark chocolate-covered raspberry.
Bottom Line:
This is such a clear and concise rye that just delivers. It’s an essential buy if you’re in Texas.
41. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Rye Whiskey
ABV: 68.65%
Average Price: $72
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in this bottle is drawn from single barrels of the good stuff. The whiskey in those barrels was made with Jack Daniel’s rye mash bill of 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley that’s fermented with Jack’d proprietary yeast and lactobacillus before running through column stills. The hot juice is then slowly — literally one drip at a time — filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal made on-site at the distillery. Once filtered, the whiskey is filled into new American oak barrels and left to rest until each one was just right for a barrel-proof bottling run.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose runs deep with a hint of dried red chili pepper that builds toward soft and fresh pipe tobacco cut with pear and packed into an old leather pouch as a little bit of old candy wrapper a note of fizzy chinotto soda with a rock candy sweetness and a hint of dry sweet cedar.
Palate: Sweet dark fruits and grilled peach open the palate as a dramatic warmth starts to build toward razor-sharp clove, cinnamon, and mace with a very slight woody bark presence before singed marshmallows come into play and the heat hits 9-point-holy-shit on the Richter Scale.
Finish: That heat fades pretty quickly on the back end as notes of old boot leather and apple skin tobacco mingle with a faint whisper of creamy almond and ginger rock candy next to a fleeting note of dried ancho chilis soaked in hot water.
Bottom Line:
This is another slap-you-in-the-face pour that runs so deep. Once you get past that brashness, you’re rewarded with a devilishly delicious Tennessee rye. It’s also on shelves right now, so get it before it’s gone for another year.
40. Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser Rye Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $96
The Whiskey:
This modern classic from Catoctin Creek is made from a 100% rye mash. The juice is distilled at a lower proof, which lets the graininess shine through in the end product, which is aged for four years before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep and sweet red fruitiness that gives way to a light winter spice mix, some caramel, and maybe a hint of Cream of Wheat cut with brown sugar.
Palate: There’s a light but dark orange citrus vibe on the palate that leads to lemon pepper, vanilla pudding cups, and more of that winter spice with a dash of bitter espresso bean.
Finish: The espresso note drives the finish toward clove buds and cinnamon bark with a creamy porridge crafty sweetness counterpoint.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey just works. It’s not fancy or overwrought. It’s just good.
39. Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 47.5%
Average Price: $52
The Whiskey:
This crafty distillery makes its rye with 95% rye and malted barley right in Louisville (and via contract distilling). The 95/5 rye hot juice is aged for three years in heavily toasted and charred barrels before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has an interesting nose that’s part spicy pork stew (chili, umami, fat) with bright peaches, vanilla, and summer wildflowers as a counterpoint.
Palate: The palate has a hint of old cedar next to cream soda, white pepper, and crusty rye bread with a hint of caraway seed and maybe some dry fennel.
Finish: The finish brings in heavily spiced chewy tobacco packed into an old cedar box with creamy vanilla and a dash more of that powdery white pepper.
Bottom Line:
This is another one that feels like it should be very standard but is so much more. There’s some sort of magic at play because this is some great whiskey at a very good price point that punches above its class.
38. Redemption Sur Lee Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This new whiskey from Redemption is going deep on the “wine lees” method to draw out flavors from the spirit and wood. Very basically, when MGP is contract distilling Redemption’s 95% rye, they take the backset or “whiskey lees” that usually would be redistilled and instead put that into the barrel to activate the wood before the “heart cut” of rye distillate goes into the barrel for its aging period. The barrels are then rolled and rotated throughout that aging spell before vatting, non-chill filtering, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has a sense of bitter orange next to pecan and walnut shells with hints of dried apricot, dried apple chip, and floral honey.
Palate: The palate leans into the nuttiness with a sense of pecan waffle cooked in butter next to eggnog lattes and singed marshmallows with a hint of caraway rye bread crusts and a hint of fennel.
Finish: The end is lush with a hint of apple pie in a lard crust next to salted popcorn with a dash of brown butter before a woody sense of dried figs and old cedar leads to a whisper of cinnamon-orange on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that runs so deep and delivers so much. Get it, love it, get more.
37. Russell’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Single Barrel
ABV: 52%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This hand-selected single-barrel expression hits on some pretty big classic rye notes with Kentucky bourbon vibes underneath it all. The whiskey is selected from the center cuts of the third through fifth floors of the Wild Turkey rickhouses. There’s no chill filtering and the expression is only slightly touched by water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is full of dark orchard fruits, soft vanilla pods, old oak staves with a hint of old barrel house funk, and a mix of spicy orange rind next to freshly cracked black pepper and sharp cinnamon powder.
Palate: The palate leans into the cinnamon and layers it into chewy and buzzy tobacco with hints of vanilla sweetness, cherry bark woodiness, and sharp fancy root beer vibes.
Finish: The end pings on that old musty rickhouse one more time as a humidor full of vanilla, cherry, and cinnamon-spiced tobacco fades towards a rich and buttery toffee with a hint of rye fennel on the very backend.
Bottom Line:
This is another big step on the Wild Turkey rye whiskey journey (though not the top yet). We’re to the point of the list where I can confidently say that if I had to only drink this whiskey for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t be mad at all.
36. Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 7 Years
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $36
The Whiskey:
This new whiskey from Beam marks the big age-statement return of their iconic Knob Creek Rye. The whiskey in this case was aged seven years before batching, slight proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Classic Beam caramel sweetness with a vanilla underbelly drives the nose toward rye bread crusts, a hint of dried savory herbs, apple blossoms, and a whisper of soft leather gardening gloves.
Palate: The spiciness arrives after lush vanilla cream and salted caramel with a dose of freshly cracked red peppercorns, dried red chili, and sharp winter brown spices next to a spiced oak.
Finish: The creaminess, sweetness, and spiciness coalesce on the finish with a deep sense of fruit orchards full of fall leaves and apple bark.
Bottom Line:
This just got a wide release and will be among the best new whiskeys of the year.
35. Old Ezra Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 7 Years
ABV: 57%
Average Price: $83
The Whiskey:
This new rye whiskey from Old Ezra, which usually focuses on bourbons, is a seven-year-old rye blend. The whiskey is a batch of barrels from a 51% rye whiskey and a classic 95% rye that aged for seven long years before bottling at full proof with charcoal filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Hints of old leather and burnt citrus drive the nose toward fresh honey and vanilla cake with a hint of old oak and cellar funk.
Palate: The palate leans into the soft vanilla with a dash of burnt orange and leathery spice before some ABVs start buzzing on the tongue.
Finish: The end has a nice layer of orange and clove tobacco with a hint of old oak and vanilla honey cookies.
Bottom Line:
This is another whiskey that doesn’t overdo anything but lands every note clean and perfectly.
34. Laws San Luis Valley Straight Rye Bottled-In-Bond 7-Year
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $85
The Whiskey:
This grain-to-glass distillery from out in Denver, Colorado is a classic 95/5 rye/malted barley mash. The whiskey is left alone in the high elevations for seven years to mellow in oak before it’s batched, proofed down to 100-proof, and otherwise bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This pops with cherry Dr. Pepper on the nose next to dried black currants sipped in honey and dark chocolate dusted with a whisper of clove and anise.
Palate: The palate has a slight savory fruitiness kind of like honeydew or green mango next to menthol tobacco, Nutella, and black licorice.
Finish: The end arrives with a dry herbs vibe next to more menthol dipped in salted dark chocolate and cut with anise heavy mulled wine with a fleeting sense of cedar and smudging sage.
Bottom Line:
The amount of whiskeys from the list that you have to try and/or buy the next time that you’re in Colorado is getting long.
33. Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 42.4%
Average Price: $44
The Whiskey:
Michter’s well-crafted whiskey is warehoused until the deeply charred new white oak barrels hit just the right moment in both texture and taste. Those barrels are then hand-selected and bottled one at a time with a touch of Kentucky water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Peppery rye and a hint of citrus open this one up before deep fatty nuttiness, dry espresso beans, soft dark chocolate sauce, and a twist of sharp spearmint dance through the nose.
Palate: There’s a distant line of toffee candies dipped in roasted almonds next to a brioche smeared with Nutella and dipped into a fresh cup of espresso with mild notes of white pepper, ground chili powder, and maybe a whisper of honey.
Finish: The finish leans into woody winter spice barks and buds — think cinnamon, clove, and allspice — with a sense of whole red peppercorns soaked in molasses, a whisper of walnut cake, and a thin line of toasted marshmallows dipped in dark chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is excellent. On every liquor store shelf (at least at the good ones). And it’s amazingly well-priced not only for a rye but a single barrel whiskey.
32. Stellum Rye Fibonacci Blend #1
ABV: 57.56%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
This new whiskey from Stellum (part of Barrell Craft Spirits) celebrates the Fibonacci sequence — that’s the sequence of numbers that are the sum of the previous two numbers. To mimic this, the blenders at Stellum selected six rye barrels and blended them with each barrel becoming the sum of the last two barrels. The results were bottled without any proofing or fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this is classic with old oak next to orange-laced honey with a dash of spicy chocolate and a hint of cold tomato soup creating this thin umami line at the back of everything.
Palate: The palate has a nice ABV kick that leads to spiced apple fritters with pear skin and stem vibe before a hint of buttercream counterpoints forest moss and some Earl Grey.
Finish: The end has a nice and classic cherry and vanilla vibe with a hint of chili heat and old tobacco in a cedar box.
Bottom Line:
This is so good, I’d buy a case and just drink that for the rest of the summer.
31. BLACKENED Rye The Lightning Kentucky Straight Rye Double Cask Finished in Madeira and Rum Casks
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $95
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Metallica and master distiller and blender Rob Dietrich is made from barrels Dietrich picked himself. Those barrels were between five and eight years old when they were batched and then re-filled into rum and Madeira barrels and blasted with music for a final maturation. The final result is made from a blending of those barrels with a touch of water to bring it down to proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a soft layer of prunes and dates with a hint of tart berry next to suede, pine resin, and an echo of dry straw.
Palate: The palate is part black pepper and part leathery prunes with a creamy vanilla underbelly and more of those dark berries.
Finish: The end comes with more layers of ground almonds, old cinnamon sticks, minty honey, and a touch of raw sugar sweetness with a lush finish.
Bottom Line:
You don’t have to be a fan of Metallica to enjoy this.
30. High West A Midwinter Nights Dram Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys
ABV: 49.3%
Average Price: $140
The Whiskey:
Each year, this limited drop varies slightly. This release was a mix of MGP rye (95% rye) and High West rye (100% rye) finished in French oak barrels that held ruby and tawny port. The barrels picked for this batch were between four and seven years old with the older barrels coming from Indiana and the younger ones from Utah.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a pretty complex nose with sour berries next to dried apricot, woody and slightly sweet cinnamon, French toast, and a mild note of something umami (dried mushrooms perhaps).
Palate: The palate gets more savory with a rhubarb vibe as dark chocolate with a serious woody spiced edge meets old leather laced with years of tobacco, lush vanilla cream, and salted caramel.
Finish: The end is as silky as eggnog with a whisper of black tea bitterness and minty tobacco rounding things out.
Bottom Line:
This is the mountaintop for High West. This is the one whiskey you 100% want to add to your collection from the brand.
29. Blackwood Small Batch Toasted Rye Whiskey Barrel Strength
ABV: 58.2%
Average Price: $150
The Whiskey:
This rye is sourced from expertly picked barrels for a very small batch offering. The mash is a classic 95/5 rye/malted barley bill. The barrels are close to seven years old before a handful came together to create this barrel-strength bottling of only 620 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a straight-up classic with a sense of cherry and cinnamon tied to fresh and chewy tobacco with a sense of old cedar bark braided with dry sweetgrass and smudging sage with a light sense of pear candy and cream soda.
Palate: The taste leans into spiced cherry tobacco and stewed pear with a hint of marmalade and peach cobbler next to a hint of black-tea-soaked dates, salted whiskey-laced toffee, and clotted cream before a red chili pepper spiciness kicks in with a sense of cinnamon and cherry bark.
Finish: The woodies of the orchard fruit and spice drive the warm finish — but never hot — toward a luxurious and creamy end full of sharp yet sweet tobacco, a whisper of dank resin, and echoes of old fruit orchards.
Bottom Line:
This little Kentucky brand is barrel-finishing some truly great rye whiskey and going to blow up very soon. Until then, add this to your list of must-try whiskey the next time you’re in Kentucky.
28. Bardstown Bourbon Company West Virginia Great Barrel Company Blended Rye Whiskey
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $149 ($20 off)
The Whiskey:
This nationwide release is a collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Company and West Virginia Great Barrel Company, one of the most interesting cooperages in the game right now. The whiskey in the bottle is a blend of 95/5 rye from Indiana that’s about seven years old and a 12-year-old 100% corn whiskey from Ontario. The blend was then refilled into infrared toasted cherry oak barrels for a final maturation run before mild proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a rich cinnamon bark touched with apple cider, sharp spearmint, and marzipan with a soft layer of chamomile tea cut with honey and rose water lurking beneath.
Palate: The palate is luxurious with a thick cherry stew over clotted cream and scones next to smoldering apple, cinnamon, and cherry bark, a sense of old sweet oak staves, and cellar funk.
Finish: The end has a dried cranberry dipped in dark chocolate vibe next to more of those spice and orchard barks with this fleeting sense of tannic sharpness and cherry cola spice.
Bottom Line:
This nationwide release from Bardstown Bourbon Company has a fascinating barrel finish that adds so much to the rye. If you’re looking for something completely new and fresh, this is it.
27. Starlight Distillery Old Rickhouse Huber’s Bottled-in-Bond Indiana Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This rye from craft distiller Starlight Distillery — part of the Huber Farm and Winery in Southern Indiana — is all about that final blend. The small batch is made from a group of four-year-old barrels and just proofed to highlight the whiskey in those barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The whiskey opens with a nose full of white pepper countered by stewed apples with a twinge of sour cherry tossed in smoked sea salt before a hint of creamy espresso and summer herb gardens arrive.
Palate: The palate has a creaminess that leans toward mocha lattes with a tobacco spiciness, cedar bark, and more of that stewed orchard fruit with an underlying white pepper spiciness.
Finish: The end leans into that white pepper with plenty of warm apple cider spiked with clove and cinnamon over vanilla cake cut with salted toffee and creamy espresso just kissed with chocolate tobacco.
Bottom Line:
Starlight is the ultimate insider’s whiskey distillery. If you’re in Louisville, take an afternoon and drive up to the distillery. Buy this and their brandies. They’re all great.
26. Barrell Seagrass
ABV: 59.2%
Average Price: $84
The Whiskey:
The whiskey in this bottle is a combination of rye whiskeys from Indiana, Tennessee, and Canada. Those whiskeys were aged in Martinique rhum, rhum agricole, apricot brandy, and Madeira casks before vatting at Barrell in Kentucky. The idea was to harness the flavors of wood that aged whiskey next to the sea to bring that coastal x-factor into the blending process for this rye whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose leads towards apple and cherry candies, Werther’s, bruised peaches, and a light dried rose potpourri in a soft leather pouch.
Palate: The taste opens with a slight touch of that peach followed by pears and savory melon while a hint of bitter grapefruit arrives on the mid-palate with a note of cinnamon, fennel, and green (almost oily) thyme.
Finish: There’s a return of the pear sweetness on the very backend of the taste but you have to hack through a very warm, dry, and almost chewy woody spice nature next to a hint of almost white grape soda vibe and cream soda (and maybe a touch of root beer) and apple cores with the stem and seeds.
Bottom Line:
Yes, this has Canadian whisky in the mix. But I’m willing to overlook that for such an amazingly well-balanced and deeply hewn pour of whiskey. This stuff is just great.
25. Angel’s Envy Ice Cider Cask Finish Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $900
The Whiskey:
This rye is an outlier thanks to a very unique finish. The whiskey is standard, contract-distilled 95% rye that spent seven years in the barrel. That whiskey was then transferred into ice cider casks (from Eden Specialty Ciders in Vermont) where it rested for another 364 days. The ice cider casks, which held a dessert hard cider with a lot of sweetness built into the French oak, are then emptied and the whiskey is bottled with a touch of water as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This opens with a gentle note of what feels like cold leather layered on dry straw, sour candies, and a distant hint of pine boxes full of apple tobacco.
Palate: The taste opens with a hint of wet wicker next to freshly pressed apple cider that feels hazy and a chewy apple tree bark.
Finish: The mid-palate veers away from the apple toward vanilla candies with a little chew to them, soft winter spice (think nutmeg and clove), and a whisper of quince jam on a buttery brioche.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a show-off bottle that also tastes dope AF, this is the one to buy. Well, this and a couple more on this list that I haven’t gotten to yet…
24. Old Forester Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 61.5% (varies)
Average Price: $299
The Whisky:
This release from Old Forester is their signature rye in a single barrel format that is filtered through retailers directly to you. It’s bottled without any filtration or cutting with water, highlighting Old Foresters as clearly as possible.
Tasting Note:
Nose: The lemon really shines on the nose to the point that it turns into a pudding with hints of burnt sugar and salted caramel backing it up.
Palate: The palate takes a bunch of cinnamon sticks and soaks them in apple, cherry, and plum juice then dries them out while hazelnut builds to an almost Nutella level and that dried dill just sneaks in.
Finish: The mid-palate really leans into the cinnamon and hazelnut until bold cinnamon attaches to a dry cedar box for very dry and peppery tobacco that’s just touched with mint.
Bottom Line:
These are pricy but are 100% worth the investment.
23. Nashville Barrel Company Hand Selected Straight Rye Whiskey Cask Strength
ABV: 57.25%
Average Price: $98
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is made from an extremely small batch of Indiana rye with a mash of 95/5 (rye/malted barley). The handful of barrels in the mix was around six years old when blended by the team at Nashville Barrel Company. Beyond that, this was bottled as-is with zero fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a soft, cherry-froward nose with hints of old boot leather, apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, and black tea leaves with a hint of star anise and clove soaked in a hot toddy.
Palate: The palate is thick and juicy with cherry vanilla spiced holiday cake — heavy on the dark cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg — with a hint of orange creamsicle that fades towards a singed herbaceous note almost like burnt caraway or coriander seeds.
Finish: The end packs on the warmth with a spicy tobacco buzz full of dark cherry and woody winter spices.
Bottom Line:
If you leave Nashville without visiting this place and buying one of these whiskeys, you have to go back and correct that immediately.
22. Blue Run Single Barrel Double Oak Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (Barrel: #68594)
ABV: 53.85%
Average Price: $199
The Whiskey:
Blue Run Double Oak Single Barrel Rye Whiskey is a new line of 10 single barrels that are dropping just in time for Father’s Day. The whiskey in each case is a double oak finish Kentucky rye that’s first aged in classic American white oak that’s finished in another new American white oak barrel — both of which were toasted and charred to a level #3 (medium deep). Those whiskey barrels were then bottled 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright dried red chili peppers mingle with soft leather, a twinge of toffee sweetness, soft red berries, and a whisper of umami.
Palate: Caramel and woody vanilla rush to a touch of cherry bark and ABV warmth next to creamy winter spice and a hint of sharp red chili heat.
Finish: The end is a long and warm hug with a sense of dried brown spices with a hot edge, mild nuttiness, and a foundation of buttercream cut with sassafras chips.
Bottom Line:
This is truly great rye whiskey with a deep profile that leans part classic and part fresh. The sweet/spicy balance is spot on and delivers a fun and fresh rye whiskey sipping experience.
21. Rare Character Single Barrel Series Straight Rye Whiskey Finished In Amburana Casks
ABV: 57.64%
Average Price: $104
The Whiskey:
This is a niche whiskey company started by Peter Nevenglosky and Pablo Moix. The whiskey is a single barrel of whiskey that was hidden away as an “experimental” cask until the Rare Character team rescued it and gave it to the world. The experiment in this case was aging classic rye in Brazilian Amburana casks to see how a non-oak wood finish would work with rye whiskey.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a soft and fatty nuttiness from the wood on the nose that’s part Brazil nut and part macadamia nut with a rich and sharp woody spiciness that’s full of dry ginger, big strips of cinnamon bark, and handfuls of clove and allspice berries next to soft creamed vanilla and almond paste cut with orange oils and dark cacao waxiness.
Palate: The palate pops with that woody spice and barky florals with a touch of tart red berry, burnt orange, and dry wild sage next to white chocolate and this sense of a hippy den full of incense, oils, and old throw rugs.
Finish: The end amps up the woody spice towards a sharp cinnamon bark and dry star anise with a touch of cream soda and old straw bales before a nutty spiced pipe tobacco arrives with a fleeting sense of fruit boiled down to a thick syrup.
Bottom Line:
This was my favorite pour of rye in 2022. It’s still pretty damn good in 2023 too.
20. George Dickel Leopold Bros. Collaboration Blend Column Still & Three Chamber Still A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskies
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $109
The Whiskey:
The blend is built from four-year-old rye made in Denver at Leopold’s distillery in their bespoke three-chamber column still. The mash bill is 80% Abruzzi Rye and 20% Leopold Floor Malt. That’s blended with George Dickel’s un-released new column still rye, which is a 95% rye cut with 5% malted barley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose has clear notes of bright florals next to a hint of porridge cut with maple syrup with a very mild dusting of dark cacao powder and soft leather.
Palate: The palate opens with touches of holiday-spiced orange oils and rosewater leading towards light marzipan next to a prickly bramble of berry bushes hanging heavy with dark, sweet, and slightly tart fruit.
Finish: The mid-palate holds onto the sweet and meaty date while bitter yet floral Earl Grey tea with a healthy dollop of fresh honey leads towards a finish full of more of that powdery dark cacao just touched by dry chili flakes, adding a slight warmth to the backend.
Bottom Line:
This is another hardcore whiskey nerd whiskey. If you want to go deep, then get this bottle.
19. New Riff Balboa Rye Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is built around heritage rye from Indiana, Balboa rye, which was popularized in the 1940s. The juice is hewn from a 95/5 rye/barley recipe and aged for up to five years before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a trace of saltwater taffy on the nose (or maybe just the wax paper wrappers) next to an almost buttery chili rub with a good dose of salt and red pepper spice that’s both lush and deep.
Palate: The palate leans into a spicy orange marmalade as a medley of dry grasses, woody spices, and creamy vanilla mingles on the senses.
Finish: The end is a spiced cherry cola next to more woody spice (clove and allspice berries especially) with a luxurious landing on waxy mint taffy, soft capsicum spice, and dry cedar bark braids.
Bottom Line:
Being able to buy this bottle at the distillery makes a trip to Cincinnati 100% worth it.
18. Kentucky Peerless Double Oak Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 54.65%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
This new expression from awards-darling Kentucky Peerless takes its success with Double Oak Bourbon and applies it to its phenomenal rye whiskey. The rye is a local sweet mash whiskey (made with 100% new batches of ingredients every time) and ages for around four years in new oak. Then the whiskey is re-barrelled into a new American oak barrel for a finish run. Once those barrels hit the exact right moment, they’re batched and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There are roasted chestnuts on the nose that leads to a deep sense of pitchy fresh firewood, sweet cinnamon bark, and dark burnt orange rinds with a light moment of vanilla-laced marzipan.
Palate: Crème brûlée leads to fresh oak staves, more cinnamon bark, and a rush of dry wild sagebrush next to orange pekoe tea leaves, a hint of raw brown sugar cubes, and a chewy tobacco spiciness layered into an old leather pouch.
Finish: That chewy tobacco drives the finish with a heady buzz from the ABVs (no burn though) as the sharp cinnamon, soft marzipan, and dark orange oils ebb and flow until the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best craft whiskeys in Kentucky, period.
17. Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Toasted Cherry Wood and Oak Barrels
ABV: 48%
Average Price: $69
The Whiskey:
This whiskey — from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s own Origin Series — is their classic 95/5 rye that’s aged for almost five years. Then the whiskey is finished with alternating toasted American oak and toasted cherry wood staves in the barrel. Once the whiskey is just right, it’s batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is classic with fresh cherry layered with nasturtiums, cinnamon sticks, and soft cedar planks just kissed with clove, nutmeg, and anise before light red peppercorns and brandy-soaked cherries dipped in salted dark chocolate kick in.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s lead with a lush mouthfeel that’s full of spicy stewed fruits and ciders mixing with creamy vanilla and nutty bases over subtle chili pepper spiciness far in the rear of the taste.
Finish: The end pushed the woody spices toward an apple cider/choco-cherry tobacco mix with a cedar box and old leather vibe tying the whole taste together.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is a shining example of the great stuff happening at Bardstown Bourbon Company. It also makes a mean Sazerac.
16. Stellum Rye The Lone Cypress
ABV: 57.67%
Average Price: $99
The Whiskey:
Named for one of the world’s most famous trees, this whiskey is all about finding the funky forest in the flavor profile of a brand-new rye whiskey. The blend was created by the awesome team at Barrell Craft Spirits to accentuate woodier notes before it was bottled at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a light pine resin vibe on the nose with a bushel of dried savory green herbs — think sage, thyme, rosemary, tarragon — next to old leather and dried sour cherries tossed in kosher salt.
Palate: The palate has a note of that pine with a soft orange rind next to a spiced winter cake with dried fruit, walnuts, and wintry spices.
Finish: The end is slightly warm thanks to high ABVs with a sense of those salted cherries and pine resin leading to a dry finish.
Bottom Line:
There’s no more succinctly classic rye on the list.
15. Nelson Bros. Whiskey Aged 15 Years Rye Whiskey
ABV: 54.2%
Average Price: $299
The Whiskey:
This late edition 2022 whiskey is built to highlight deep blending prowess. The whiskey is made from only eight barrels of 15-year-old Indiana rye. Those barrels were sent down to Nashville where the Nelson Bros. Whiskey team built an iconic rye with them, leaving the whiskey at cask strength and unfiltered to highlight the perfection in those barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of an old axe handle and worn leather gloved on the nose with wet Earl Grey tea leaves, vanilla pound cake with poppy seeds, and cinnamon candies crumbled over gingerbread on the nose.
Palate: A deep earthiness drives the palate from vanilla cream and stewed apple drizzled with dark chocolate and caramel toward spicy mint tobacco, cedar kindling, and old cellar dirt with a hint of that old wood axe handle and leather again.
Finish: The end leans into the sharp mint tobacco and dips it into sticky toffee pudding cake batter and packs it into an old cedar box wrapped up in wild sage, soft leather, and burnt sweetgrass rope.
Bottom Line:
This is my favorite Tennessee rye right now. It’s delicious.
14. Willett Distillery Kiamichi A Family Reunion Whiskey Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 54%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from the new Kings of Leon’s collaboration is their entry point to the trio of bottles released late last year. The whiskey is a 12-barrel blend a mix of two Willett rye mash bills that were aged in both char 5 oak (a very heavy alligator char) and 24-month cured oak from Hoffmeister Cooperage. Those extremely rare barrels were then batched and just kissed with water and then bottled in only 2,780 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This nose is gorgeous with subtle notes of tart cherries tossed with flakes of salt next to dark plum jam laced with soft cinnamon, ground clove, and nutmeg, vanilla pound cake with poppy seeds, red and orange nasturtiums, floral honey, and salted cashews.
Palate: The taste is fruity but moves more toward pineapple cores, peach skins, and lemon pith next to a soft dry sweetgrass braid twisted up with wild sage and cedar bark with notes of pine-infused honey, old black tea leaves, and cinnamon sticks that have just been singed on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end is lush and beautifully layered with real sourdough rye crusts, honey-dipped Graham Crackers, dark chocolate-dipped sour cherries, and a hint of walnut bread with plenty of wintry spices and butter.
Bottom Line:
These Kings of Leon collabs are fantastic whiskeys. Get them if you love the band, or Willett, or just damn fine whiskey.
13. Michter’s US*1 Limited Release Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 54.6%
Average Price: $250
The Whiskey:
This rare Michter’s expression is pulled from single barrels that were just too good to batch or cut. Once the barrels hit the exact right flavor profile, each one is filtered with Michter’s bespoke system and then bottled as-is at the strength it came out of the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dark cherry and butterscotch candies pop on the nose next to sour red wine mixed with mulled wine spices — lots of cinnamon, clove, and star anise — next to tart apple skins, apple bark, and a hint of singed marshmallow between lightly burnt Graham Crackers.
Palate: The palate leans into spices in a subtle way with a nutmeg/eggnog vibe next to rich vanilla ice cream and smoked cherries with a minor note of fresh pipe tobacco and singed cedar bark.
Finish: The end adds some dried red chili and sharp cinnamon to the tobacco with a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper and a supple sense of a fresh fruit bowl with a lot of red berries.
Bottom Line:
No notes. Perfect.
12. 291 All Rye 100% Rye Malt Colorado Whiskey Finished with Aspen Wood Staves
ABV: 66.3%
Average Price: $115
The Whiskey:
This Colorado whiskey is made with a 100% rye mash bill — 50% Colorado malted rye (from Root Shoot Malting) and 50% German rye malt — on a bespoke still. The hot juice is then aged in new oak with signature toasted aspen wood staves added to help refine the aging process. Finally, the barrels were batched and bottled 100% as-is, yielding only 1,000 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with dark fruit leather, dark black tea leaves, cinnamon bark, and a fistful of dry dill and marjoram with a whisper of salted caramel sweetness.
Palate: The palate has a cinnamon toast vibe next to more of that dark black tea with a hint of clove-spiced plum jam, freshly cracked black pepper, and more of that salted caramel.
Finish: The plumminess drives the finish with a hint of cracked almond shell and dark dill next to fresh flat-leaf parsley and a touch of sweet-sour cherry packed in sawdust.
Bottom Line:
This is the Colorado that you have to come home with.
11. Orphan Barrel Scarlet Shade Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $199
The Whisky:
The new Orphan Barrel from Diageo is a very rare release. The whiskey in the bottle is a 14-year-old rye that was distilled in Indiana and then left to age at the famed Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. Those barrels were batched and proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a vanilla bomb with a sense of buttercream and salted caramel ice cream next to fresh dark berries, a hint of zucchini bread with walnuts and clove, and a mild sense of cedar cigar humidors.
Palate: The bark-heavy winter spices amp up on the palate as plums, peaches, and pears get stewed and lead to a sharp marmalade with a hint of salted dark chocolate-covered espresso beans next to coffee-laced tobacco with a whisper of black cherry.
Finish: The end leans into the spice and tobacco as the orchard fruit really amps up with a deep vanilla cake base cut with real vanilla pods and a light sense of old oak staves in a dusty cellar with a dirt floor.
Bottom Line:
This is a wild ride and a formidable rye. It’s also a one-of-a-kind whiskey so act fast if you want to snag a bottle at a decent price.
10. Hemingway Rye, 1st Edition A Blend Of Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished In Rum Seasoned Olorosso Sherry Casks
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $109
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is a unique one. The blend is made up of two whiskeys — 94% is a nine-year-old 95/5 (rye/malted barley) Indiana rye and 6% is a four-year-old 95/5 Kentucky rye. Those whiskeys were batched and then re-filled into a rum-season Oloroso sherry cask for a final rest before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich and old oak mingles with salted caramel, dark maple syrup, and sheets of dark fruit leather next to a soft sense of caraway rye toast with a soft creamed vanilla butter and a light touch of cherry compote.
Palate: That cherry takes on a slightly tart and salted aura on the taste as the salted caramel leads to huge sticks of cinnamon bark, clove-studded oranges, and a smudging bundle full of wild sage, sweetgrass, and cedar bark.
Finish: Those smoldering botanicals linger on the finish as a soft cinnamon cake with salted toffee drizzle and a whisper of dark chocolate-covered espresso beans counter the rye dank.
Bottom Line:
The new kid of the block hit it out of the park with the first batch. If you’re into Papa, then this is a must-buy. It’s also worth it if you just like to sip really good whiskey.
9. Barrell Rye Singel Barrel (S1B4)
ABV: 56.9%
Average Price: $100
The Whiskey:
This ReserveBar barrel pick is from a single barrel of Indiana rye (95/5) that spent seven years resting before it was bottled. The whiskey when into the bottle completely as-is from the barrel.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of pain au chocolate next to cardamom pods, earthy spice barks, dark burnt orange, and a fleeting sense of cherry by way of tart black currants, cloves, and salted black licorice.
Palate: The dark chocolate from the pastry drives the taste toward a salted toffee dipped in roasted walnuts with a light sense of orange marzipan, lemony hops, and soft mossiness with a whisper of mustard seed, and maybe some coriander seed.
Finish: There’s an umami vibe that’s almost toasted cinnamon bark with dried forest moss next to sweet and spicy cherry syrup over chocolate-lemon balls with a flake of salt and a sprinkle of dried lavender next to fresh nasturtiums, old cedary tobacco, and freshly baked baguette with a pad of salted creamed butter.
Bottom Line:
Barrell just doesn’t miss and this is stellar proof that fact.
8. Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 56.1%
Average Price: $71
The Whiskey:
This rye is a blend of the great rye barrels in the Wild Turkey rickhouses. The whiskey is built from four, six, and eight-year-old barrels, blended, then bottled without chill filtration or any proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a masterclass in what rye “spice” can be with subtle notes of black pepper next to Christmas spices counterpointed by pine resin dank and sweet cherry root beer.
Palate: The palate brings about a velvet texture with notes of vanilla and dark chocolate cake next to stewed cherries — a very Black Forest cake vibe — before the rye sourdough bread funk and herbal essence kick in with a light firewood pitchiness.
Finish: By the end, there’s a balance of all that spice, wood, resin, and subtle fruitiness that lasts on the long and sharp finish.
Bottom Line:
This is so close to the moutaintop of Wild Turkey rye greatness. Truly, this is a perfect pour of Kentucky rye.
7. Kiamichi A Willett & Followill Family Collaboration Aged 8 Years
ABV: 55%
Average Price: $249
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is the second in a series of collaborations between Kings of Leon and Willett Distillery. The whiskey is a six-barrel small-batch blend of Willett’s low-rye mash bill. The hot juice was loaded into ISC oak barrels that were cured for nine months before getting a semi-high char. The band hand-selected the barrels themselves and the team at Willett made sure the rest was done exactly right.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Subtle notes of old glove leather kissed with years of menthol cigarette smoke mingle with a spicy cherry-cinnamon cake frosted with creamed walnuts and vanilla with a brandy butter with a whisper of tannic old oak staves that has a twinge of waxy cacao nib.
Palate: The palate soaks some dried figs in spiced honey with an Earl Grey vibe accentuating a bitter salted dark chocolate, rummy minced meat pies, and wet brown sugar cut with dried ancho chili flakes.
Finish: The end leans into the spice with a Hot Tamales cinnamon candy sweet/spicy sensation next to a lush mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into unbelievably good whiskey. I’d happily drink this whiskey for the rest of my life.
6. Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey 18 Years Old
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $2,899
The Whiskey:
This whiskey started its journey back in 2003 and 2004 when the original whiskey was distilled with Minnesota rye, Kentucky corn, and North Dakota barley. The hot juice was loaded into new white oak from Independent Stave from Missouri with a #4 char level (55 seconds) and left to rest in warehouses K, M, and P on the second, third, and fourth floors. Over nearly two decades, 74% of the whiskey was lost to the angels before proofing and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This one opens with a pile of candied and burnt orange peels next to a rich lemon bread with plenty of rich vanilla and poppy next to sweet layers of molasses, old leather tobacco pouches, and an old set of lawn furniture that’s spent too much time under and an old oak tree.
Palate: The palate swells with a deep molasses sweetness next to a dash of freshly cracked black pepper countered by musty cumin, dried red chili pepper flakes, and a whisper of fresh bay leaf that leads to singed wild sage, rye bread crusts covered in coriander seeds, and a touch of maple syrup cut butter with a hint of cinnamon.
Finish: The end slowly descends into a creamy mint chocolate chip tobacco vibe next to flaked cherry bark ready for a smoker and old oak leaves resting in dead sweetgrass.
Bottom Line:
This whiskey is the perfect balance of lower proof and big age that makes the rye shine the brightest it possibly can. And yes, it’s worth paying that jacked up price for.
5. Rare Character Single Barrel Series Selected by ReserveBar Topflight Series Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Jaqueira Casks
ABV: 56.65%
Average Price: $88
The Whiskey:
Japqueira is a Brazilian wood that most notably grows jack fruit and is used to age cachaça. The whiskey in the bottle is 95/5 rye from Indiana that’s then refilled into a Jacqueira barrel that previously held cachaça and let it rest in Kentucky for a spell. After four years and six months, ReserveBar bottled a single barrel 100% as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is deeply nutty with a dark and worn leatheriness next to a soft sense of mild mushrooms, green banana, macadamia, and anise with a soft Kentucky cherry/vanilla/winter spice undertone.
Palate: The palate is lush and silky with a sense of vanilla oils, star fruit, clove, cinnamon bark, and nutmeg next to creamy nuttiness with a dash of toffee and alder planks.
Finish: The finish just lingers and lingers while slowly fading through vanilla buttercream, sour cherries tossed in maple sea salt, and moist marzipan cut with orange and pomelo oils.
Bottom Line:
This stuff is wildly good and so unique. This is the sort of whiskey that sticks with you and starts sneaking into your dreams.
4. Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Cornerstone
ABV: 54.5%
Average Price: $499
The Whiskey:
This is the first rye whiskey that Wild Turkey released for the Master’s Keep line. Eddie Russell devised this whiskey from nine to 11-year-old barrels from the prime sections of various rickhouses. Once batched, the whiskey was just proofed before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a sense of apple old-fashioned doughnuts on the nose with a cinnamon-maple glaze next to old rye bread crusts with caraway and fennel with a slight whisper of dry dill before a whisper of white pepper and dried chili starts to sneak in.
Palate: Salted apple chips dipped in floral honey drive the palate toward sour mulled wine full of star anise, clove, cardamom, and mace with a dash of molasses and rum-raisin.
Finish: The end leans into the woodiness of the spices with cinnamon bark and allspice berries with the faintest line of sasparilla and black licorice-laced tobacco braided with old wicker canes.
Bottom Line:
We made it to the mountaintop of Wild Turkey rye whiskey!
3. Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey 13 Years Old
ABV: 47.8%
Average Price: $2,399
The Whiskey:
This is the only non-bourbon whiskey in the Van Winkle line. While we don’t know the exact mash bill, Buffalo Trace does use a rye mash bill that’s very low-rye (how low we’ll never know, but it’s close to 51% … I heard somewhere). Either way, the juice is then barreled and allowed to mellow for 13 years before batching, proofing, and bottling in the sweetest spot in the sweetest warehouse at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Imagine old rye crusts with a hint of caraway spiked with red peppercorns next to rich salted caramel apples and plenty of Christmas spices layered into a sticky toffee pudding all wrapped up in old worn leather with hints of fatty nuts and dried fruits on the nose.
Palate: The pepperiness mellows quickly as powdery white pepper leads to a soft vanilla cream pie cut with bitter orange zest, dark chocolate flakes, and a hint of salted black licorice.
Finish: The end pops with sharp anise and clove next to a fleeting sense of mint chocolate chip tobacco folded up with that old leather and plenty of soft cedar.
Bottom Line:
I’ve had very long arguements about whether or not this is the best Pappy bottle on the shelf. It’s close between this and the 15-year bourbon.
2. Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey 10 Years Old
ABV: 46.4%
Average Price: $260
The Whiskey:
2022’s only Michter’s 10-Year release was an instant classic. The whiskey is made from a corn-rich rye whiskey mash bill with a good dose of barley in there. The absolute best barrels are chosen — with some up to 15 years old — for this release. Then each of those barrels is individually bottled as-is with a hint of proofing water.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich and lush toffee combine with soft marzipan on the nose as a dash of freshly cracked black pepper lead to cinnamon-laced apple cider and cherry-soaked cedar bark.
Palate: The palate is part Red Hot and part zesty orange marmalade with creamy vanilla pudding, sweet and spicy dried chili peppers with a hint of smoke and woodiness, and this fleeting whisper of celery salt.
Finish: The end dries out the almond with a vanilla cream tobacco, soft and sweet cedar, and dark chocolate orange vibe all balanced to damn near perfection.
Bottom Line:
Again, this is a perfect rye that makes the absolute best Manhattan that you’ll ever taste.
1. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $349
The Whiskey:
This rye from Buffalo Trace is a beloved bottle. As with all Buffalo Trace whiskeys, the mash bill and exact aging are not known. It’s likely this is made from a mash of very high rye mixed with just malted barley, maybe. We do know that it is not the same mash bill as Buffalo Trace’s other rye, Sazerac.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This nose is vibrant with hints of freshly plucked pears next to black peppercorns, soft cedar, winter spice barks and berries, and a hint of fresh mint chopped up with fresh dill that leads to a minor key of spearmint and maybe some fresh chili pepper on the vine.
Palate: The palate holds onto the fresh green chili pepper as the pear gets stewed with those winter spices and drizzled with a salted toffee syrup cut with sharp burnt orange and bitter chinotto leaves.
Finish: That sweet and citrus bitter vibe leads back to dark and woody clove and anise with a dash of sasparilla and salted black licorice before some fresh mint and dill return to calm everything down.
Bottom Line:
This might be an all-time favorite whiskey for me. It’s shockingly delicious.
