We’re only six weeks into 2024 and there are already some awesome rye whiskeys appearing on store shelves. New releases never stop these days and American rye whiskey benefits from that breakneck pace with a lot of growth and expansion. For us, that means new, exciting, and tasty rye whiskeys are always hitting shelves.
Sadly, the mediocre ones are hitting those same shelves. That’s how industries work — gotta separate the wheat from the chaff.
To help you sift through it all, I’m conducting a blind taste test of 12 new and tasty American rye whiskeys. These are the bottles that either dropped at the tail end of last year or are just hitting shelves right now (some are so new that they’re labeled “coming soon”). Our lineup today features the following new rye whiskeys:
- Watershed Distillery Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel Strength Aged 6 Years
- Savage & Cooke California Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Grenache Barrels
- A Midwinter Night’s Dram A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished in Port Barrels Act 11 Scene 1
- High N’ Wicked Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 5 Years
- New Riff 100% Malted Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 8 Years
- 291 “M” Maple Syrup Barrel Finished Colorado Rye Whiskey Batch 7
- Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Sauternes & Toasted Oak Barrels
- Sagamore Spirit Bottled In Bond Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 6 Years
- Bhakta “2013” Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Calvados Casks
- Green River Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
- J. Rieger & Co. Fielder’s Choice Collection “Homestead Grays” Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey
- Devils River Small Batch Texas Rye Whiskey
After tasting these rye whiskeys blind, I ranked them according to how good they were. Pretty straightforward. Spoiler alert, there were some standouts on this panel and the lion’s share was good to great. Only a couple of bottles got a shrug from me. Let’s dive in!
- Every Single Buffalo Trace Distillery Whiskey & Spirits Brand, Ranked
- The Absolute Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
- Every Single Bottle Of Wild Turkey Whiskey, Power Ranked
- The Best American Rye Whiskeys Of 2023, Ranked
- The Best Whiskeys We Tasted At The 2023 Kentucky Bourbon Festival
Part 1 — The New Rye Whiskey Blind Tasting
Taste 1
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is rich with dark notes of caramel and maybe even some molasses with a deep and spiced tobacco warmth next to raisins soaked in brandy and a touch of dry oats.
Palate: Those raisins and oats combine on the palate to create a rummy and vanilla-soaked oatmeal raisin cookie next to warming winter spices, a lot of oak, and heavy-duty ABV warmth.
Finish: The warmth builds on the finish but then fades out as the caramel and molasses soften toward brown sugar and vanilla cream with a deep chili-cherry-spiced tobacco finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a strong AF whiskey but it never overpowers your senses. Still, it’s hot and could use a rock to calm it down and let it shine a bit more easily.
Taste 2
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Musty floral notes with a hint of old citrus rind open the nose toward soft notes of white pepper, a hint of vanilla, and touches of savory wood planks.
Palate: The wood takes on a good layer of sharp baking spice and chili pepper as the palate moves toward papaya and mango with a stewed vibe before rich caramel arrives.
Finish: The caramel drives the finish with those tropical fruits fading into warming winter spices and oak.
Initial Thoughts:
This was okay. It was pretty fruity overall.
Taste 3
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This nose opens with dried apricot, woody and slightly sweet cinnamon, French toast, and a mild note of something umami — kind of like a very deli-forward pickle brine next to red peppers soaked in olive oil.
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 with a whisper of black tea bitterness and minty tobacco rounding things out.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a bit all over the place but somehow works. It’s definitely a palate expander but you’d really have to be in the mood for this one.
Taste 4
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Apple pies and peach cobbler dance with orange zest and cinnamon on the nose before a hint of pickling herbs and whole spices (think allspice, fennel, and black pepper) kick in with a fleeting sense of brine-soaked dill.
Palate: The palate opens with soft salted caramel and plenty of baking spice with a sharp edge before leaning back into chili, chocolate, stewed peach, and eventually chocolate-laced tobacco with a hint of nutmeg.
Finish: The choco-chili tobacco drives the finish toward eggnog creaminess with plenty of nutmeg before settling on a soft cherry vanilla end.
Initial Thoughts:
This is another one that almost inexplicably works. It builds, takes you on a journey, and then ends on a lush note. This is good whiskey.
Taste 5
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.
Initial Thoughts:
This is an even better whiskey! This is deep and layered with a great cohesiveness that’s delicious. This is a winner.
Taste 6
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.
Initial Thoughts:
Wow, this is delicious. It’s varied and unique but it all makes sense and builds towards a crescendo on the finish. Bravo!
Taste 7
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Creamy and deep creme brûlée cut with bold orange zest draws you in on the nose before this bright sense of sweet green apple blossom leads to pear brandy-soaked marzipan, eggnog spices, and buckwheat porridge cut with a whisper of salt and honey.
Palate: That pear brandy pops on the palate as sweetened cream over raw sugar cubes drives the taste toward rye bread with a twinge of caraway and fennel, more eggnog, and creamed honey in an old pine mug.
Finish: The end gets shockingly light for a moment with a fresh cream soda feel before twangy buttery floral cider arrives with a deep Earl Grey tea sharpness next to tobacco rolled with birch bark, roasting herbs, and old leather.
Initial Thoughts:
Goddamn, this is a great whiskey too. The only drawback here — and this is a microscopic nitpick — is that this feels so tied to Christmas vibes with a great heaviness of a spiced winter cake drenched in brandy and mulled wine. That’s great in the winter but might be a little heavy in the warmer months.
I guess that’s what ice is for. Let’s move on, I’m rambling now.
Taste 8
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with wet brown sugar and nutty chocolate next to a light fruitiness tied to muffins with a hint of orange zest and some espresso cream before a whisper of old sweet oak arrives.
Palate: Grassy notes of smudging sage give way to dark Nutella on the palate before sugar-coated almonds and dark winter spices sharpen the taste with luxurious warmth.
Finish: The end leans into gingerbread and vanilla-heavy sheet cake with a hint of walnut bread smeared with salted butter, a touch of chili-chocolate tobacco, and more soft oak.
Initial Thoughts:
Well, this is nice. It’s succinct and sweet. I’d argue that this almost feels more like a bourbon but that’d be splitting hairs.
Taste 9
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Freshly baked apple pie with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream draws you in on the nose with a deeply salted caramel, soft oakiness, and dark orange vibe with a touch of clove, nutmeg, and allspice.
Palate: Vibrant tart apples and soft sandy pears drive the palate toward creamed nutmeg and honey with a deep sense of freshly cracked black pepper, dried chili pepper flakes, and a touch of vanilla sauce.
Finish: The end dried out with all that woody and peppery spice with a dried mushroom vibe next to old dried tobacco, firewood bark, and soft dried roasting herbs with a hint of braised salted fat.
Initial Thoughts:
This is another winner.
Taste 10
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Light hints of mint draw you in on the nose before getting spiced to the point of fresh spearmint with a cut of orange zest, whispers of black peppercorns, and creamy vanilla honey with a flutter of NY cheesecake crust.
Palate: That buttery Graham Cracker crust takes on more creamy vanilla and orange oils before veering toward oaky spice and freshly cracked black pepper with a whisper of dried ancho chili.
Finish: Wet black tea leaves and creamed honey round out the finish with a sense of soft oak, winter spice, and burnt orange just kissed with red chili pepper flakes.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a good whiskey but a tad on the lighter side. It feels like a cocktail whiskey. That’s not a bad thing.
Taste 11
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The bold nose opens with prunes, plums, and dates next to sweet oak with layers of winter spice leading to hints of dried ancho chili and black pepper with a hint of dried herbs.
Palate: The palate extends the nose toward dark caramel, dark sweet and buttery grits, and a box of Red Hots with a deep sweet cinnamon candy vibe.
Finish: That cinnamon candy is layered with soft oakiness and more chili spice as tobacco, dried fruits, and vanilla kick in late.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a pretty good albeit sweet rye. The cinnamon is bold and keeps your attention in the right way.
Taste 12
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Light notes of black pepper, chili powder, and brown sugar drive the nose with hints of vanilla and orange.
Palate: The woodiness leans into maple syrup and cinnamon bark on the palate as hints of dried herbs lead to a sweet and faint plumminess.
Finish: The end comes quickly as the sip fades away through old oak, soft caramel, and hints of peppery spice and fennel.
Initial Thoughts:
This is fine. It’s standard rye.
Part 2 — The New Rye Whiskey Ranking
12. Devils River Small Batch Texas Rye Whiskey — Taste 12
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $31
The Whiskey:
This whiskey from Texas is all about the water. The rye is made with a mix of rye, corn, and barley with fresh limestone-filtered water from the Devils River region of Texas.
Bottom Line:
This was perfectly “mid” whiskey. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s best for mixing cocktails.
11. Savage & Cooke California Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Grenache Barrels — Taste 2
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $55
The Whiskey:
This grain-to-glass whiskey from California draws in all of its grains from within 50 miles of the distillery. The mash bill — 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malted barley — is slowly fermented and distilled. After several years in new oak, the whiskey is transferred to Dave Phinney’s Grenache wine barrels for another two months of aging.
Bottom Line:
This is another perfectly fine rye. Use it to make basic cocktails.
10. Green River Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey — Taste 10
ABV: 42.5%
Average Price: $34
The Whiskey:
This new bottle from Green River is a classic rye mash of 95/5 (rye/malted barley) distilled and aged in Kentucky. The batch is made from a mix of four- to six-year-old barrels that are proofed down before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is a unique rye albeit a light one. Overall, this feels like the best cocktail whiskey on the list.
9. J. Rieger & Co. Fielder’s Choice Collection “Homestead Grays” Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey — Taste 11
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $50
The Whiskey:
J. Rieger & Co. partnered with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to create a new collection of whiskeys for 2024 (with proceeds from this bottle going to the museum). This bottle is a Pennsylvania rye that celebrates the Homestead Grays who were three-time champions back in the 1940s.
Bottom Line:
This is another perfectly good rye. This one does have a little more nuance and will work just as well in a cocktail as it will in a glass over some rocks.
8. A Midwinter Night’s Dram A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Finished in Port Barrels Act 11 Scene 1 — Taste 3
ABV: 49.3%
Average Price: $149
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.
Bottom Line:
This is a funky and fun rye. The pickle brine vibe is unique but works. Pour this one over some ice and let it take you on a journey.
7. Sagamore Spirit Bottled In Bond Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 6 Years — Taste 8
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $66
The Whiskey:
This premium pour from Maryland’s Sagamore Spirits Rye is a blend of a high-rye rye and and low-rye rye. Both whiskeys were at least six years old when blended, proofed, and bottled.
Bottom Line:
This is another good rye with a little something extra to help it stand out. Pour it neat to get a handle on it and then have fun with this one in your favorite cocktails.
6. Watershed Distillery Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel Strength Aged 6 Years — Taste 1
ABV: 72.7%
Average Price: $89 (Lottery Only)
The Whiskey:
This is a super limited release from Watershed of only 100 bottles of hazmat rye whiskey (hazmat whiskeys are over 70% ABV). The whiskey is a 57% rye mash bill that was left alone until it was just right and then bottled 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is a shockingly subtle whiskey for the high proof. Don’t get me wrong, this is a hot sipper but it nails not washing out the rest of the profile with all that heat so well. Still, you’ll probably want to pour this over a big rock to really enjoy all there is to offer.
5. High N’ Wicked Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 5 Years — Taste 4
ABV: 49.1%
Average Price: $86
The Whiskey:
This is a new bottling that utilizes unique rye from New Riff Distilling in Kentucky. The rye in the bottle is made from a 91% rye mash bill with 9% malted barley as support. The whiskey spent five years resting in seasoned toasted new oak before batching and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is in the funky arena of ryes as well — that pickle brine cannot be denied. But this offers so much more. It’s complex, deep, and delicious. Pour it over a big rock and enjoy the ride.
4. Bhakta “2013” Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Calvados Casks — Taste 9
ABV: 53.8%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
This new release from Bhakta is an Indiana 95/5 rye that’s nearly 11 years old. Sign me up! The barrels in the batch were all finished in Calvados casks (an apple brandy) before batching and bottling at nearly cask strength.
Bottom Line:
This is just a tasty sipping whiskey. Neat or over a rock, you’re going to have a good time sipping this one.
3. New Riff 100% Malted Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 8 Years — Taste 5
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 eight years in new oak before the barrels are blended, proofed down, and bottled as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the great ryes. This one is a little on the funkier side, but it works. So buy this when you want some palate expansion and fun with your rye sipper.
2. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Sauternes & Toasted Oak Barrels — Taste 7
ABV: 57.2%
Average Price: $399
The Whiskey:
Angel’s Envy’s new Master Distiller, Owen Martin, put together the brand’s first-ever cask strength rye finished in Sauternes and toasted oak casks and it’s a masterpiece. The 95/5 rye was over five years old when it was batched and re-barreled into two different casks for a final mellowing. Then those casks were expertly blended and bottled 100% as-is.
Bottom Line:
This is excellent whiskey. It’s so deep and delicious. The only reason this one isn’t first is that the profile is so tied to winter vibes. Otherwise, this is a stellar pour.
1. 291 “M” Maple Syrup Barrel Finished Colorado Rye Whiskey Batch 7 — Taste 6
ABV: 62.2%
Average Price: $107
The Whiskey:
291 out in Colorado is an award darling distillery and a crowd-pleaser. 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.
Bottom Line:
This was the best all-around sipper. It’s so fascinatingly fun and delectable while delivering something fun and fresh. Plus, you really feel like you’re sipping something unique that doesn’t feel like homework.
This is a winner. Buy two.
