This Week's Bourbon Edition - Rye

[SapperDawg]

Beastman's post yesterday regarding the Bulliet rye this week got me thinking, and we have not done a weekly bourbon post in a while, so I pulled out my collection to give them a run through.

Willett - This is highly rated by most folks out there, and I know of several that horde these. I hate it. I can not find one redeeming thing about this bottle. It doesn?t drink well neat, on ice, mixed, or vatted with something else. This is close to what I consider the worst bottle I own, and definitely money wasted.

Sazerac - This one is very good, and is in my top two rye whiskeys. It drinks easily neat, and wont overpower cocktails.

Bulliet - Much like the Saz, this one drinks like a bourbon, and is one of my top ryes. It is a bit hotter than the Saz, which makes it better for mixing a wider variety of cocktails out of the two.

Wild Turkey - This was the first rye I owned. I purchased this for cocktail mixing during Mad Men season three circa 2010. At 101 proof, this is a great mixer, and I have used this entire bottle on Old Fashioneds almost exclusively.

Rittenhouse - This is a recent addition to the cabinet as it is billed as the bartenders favorite. Reportedly, this was less than $20 a bottle a few years ago. I paid $23ish at the AL ABC store. I have not spent near enough time with this one to make a completely informed decision yet.

If I had to rank them, best to worst:

Tie - 1- Sazerac
Tie - 1- Bulliet
2. Wild Turkey
3. Rittenhouse
4. Willett

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo192/scumglove/10AC5181-2D70-41BA-BFAA-A4D4ED1655C6_zps2v4jigkn.jpg (http://s375.photobucket.com/user/scumglove/media/10AC5181-2D70-41BA-BFAA-A4D4ED1655C6_zps2v4jigkn.jpg.html)

[Prediction? Pain.]

Thanks for the reviews. I've had all of these in some form or other except the Willett, and I'm glad now that I don't have to bother with it. (FWIW, I was unimpressed by Willett's flagship bourbon. Bought a bottle with high hopes, too. Disappointing.)

I mentioned Knob Creek rye in the C&D thread, and I'll give it another rec here. I haven't tasted it side-by-side other ryes, but I really enjoyed the bottle that I had. I've read that the ratio rye to other grains in the Knob Creek is lower than in other ryes, so maybe that's why I prefer it. Regardless, I thought it was good stuff. If you haven't checked it out, you should give it a go sometime.

[FlabLoser]

And while you've got rye bourbon, make yourself a Manhattan - 2 parts bourbon, 1 part (or less) sweet vermouth, dash of bitters, and a few cubes of ice. Super smooth.

You could also do it the bartender ice, and shake or stir it in ice, then strain the ice out and serve straight up.

ETA: Manhattans work very well with anything heavy in rye - rye whiskey, rye bourbon, whatever. I've even had a good one made from Jim Beam Rye, which is not a premium rye at all. Just goes to show Manhattans were made for ryes.

[BeastMan]

As always, excellent work. I'm just now getting to we're I'll experiment with ryes

[Delmar]

Have you had the Willett bourbon? I've not had the rye, but the bourbon is definitely one of my favorites.

[SapperDawg]

I have, and actually included it in a tasting here back in May:

http://www.elitedawgs.com/showthread.php?30925-This-Week-s-Bourbon-Edition-Battle-of-the-Nines&highlight=battle+nines

[Prediction? Pain.]

I finished a bottle of Willet bourbon about a month ago. Were y'all's bottles adversely affected by time on the shelf after opening? I wasn't a huge fan on the front end -- I thought it was too sweet, especially in old fashioneds and manhattans -- but by the end, I thought it was also getting a little rough around the edges. Did some comparisons to a half-empty bottle of EW Single Barrel at the time and thought the EW was handling its time in my cabinet much better.

[Prediction? Pain.]

I have, and actually included it in a tasting here back in May:

http://www.elitedawgs.com/showthread.php?30925-This-Week-s-Bourbon-Edition-Battle-of-the-Nines&highlight=battle+nines

Glad you posted the link. I've been wanting to try Elmer T. Lee for quite some time because of all the great stuff I've read, but for whatever reason just can't find it. Sorry to hear that it didn't live up to the hype. Hopefully I can find it in a bar sometime so I can try before laying down $40 for the stuff.

[SapperDawg]

We have had three separate tastings including Willett bourbon, and it has jumped around each time. I think it is getting worse the longer it sits, so that may validate your opinion. I have the 2004 EWSB, but not sure I can call out a difference as it has been in my cabinet over a while now, and I don't get to it that often.

We did, however, find that Eagle Rare got MUCH better after oxidizing for a while. Additionally, I have a strong suspicion my EC12 has been getting better with more oxidation on it.

[Prediction? Pain.]

Good to know about the Eagle Rare. Only bought one bottle before and was a little underwhelmed given how much most people love it. It was alright, but I expected to be blown away. I went through the bottle quickly, though. I'll be sure to give my next bottle more time.

To bring this back to Rye, anyone had Corsair's Ryemageddon (http://www.corsairdistillery.com/ryemageddon)? The only Corsair whisky I've had is the Triple Smoke (http://www.corsairartisan.com/triple_smoke.html), which I enjoyed quite a bit. Never heard anything about their rye, though.