
April 22, 2016

Rye

To us malt drinkers, rye’s a bit like mezcal. First meh, then eh, then oh, then wow. But there’s real rye and there’s made-up rye (it’s called rye but it isn’t rye, or it’s only partly rye), and it’s sometimes hard to find accurate information about that. The only thing that seems to be sure, is that when it’s called ‘straight’ rye, it’s at least 51% rye and matured for at least two years. And that no additives have been added.

Materson’s 10 yo (45%, OB, USA, straight rye whiskey, +/-2016)

Well, the company’s in the USA, and this is indeed presented as some American rye, but it seems that it’s actually sourced from Canada’s Alberta Distillers. So, this is Canadian whisky, probably a bit like Whistle Pig. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s one of these bready ryes, with pumpernickel, juniper, caraway, and touches of ginger, all that coated with vanilla and a little maple syrup. Canadian maple syrup, of course. Perhaps a little lavender as well. Very enjoyable, easy, and seemingly smoooth as silk. Mouth: there’s too much oak for my taste, which gives this baby a bitter arrival. Eating husk plus lavender sweets and sweet bread. Pumpernickel again, I guess. Then quite some burnt sugar, a lot of toasted oak, and a cinnamon/nutmeg combo that suggests even more oak. Finish: medium, on cocoa powder, toffee, and sawdust. Comments: I find the spirit a little light and the oak a little heavy. Bizarrely lightly rye-ed for some straight rye. SGP:450 - 77 points.

Polugar 'Single Malt Rye' (38.5%, OB, Poland, +/-2015)

We had tried an earlier batch and liked it quite a lot given its lack of ageing. It’s triple-distilled in pot stills, and classified as ‘vodka’. Colour: white. Nose: superb clean and fresh notes of sour dough, new baguette, juniper berries, leaven, baker’s yeast, and then rather lilies of the valley and ‘regular’ lilies. Quite some porridge too. It’s hard to come closer to raw cereals! Quite love it. Mouth: in keeping with the nose, with plenty of bread, juniper, violets, liquorice, then a little sorrel and even more bread. Hints of citrons and myrtle, which is very Corsican. Good body at 38%, but as usual, 43% would have worked better. Finish: medium, fresh, rather more on lemon and lime. A little agave (tequila) as well but the aftertaste is very bready. Comments: really a lovely spirit. Oak would probably waste it. SGP:451 - 81 points.

Kyro 'Verso' (46.3%, OB, Finland, +/-2015)

We had tried and earlier ‘Verso’ last year, and found it impressively good given its very young age (4 months). This one isn’t any older, I suppose. Colour: gold. Nose: much wilder than the Polugar, that is to say even more on leaven and yeasts, with something clearly sour (artichokes?) and a very earthy/muddy side. Asparagus. Mouth: excellent! Extremely rooty and earthy, with plenty of gentian and other roots (ginseng?), then rather fennel and dill. I’m sure you could use this to season gravlaks – excuse me, graavilohi. Some bitter wood as well (caraway, cloves) but that works very well in this context. A very characterful spirit. Finish: very long, spicy, earthy… Very strong mushrooms – I’m not meaning magic ones, mind you. Comments: love this very herbal spirit. It’s got the power and the, well, the assertiveness of some Cask Strength Laphroaig. SGP:371 - 83 points.

Fog's End Monterey Rye (45%, OB, USA, +/-2016)

This isn’t sourced rye, it’s genuinely distilled in the Salinas Valley in California, at Fog’s End Distillery. Colour: pale gold. Nose: eh? Not rye, rather liquid fudge with a rye-y side. It’s not that that’s bad, mind you, but it’s not what you’d expect from some artisan American rye. Opening a new pack of Werther’s Originals. Mouth: more bread, more rye, but also a rough spirity side. Some asparagus again, cinnamon, Swedish dry bread, cider apples, and a little corn syrup. Not the most precise and focussed rye ever, and it’s even got notes of Cuban aguardiente – as far as I can remember -, but as we say over here, it does go down. Finish: medium, a little harsh and gritty. Alcohol and oak in the aftertaste. Comments: a little too ‘undecided and indecisive’ for me. SGP:451 - 68 points.

Rebel Yell ‘Small Batch Rye’ (45%, OB, USA, +/-2015)

Straight rye, so there must be at least 51% rye if I understood everything. I tried the regular Rebel Yell only once, and it reminded me of Billy Idol. Ha! Colour: gold. Nose: easy, light, with some sawdust and some caramel. I have to say I quite enjoy these whiffs of menthol in the background. Nosing crushed fern and moss, perhaps. Mouth: funny, sweet, spicy, cologne-y. Juniper, lavender, violet sweets, cloves, ginger, gin. Sadly, there’s a fudge-y oak that just wrecks everything. Finish: medium, with some sawdust and butterscotch, which, I believe, doesn’t go too well with the rye-y side. Liquorice allsorts and pink peppercorn. Comments: not a fan at all. The oakiness is too dominant. SGP:451 - 65 points.

It’s all becoming difficult. Let’s try to find a last one with a higher reputation…

Pikesville 6 yo (55%, OB, USA, Straight Rye, +/-2016)

An award-covered bottling by Heaven Hill. A very good marketing budget, I suppose. Colour: amber. Nose: we’re going more towards bourbon this time, with more café latte, vanilla, varnish, planks, and coconut oils. There’s a little earth as well, I suppose that’s the rye. But straight rye, really? With water: coconut, vanilla, and geranium. Hand cream. Mouth (neat): thick and oaky, well in line with some of the company’s other bottlings. This feeling of sucking oak sticks is not too much to my liking, I have to say. Vanillin, lactones, liquorice… With water: oak, cloves, cardboard. Finish: medium, very simple, oaky. A lot of nutmeg and cinnamon. The oranges in the aftertaste kind of save it, though. Comments: some say this is some older Rittenhouse. Well, I like Rittenhouse Rye much, much better. I think this Pikesville is pretty much an oak bomb. Rather disappointed, I had high hopes after all those awards… but that's only me. SGP:461 - 70 points.

It seems that I largely preferred the spirit-forward ones again ;-). (with thanks to Florin)