A little bag of American ryes


June 29, 2022

A little bag of American ryes

As often with random bags, you're never quite sure about what's going to come out. Let's see…

(come on, Bezos! ->)

Basil Hayden 8 yo (40%, OB, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky, +/-2021)

We last tried this nicely packaged but probably a little under-powered bourbon seven years ago and rather liked it (WF 82). Colour: gold. Nose: rather on warm sawdust, vanillin, candied oranges, a little butterscotch, tiny whiffs of fresh putty, then this slightly cologne-y, violety aspects that may have come with the rye, and some soft, lovely notes of fresh panettone. All that is light but mucho pleasant. Mouth: light indeed, but the ryeness is in the front, with violet candies, this very pleasant kind of soapiness, some liquorice, genever, then touches of bananas flambéed (flambéed au rye whisky!) as well as curaçao and vanilla. Wee varnishy touch, then sawdust again. Finish: not short, a little perfumy, varnishy, with some fruit essences, maybe pears, certainly bananas. Liquorice and violet sweets in the aftertaste. Comments: clearly a solid 83 in my book. Everything is going up these days.
SGP:630 - 83 points.

Filibuster 'Dual Cask' (45%, OB, Straight Rye, USA, +/-2021)

A straight rye from Washington D.C. that's been finished in French oak seasoned with chardonnay. It doesn't say whether that chardonnay was French as well. As you guess it, it cannot be 'straight bourbon' and that's not because it's from D.C. Colour: deep gold. Nose: there's more fresh oak than in the Basil, more cinnamon and nutmeg for sure, ginger paste, some rather astonishing whiffs of yuzu (could that be the chardonnay?) then a growing perfumy ryeness simply leading to N°4711. And to a large loaf of fresh rye bread. Mouth: starts a tad bitter, with a lot of clove and juniper, artichoke cordial, then varnish, then angelica and bitterish roots, plus liquorice wood, all that drizzled with corn syrup and strong honey, such as oak honey. Yep. Finish: rather long, still a tad varnishy but that's pleasant in this context. More oak honey in the aftertaste, as well as chestnut. I mean chestnut honey. Comments: feels a tad 'boosted' because of the spicy French oak, but really like the raw power here. Iggy Pop's?
SGP:661 - 83 points.

Catoctin Creek 'Roundstone Rye' (40%, OB, +/-2020)

We're in Virginia this time. I have to say I haven't had much luck with the few higher-ranked Catoctins I've already tried, but someone said that bliss lies in simple things. Can't seem to remember who said that. Colour: gold. Nose: fine, rather on ice wine and maple syrup, plus vanilla and just perfumy rye, as well as a rather large quantity of warmish sawdust. Simple, not unpleasant. Mouth: fruity and perfumy. A blend of rhubarb, lavender, banana and pear syrups, plus once again rather a lot of cinnamon and sawdust. Light body. Finish: medium, mainly on peppery sawdust. Maybe not the nicest part. Liquorice allsorts and maple syrup in the aftertaste. Comments: good but lighter bodies such as this one are having a little trouble coping with and heavier oakiness. But yeah, I find it good.
SGP:540 - 78 points.

Speaking of maple syrup…

Koval 'Rye Maple Syrup Cask' (50%, OB, for Kirsch Import, cask #5690, 2021)

We're in Chicago this time, but will this one really be for Michael Kenyon a.k.a. the Illinois Enema Bandit? (that's another moderately subtle reference to Frank Zappa, in case you're not 50+) Maple syrup, right… Colour: amber with orangey hues. Nose: well, we tend to find maple syrup in spirits that do not actually contain any, so you could well imagine that we're going to find a lot in this one. Which is the case. All the rest is traditional young rye, with some caramel, cologne, violet and lavender, rye bread, and perhaps some manuka honey. With water: sameish, pretty meady. Pumpernickel and blueberry jelly, drop of prosecco. Mouth (neat): a sweeter rye, that's all, with some coffee liqueur too. A little too sweet for me, I have to say, wondering whether this wouldn't qualify as a liqueur. Better not ask our administration. With water: I like it a little better, but I'm still trying to understand the idea behind this maple syrup thingy. Finish: for the record. Comments: fan of Koval and fan of Kirsch Import, but moderately so this time.
SGP:630 - 75 points.

Enough rye (and yet we love rye).

David Nicholson '1843' (50%, OB, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, +/-2021)

I think it is a first at Whiskyfun Castle. Colour: gold. Nose: a soft bourbon, on vanilla, toasted oak, toasted bread, touch of liquorice, some fudge and caramel, a little rooibos tea, that's it. With water: a wee earthiness, otherwise some soft, easy bourbon. Easy on the nose… Mouth (neat): feels pretty young given the vintage. Imagine, 1843! Remember, in marketing you never talk to the brain, you talk to the guts. So a good, simple, pleasant bourbon that goes down without a fuss. Sweet liquorice and various sweets. With water: really pleasant, a tad spicier. Caraway bread, tiny touch of curry, on vanilla fudge and corn honey (which isn't proper honey!) Finish: a little short. Perhaps more wheat than rye. Comments: no quibble bourbon, of good quality. In my humble opinion, as always.
SGP:640 - 80 points.

Heaven Hill 12 yo (46%, Cadenhead, Original Collection, American Bourbon, +/-2022)

It's good that those very distinguished people at Cadenhead's would have made it clear that this was ex-bourbon barrel. You never know… Colour: straw. Nose: it's almost as if this was matured in fresh oak for only two or three years and then re-racked in refill. Soft vanillas, brioches and sponge cakes, barley syrup (yes), nougat and popcorn, perhaps tangerines… Mouth: super good! More grasses and herbs, even mosses, green spices, citrus peel… Not sure all that is very 'bourbon', but I really like this development. Goes towards cinnamon and soft peppers then, which was more expected, naturally. Finish: rather long, a tad oakier. Nice green fruits, green plums, rhubarb… Comments: a bourbon that's gone a little towards Scotch, you could almost call it a malty bourbon.
SGP:551 - 84 points.

Right, a last one, let's make it a good one.

Pappy Van Winkle's 20 yo 'Family Reserve' (45.2%, OB, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey)

I can't tell when this one was bottled, probably not too long ago. I would tend to find these Pappies 'excellent, not great'. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: whiffs of stewed redcurrants and rhubarb at first, which is obviously superb, fresh and wonderfully nose-tickling, then cedarwood and incense, then the all-expected vanillas, toffees, coconut wines and varnishes. Funny nose that goes from the exceptional to the almost mundane. Mouth: no denying, this starts very well, almost 'fruity', but it's getting dry, too much on coffee dregs and bitter chocolate for me. Biting heavy-toasted oak chips. Nicer sourness in the background, could be that the redcurrants are back. Finish: ambivalent. Nice marmalades and bitter oaks and black tobacco and tea. Some biting old-school Ténarèze in the aftertaste – not joking! Comments: looks like these Pappies vary a lot.
SGP:561 - 86 points.

Many more American whiskeys soon! No, wait, a very last one…

Griffo 'Stout Barreled' (45%, OB, Batch #6, +/-2021)

We're at Griffo Distillery in Sonoma County, California this time. Another first, I think. We've had quite a few great whiskies from Sonoma County (and a few wines). This one's been finished in ex-Lagunitas stouts, how very Californian indeed - we're talking 'old' Lagunitas, when we were only finding them on the West Coast, Lagunitas having now been much industrialised and globalised, as far as I can tell (as I know more about Russian lunar modules than about beer). Colour: deep reddish amber. Nose: hurray! This is too unbalanced, too spicy, too earthy, too oaky, too much on the moistest pumpernickels… But it is admirable. I adore these whiffs of Timut pepper that rare slowly coming out, together with ganaches and gingerbreads. California, again. Mouth (neat): not very whisky-like, but exceptional. Stunning chocolates of all kinds, well this is almost chocolate eau-de-vie. Very impressive. Do we get the stout? I suppose we do, but I would say were drinking 50cl of stout per year, so we're hardly experts. With water (not that it's needed): more chocolate, marmalade, Szechuan pepper, pink grapefruit sherbet. Finish: goes on with the same flavours. Only the aftertaste is a little disappointing, a little too drying. Comments: totally modern, but better proper modern whiskies than NFT malts and decanters for the metaverse. This little Griffo is as nice as the Iso 'Grifo', a wonderful Italian sportscar from the 1960s with a boosted Chevrolet V8. See, the American, again.
SGP:661 - 88 points.

Griffo, winner! PS: I know, those were not all ryes.

Check the index of all American whiskies we've tasted so far