406 replies to this topic

[EvergreenDan]

Has anyone else had McKenzie Rye from Finger Lakes Distilling? It is completely unlike other ryes that I've had (Russel, Wild Turkey, Baby Sazerac). It has an extremely spicy, dry rye presentation. I enjoy it neat, but haven't had much luck mixing with it so far. (And when I'm in the mood for something neat, it's likely to be Scotch.)

http://www.fingerlak...hp/our-products

[biskuit]

Just picked up the new Bulleit 95 Rye, 95% rye mash, 90 proof, probably made at LDI who does Templeton Rye as well (though these are definitely not the same thing w a different label). It's a real nice sipping whiskey for $25, but is surprisingly lacking in rye character.

I did a little comparison w Rittenhouse BIB and Russell's Reserve at http://www.thirstyso...hree-fine-ryes/

The Rittenhouse BIB is a ridiculously good deal, picked mine up for $15. But hard to find.

[Chris Amirault]

Where do you live? We've settled into stable Rittenhouse distribution here in RI for a year or so now.

[biskuit]

I'm in Atlanta - it's not that the Rittenhouse doesn't have distribution, but that it SELLS OUT!

Edited by biskuit, 01 March 2011 - 07:11 AM.

[Katie Meadow]

I'll be visiting my mother in midtown in a couple of weeks and need to fortify myself since she's cranky these days. Where can I find a good selection of ryes (and decent prices) walking distance from 6th Ave and 57th St? The selection of ryes here in the east bay seems limited. I've finally located a source for Redemption, and I like that very much. To me it seems rather delicate (yes, apple-y) in flavor, and I like it for sipping. I've never seen any Rittenhouse here, but I would try it if I found some in NY. Any shopping tips?

[eje]

Katie Meadow, "The selection of ryes here in the east bay seems limited."

East Bay as in Berkeley-ish?

Have you checked Ledger's?

Otherwise, a short BART trip can take you to Cask at Market and Kearny in San Francisco (Montgomery stop).

[EvergreenDan]

Place an order ahead of time. DrinkUpNY in Brooklyn is free shipping for >$100. Astor is down in the Village, but I bet they deliver, too.

I just returned from NYC, but alas didn't get it together to either order ahead of time or make it to a good store. Opportunity lost. I had 6 bottle of Massachusetts Contraband in my e-Cart before I realized I couldn't guarantee it would arrive before I left.

[philadining]

Has anyone else had McKenzie Rye from Finger Lakes Distilling? It is completely unlike other ryes that I've had (Russel, Wild Turkey, Baby Sazerac). It has an extremely spicy, dry rye presentation. I enjoy it neat, but haven't had much luck mixing with it so far. (And when I'm in the mood for something neat, it's likely to be Scotch.)

http://www.fingerlakesdistilling.com/index.php/our-products

I like that Rye quite a lot, and I've had no trouble getting good results mixing it - I found it makes a delicious Manhattan with Carpano Antica (but then, what doesn't? so maybe that's not a good test...) and was also quite happy with it in a Sazerac with Herbsaint Original.

But I'll agree that it's got an interesting enough flavor that I like it straight too. I think it might be the sherry barrels they use for finishing that gives it an unusual twist. I look forward to seeing what they come up with when they can leave it a little longer to age, it's a little young, but surprisingly complex for its youth.

I recently noticed that Fingerlakes has released a bourbon as well, but I haven't had a chance to taste that yet.

[Boilerfood]

Katie Meadow, "The selection of ryes here in the east bay seems limited."

East Bay as in Berkeley-ish?

Have you checked Ledger's?

Otherwise, a short BART trip can take you to Cask at Market and Kearny in San Francisco (Montgomery stop).

For that matter, Draegor's in Blackhawk had a decent selection. I found close to a dozen bottles of Rittenhouse BIB there this summer. Cask is always dangerous, I go in there for one thing, and leave with six.

[Katie Meadow]

Field trip to Ledger's scheduled for tomorrow, thanks! Blackhawk maybe not so convenient, but I'll try to remember next time I pass by that way.

[Ian McCarthy]

Digging the new Bulleit rye. A little heavier mouthfeel, and a bit sweeter than I am used to. It's not punching through other broad-shouldered ingredients quite like Rittenhouse BIB does, but it is shining through well in simple preparations. Very, very, very good old fashioneds were made the last few nights.

[PetersCreek]

Place an order ahead of time. DrinkUpNY in Brooklyn is free shipping for >$100.

Thanks for mentioning DrinkUpNY. I'd never heard of them but gave them a look and wound up ordering a couple of whiskies. Of course, I don't qualify for the free shipping (Alaska rarely does) but the shipping cost was quite reasonable at $19.99 for the two bottles.

As for what I ordered:

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey
Parker's Heritage Collection 10-Year-Old Wheated Mashbill Cask Strength KSBW (off topic for this thread, of course)

[Katie Meadow]

eje, thanks so much for the Ledger's tip. I never knew about it, but I've driven by it a zillion times. Incredibly sweet people. So, I bit--bought--the Bulleit. It's delicious! And price seems great, compared to Redemption. The Redemption is $27.99 and the Bulleit is $21.99 at Ledgers. BevMo is now selling Redemption for the same price, but other places sell it for more.

[Kohai]

Just picked up a bottle of Templeton at Cask. The employee who grabbed it for me said that what was currently being sold was actually whiskey from a different distillery - she didn't know where - that Templeton was bottling because its own whiskeys weren't ready for bottling yet (not aged long enough).

This sounded strange to me but the employee wasn't really able to tell me much more. Can anyone shed any light on what she was talking about? Other people have told me that this information was not correct.

[eje]

Templeton has a small still at its distillery in Iowa, with which it produces some small batches of products which are sold locally.

The product that it sells commercially as Templeton Rye is produced by LDI in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and only bottled at the Templeton plant.

[eje]

FWIW, as far as I know, the Ryes currently known to be made by LDI, (and you can tell if the brand plays up the 95% Rye and 5% Malted Barley Mashbill,) are:

Bulleit Rye
Redemption Rye
Willet 2 Year Rye
Templeton Rye

I believe High West also sometimes sources some Rye Whiskey from LDI for their Whiskies.

edit, oops, the Willet made at LDI is the 2 year rye.

Edited by eje, 12 March 2011 - 12:58 PM.

[Kent Wang]

Does anyone think Templeton tastes and smells like dill? Is this what Chris means by "rye flavor"? I think rye bread tastes a bit like dill.

I did a side-by-side comparison with Rittenhouse BIB, and I still like Rittenhouse much more. I thought it odd that Templeton is almost devoid of any wood taste.

Edited by Kent Wang, 12 March 2011 - 08:54 PM.

[Katie Meadow]

Ouch ouch. Can anyone explain this price disparity? At Ledger's in Berkeley we bought a bottle of Bulleit for $21. Now I'm in NY and today I shopped my mother's midtown neighborhood (admittedly pricey all around) for some rye to last me the week. Did find one place that sells Bulleit....for $52 a bottle! How's that even possible? No Rittenhouse (so elusive!), no Redemption. So I settled for comfy Old Overholt, which only cost me a few dollars more than I pay at home. I don't plan to keep searching, but I'm curious to know if east coast prices are typically higher.

[Chris Amirault]

No, prices aren't that much different on the coasts. I've shopped all around LA, SF, and Portland, and prices are more or less comparable, taking into account distribution issues. That makes me wonder whether Bulleit got a container of cases out west but only a few made it into the NYC market. Who knows.

[Kohai]

Thanks for the info, Erik.

[Corinna]

Has anyone else had McKenzie Rye from Finger Lakes Distilling? It is completely unlike other ryes that I've had (Russel, Wild Turkey, Baby Sazerac). It has an extremely spicy, dry rye presentation. I enjoy it neat, but haven't had much luck mixing with it so far. (And when I'm in the mood for something neat, it's likely to be Scotch.)

http://www.fingerlakesdistilling.com/index.php/our-products

I like that Rye quite a lot, and I've had no trouble getting good results mixing it - I found it makes a delicious Manhattan with Carpano Antica (but then, what doesn't? so maybe that's not a good test...) and was also quite happy with it in a Sazerac with Herbsaint Original.

But I'll agree that it's got an interesting enough flavor that I like it straight too. I think it might be the sherry barrels they use for finishing that gives it an unusual twist. I look forward to seeing what they come up with when they can leave it a little longer to age, it's a little young, but surprisingly complex for its youth.

I recently noticed that Fingerlakes has released a bourbon as well, but I haven't had a chance to taste that yet.

I have tasted both in their tasting room a couple times (I live in the region and work in the industry.) They recently released a nice wheat whisky as well. I haven't splurged for a bottle of their whisky yet, so I haven't played with mixing. I've been very happy with the gin and fruit liqueurs I have purchased though.

[Chris Amirault]

Grabbed a bottle of Bulleit rye this week and have been playing around with it. Made a great Improved OF with homemade bitters, maraschino, and Marteau absinthe. Lovely stuff.

I just did a tasting of Rittenhouse BIB and the Bulleit. I think that the Bulleit has a more pronounced rye flavor and is significantly drier than the RIttenhouse. Don't prefer one or the other; both have a nice place in my cabinet. Unlike, say, Redemption rye, which I was glad to finish off and not replace.

[Dan Perrigan]

Chris -- have you tried the High West Rendezvous Rye yet? I find it delicious for sipping, and the best rye I've had in a Sazerac.

Dan

[Chris Amirault]

No, I haven't. But I do have a second bottle of Thomas H. Handy rye... um... handy, and that has been just fine, just fine.

[weinoo]

Grabbed a bottle of Bulleit rye this week and have been playing around with it. Made a great Improved OF with homemade bitters, maraschino, and Marteau absinthe. Lovely stuff.

I just did a tasting of Rittenhouse BIB and the Bulleit. I think that the Bulleit has a more pronounced rye flavor and is significantly drier than the RIttenhouse. Don't prefer one or the other; both have a nice place in my cabinet.

Is it widely available - sounds like a must have.

Chris -- have you tried the High West Rendezvous Rye yet? I find it delicious for sipping, and the best rye I've had in a Sazerac.

Agreed, good stuff.

[MikeHartnett]

The Rendezvous Rye is one of my absolute favorites. I need to pick some more up next time I'm somewhere I can get my hands on it. Maybe in Chicago next week.

[davidkeay]

I'm curious to know if east coast prices are typically higher.

An old comment, but to weigh in - your midtown store was an anomaly! I picked up the bulleit rye near brooklyn heights for around $32. I'm also sure I saw their bourbon for a similar price around 23rd and 7th, so they're around!

Still, I'd love to be able to pick it up for $21.

[brinza]

I'm curious to know if east coast prices are typically higher.

An old comment, but to weigh in - your midtown store was an anomaly! I picked up the bulleit rye near brooklyn heights for around $32. I'm also sure I saw their bourbon for a similar price around 23rd and 7th, so they're around!

Still, I'd love to be able to pick it up for $21.

As I mentioned in another thread, a friend of mine found Bulleit Rye for me somewhere in Maryland and reported that it was selling for $21.99.

[Mark Muller]

I'm curious to know if east coast prices are typically higher.

An old comment, but to weigh in - your midtown store was an anomaly! I picked up the bulleit rye near brooklyn heights for around $32. I'm also sure I saw their bourbon for a similar price around 23rd and 7th, so they're around!

Still, I'd love to be able to pick it up for $21.

As I mentioned in another thread, a friend of mine found Bulleit Rye for me somewhere in Maryland and reported that it was selling for $21.99.

Yesterday I bought Bulleit Rye in Austin TX (specs on airport) for ~$23. It was about $1 more than Rittenhouse BiB, and $2 more than Wild Turkey. I sipped some and compared with Rittenhouse BiB. It is different than the Rittenhouse, but not hugely so, and I don't think I really have a preference for one over the other - both make a tasty Manhattan. It is less aromatic than Rittenhouse. My next project is to make a side by side comparison of Manhattans and Old Fashioneds made with each.

Interestingly, they also were selling (ri)1 for ~$20 - a far cry from what it was priced the first time I ever saw any. At $20, (ri)1 isn't a bad buy at all.

[brinza]

Interestingly, they also were selling (ri)1 for ~$20 - a far cry from what it was priced the first time I ever saw any. At $20, (ri)1 isn't a bad buy at all.

For $20, I might be tempted.