Autumn is the perfect time to crack open a couple of bottles of American whiskey, and we’re not just talking about the perennial favorite, bourbon. Rye whiskey has become incredibly popular over the past decade as well, and there are many new releases to explore. While bourbon must be made from a mash bill of at least 51 percent corn, rye whiskey is produced from a recipe of at least 51 percent rye, giving it the signature baking spice and fruit notes that makes it stand out. From smaller producers to major distilleries, there are some excellent new rye whiskeys to taste this year. Here are seven that are worth hunting down.
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Castle & Key Restoration Rye Batch 2 and 3
Castle & Key has been busy contract distilling for other brands over the past few years while also producing its own whiskey releases. The latest are the second and third batches for 2021 of the distillery’s Restoration Rye. The mash bill is 63 percent rye, 17 percent yellow corn and 20 percent malted barley, putting this more in line with other Kentucky ryes rather than the 95 percent rye from MGP and some craft producers. Batch 2 was a blend of 70 barrels, Batch 3 was made up of 75. Each batch of Restoration Rye is meant to be slightly different, with a focus on barrel selection rather than rigid consistency. Batch 2 was bottled at 104 proof and has notes of brown sugar, clove and fig on the palate, while Batch 3 was bottled at a slightly higher 105 proof and has notes of lemon, honey and allspice.
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Contradiction Rye
Image Credit: Photo: Courtesy of Contradiction This new whiskey from West Virginia’s Smooth Ambler launched during the latter half of the summer. The name, like Contradiction Bourbon that came before it, is a nod to the fact that it’s a blend of sourced whiskey and liquid distilled in-house. There are a total of four whiskeys which were married together for Contradiction: two from Tennessee (51 percent rye and 70 percent rye), one from MGP in Indiana (95 percent rye) and one distilled at Smooth Ambler itself (88 percent rye). The exact proportions are not revealed, but the result is a good rye whiskey that might not completely blow you away but will make a delicious cocktail. It’s bottled at 105 proof, giving it a nice strong backbone, and it is not chill filtered. Expect to find flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel and some floral notes throughout each sip.
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Redwood Empire Rocket Top Straight Rye Whiskey (BIB)
Image Credit: Photo: Courtesy of Redwood Empire This new bottled-in-bond rye whiskey from California distillery Redwood Empire was entirely distilled and aged onsite, as opposed to the past sourced whiskeys they’ve released. It was distilled in the spring of 2016 from a unique mash bill of 87 percent rye, 7 percent malted barley and 6 percent wheat, and aged for five years in barrels with a char level three, according to reps for the brand. Ultimately, 26 barrels were selected to blend together for this release. Tasting notes include sandalwood, clove and dry leaves on the nose, and black pepper, coffee and leather on the palate. A companion bottled-in-bond bourbon will also be released when the whiskey launches this fall.
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Blue Run Kentucky Straight Golden Rye
Image Credit: Photo: courtesy Blue Run Blue Run Spirits is a new spirits company founded by people with some pretty solid corporate experience at companies like Nike and Facebook. While that doesn’t necessarily translate to whiskey, they did work with former Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge to select barrels for their initial bourbon releases. Rutledge was not directly involved with the rye, although he remains a part of the company. Ninety-one barrels were picked for this release, which is bottled at 95 proof. There are not many details available regarding the source and mash bill of the whiskey, but it is a solid rye with notes of toasted nuts, spiced apple and vanilla. The brand is working with different distilleries to contract distill whiskey for future releases, including Castle & Key and Bardstown Bourbon Company. Golden Rye is sold out on the Blue Run website, but can be found (for much higher prices than the $100 SRP) at secondary retailers.
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WhistlePig Sasquatch Sighting #7
Image Credit: Photo: Courtesy of Whistle Pig WhistlePig is no stranger to barrel finishes, as many of the Vermont distillery’s sourced rye whiskeys spend at least some time onsite in a variety of different cask types. One of the latest is Sasquatch Sighting #7, a 12-year-old whiskey that spent several months in sotol barrels provided by Los Magos Sotol. For the unfamiliar, sotol is a Mexican spirit made from the Dasylirion wheeleri shrub (also known as desert spoon), as opposed to the different types of agave used for tequila and mezcal. This secondary maturation period has infused the whiskey with earth and grass notes on the nose, a throughline to the palate where they intermingle with classic rye flavors of black pepper, fig and baking spice. Only 2,000 bottles were produced, but you can find it as part of the Norte a Durango package along with Piggyback Rye at the WhistlePig online shop.
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J. Rieger Bottled in Bond Straight Rye Whiskey
Image Credit: Photo: courtesy J. Rieger & Co. Kansas City distillery J. Rieger & Co. released 6,000 bottles of this rye whiskey in August. The release is a first for a couple of reasons—it’s the first whiskey to be bottled that was distilled entirely in-house at J. Rieger, and it’s the first legally produced whiskey in Kansas City since Prohibition. It’s also bottled-in-bond, meaning it’s at least four years old (six in this case), 100 proof and comes from one distillery and one distilling season. The mash bill is nearly all rye, 96 percent to be exact, with the remaining 4 percent being malted barley. This is a bold and assertive rye, with a grainy and spicy nose that is followed up by classic baking spice and fruit notes and an underlying sweetness on the palate. Try this one in a Manhattan, and you won’t be disappointed. Check the J. Rieger website to find out where you can purchase a bottle.
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Old Forester Rye Single Barrel
Image Credit: Photo: Courtesy of Old Forester When Old Forester first released a rye expression a few years back, it made a lot of whiskey fans very happy. It was affordably priced, tasty and a great example of Kentucky rye that maintains a nice balance between spicy and sweet. More recently, the distillery launched this single barrel version of the rye, which is unfiltered and bottled at barrel strength. Of course, as with any single barrel whiskey, tasting notes and proof will vary from barrel to barrel. But the whiskey I got to try was excellent. The details on the label reveal that it came from the third floor of warehouse six and was bottled at 127 proof. This is high, but not enough to overpower the black pepper, burnt sugar and vanilla pudding notes that sing on the palate. If you find a couple of bottles from different barrels, try them side by side to see how they compare.
