01/17/24
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer
Please be sure to read our approach to Tasting Whiskey if you haven’t already.
What constitutes a rye whiskey? The US guidelines for rye whiskey are very similar to those of bourbon except that it must be at least 51% rye. In addition, rye whiskey often has other grains, such as wheat, corn, and barley. Rye whiskey must be distilled to no more than 160 proof, or 80% alcohol by volume (ABV) and it must be aged in new, charred-oak barrels. For additional information, read Rye Whiskey, part of the Sunday Spirit Notes.
For this tasting, we selected rye whiskey from Jim Beam, MB Roland, and Still630.
Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Distillery – Jim Beam, Clermont, Kentucky
Aged for seven years in charred barrels and bottled at 100 proof.
Mashbill – 55% rye, 35% corn, and 10% malt
Color – medium amber
Aroma – sweetness of rye grass; hint of mint; caramel; ginger; green apple
Taste – W: baking spices – nutmeg; R:less sweet, slight mint, tea, hint of dill and white pepper; with dried cranberry – W: nutmeg is stronger; R: rye grass and sweetness is back; with a pecan – W: leads with nutmeg; R: spicy/cinnamon, lost “flavor”
Finish – warm linger; light spices and vanilla
General Notes – A very solid pour of rye whiskey
MB Roland Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Distillery – MB Roland, Pembroke, Kentucky
Single Barrel, Still and Barrel Proof
110.2 Proof
Mashbill – 68% rye, 27% white corn, 5% malted barley
Color – medium to dark amber
Aroma – W: cherry sweetness; R: roasted nuts, sweetness of rye grass, brown sugar, clove, robust
Taste – W: nuttiness, rye grass, then coffee; R: caramel covered nut, rye, mint, cocoa, buttery, all spice; with dried cranberry – W: rye grass bomb with mint & no finish; R: HOT and lost much of flavor profile; with a pecan – W: rye and cinnamon; R: rye and cinnamon
Finish – W: coffee; R: warm, sweet, rye and cinnamon spice
General Notes – This rye takes you on a journey of sweetness and spice and everything nice!
Still630 Rally Point Straight Rye Whiskey
Special Evansville Bourbon Society Barrel Pick
Distillery – Still630, St. Louis, Missouri
Single Barrel, Cask Strength
123 Proof; 4.75 years old
Mashbill – undisclosed
Color – medium to dark amber
Aroma – W: caramel, sweet, smokiness; R: mint, sweet, rye
Taste – W: rye, mint; R: mint, dill, sweet rye; with dried cranberry – W: very sweet rye grass, warmer; R: dark choc mint, citrus/orange, cinnamon; with a pecan – W: strong rye grass; R: much hotter, bitter choc
Finish – W: warm cinnamon; R: warm cinnamon
General Notes – A terrific cask strength rye and it is easy to see why they have won so many awards and typically sell out of RallyPoint
Comparison and Ranking
Aroma
Wayne: MBR, KC, S630
Rebecca: MBR, S630, KC
Taste
Wayne: MBR, KC, S630
Rebecca: MBR, S630, KC
Discussion
We enjoyed all three of these rye whiskeys. Knob Creek Rye is solid and easy very accessible with a terrific price point. The RallyPoint Rye was terrific and somewhat different from many Kentucky ryes. Since its proof was much higher than the others, we also added some water to balance it. Overall, that didn’t change the experience from our viewpoint. It is somewhat difficult to obtain and that kept us from ranking it higher. MB Roland makes a fantastic rye whiskey. It was the most unique of the three and also the most complex. As noted earlier, this rye takes you on a journey of sweetness and spice and everything nice! All things considered, we selected MB Roland Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey as our #1 pick.
All three are excellent options when considering a rye whiskey, and we certainly recommend each of them.
Cheers,
Rebecca
Photos by Rebecca Herman McBrayer
NOTE: The whiskey in this review was purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.
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