• Nose: 23 Palate: 23 Finish: 22 Balance: 23 Total: 91
  • Nose: Butterscotch candy and maple syrup
  • Palate: Butterscotch candy and just a hint of rye spice
  • Finish: Rye spice and maple
  • Balance: Incredibly smooth
  • Type: Rye
  • Age: 5
  • ABV: 58%
  • Distiller: Prohibition Craft Spirits (MGP)
  • Where made: Lawrenceburg, IN & Louisville, KY USA
  • Region: USA
  • Approximate Price: $100
  • Value: GOOD

This single-barrel store pick from First Fill Spirits (Saratoga Spriings, NY) was one of the more unusual ryes I've tasted. Normally, I go for the big, bold rye notes, like in Redemption 8 yr. It was distilled by MGP in Indiana and bottled by Prohibition Craft Spirits in Kentucky. This whiskey uses the same mash bill (95% rye, 5% malted barley) as the Redemption 8, but it was finished for 2 months in a toasted barrel. That toasting brought out all kinds of buttery and sugary notes. If I didn't know that this was a rye, in a blind tasting, I would have guessed it was a high-rye bourbon.