Vintage 21 and Rittenhouse 21 Rye Whiskey Reviews

Old enough to drink themselves.

Along with Islay Scotch, aged rye is my abiding whisky love. So it is with much happiness that I was able to change out of my baby-vomit-covered shirt, sit down, and write this review. As you may remember from my first posts, I am a big fan of the many extra-aged whiskies bottled from the Old Medley or Cream of Kentucky (Heaven Hill) distilleries, and these are two of those. The Rittenhouse is a product of Heaven Hill, and was therefore likely distilled in the old Bernheim distillery; likely a similar stock to the excellent Sazerac 18 sold by Buffalo Trace. The Vintage 21 is a KBD product that does not reveal it's source, but I am 99% positive it is from the same stocks of Medley rye that we find in the Hirsch 21/22 and that makes up part of the mixture that is the Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye. If anyone has any further info on these, please feel free to let me know as I would love more details.

I think the things that I find so exciting about these older ryes are the unusual intensity of the nose these guys tend to have, and their combination of spice and dryness. These things are very hard to find in bourbon (though wheaters do age really nicely). The nose, I find, is what develops most in the extra-aged expressions. The other notable characteristic that seems drastically to increase with aging is the presence of tannins (the same chemicals responsible for the mouth-drying quality of red wine), which many find off-putting. My favorite wines are the relatively tannic Baroli and Barbareschi of Piedmont, though, so this does not bother me a bit; I actually kind of like it. 

Vintage 21 Rye Whiskey (Kentucky Bourbon Distillers) 47%ABV ($120 if you can find it)

Nose: Attic, church pews, incense, dark rye toast, toffee, raisins

Palate: Chewy, with well integrated alcohol. Toast, vanilla, intense spices, caramel and lots of wood. Brooding.

Finish: Very long, warming and drying. About 1 minute in , apples and grape skins come through, finally 

ending cool.

Overall: This is much better than I remember a prior tasting in a bar, which I though was too dry and woody. This is still a very woody drink, but I think it has the fruit and spice to balance the wood assault that makes for an overall very intense, interesting experience. Those who find their wood/tannin tolerance lower than mine would likely prefer the Saz 18 which is at this point easier to find and cheaper, but I like this a bit better. 93/100

Rittenhouse 21 Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey (Heaven Hill) 50%ABV ($150)

Nose: More ethereal with notes of rye bread, red fruits and caramel, in addition to incense, antique shop wood and old books. More alcoholic as well. 

Palate: Big mouthfeel with buttered rye toast, cinnamon and cloves, very faint pickle, also lots of wood. Bright overall.

Finish: Shorter than the V21, not as drying. Apples and their skins, vanilla, faint incense. Ends with slight grapeseed bitterness.

Overall: The nose on this is just fantastic and is by far the high point of this whiskey. I could smell this stuff for days. The palate and finish are much better than when I first opened the bottle (at that point the palate was quite thin and boring), but they are still a bit of a let-down after the promises of the nose. This is still excellent whiskey, but not quite as good as the V21, and I don't think I'd spend the rather high price on it (better to get Saz, Michter's 10 or any other old rye you can find). That said, I am still looking forward to opening the 23 at some point and will of course report back. 91/100

These are both excellent rye whiskeys, but they sort of illustrate what I think is a great sadness of the recent boom in bourbon and rye: look at how expensive these are. A few years ago, people were complaining that the V21 wasn't worth $40 because you could get VWFRR for that price! Now, there are just so few options for a good aged rye without impoverishing yourself. Luckily, the majors have all increased their rye production, so maybe when attention moves on to the next phase of "clear drinks are now cool again," we can have a rye glut, but until then, make sure to share these bottles with friends.

A New Hope

Those of you who have not come here from Reddit's r/bourbon, should really check out what is becoming a great new bourbon community. As a case in point, we recently had an AMA with Harlan Wheatley of Buffalo Trace. It was really fun to hear about BT right from the distiller himself, but I was particularly eager to hear the answers to my questions:

Q1: Sazerac 18 and VWFRR are currently produced from old stocks, but I know you are producing fantastic young rye in the form of baby Saz and THH. Can you give us a ballpark as to when the rye fanatics among us can expect a Buffalo Trace-made 12+ year rye from you guys? Even if its 2015, as I expect, I really just need something to look forward to once the tanked stuff runs out.

Q2: Could you comment on the relative importance of barrel selection, warehouse location, mashbill and entry proof to the final products you produce? We all tend to get wrapped up in mashbill, but I'd love to hear your thoughts about the other variables at work.

Q3: Any chance of ever having a #2 mashbill in the BTAC?

Thanks so much for doing this!

Buffalo Trace:

A1: Not long now, just a few more years to wait

A2: These are the key markers in production. Barrel selection being probably the most influential on the final taste. You can take the same day’s production and age in a barrel side by side in the warehouse and get different results. This is why we put so much emphasis on the evaluation and tasting of our whiskies. From our experimentation we know that the mashbill is one of the more important influences on the flavor. However as above they are all very important. I have broken it down before basically like this: Mashbill – 12 %, Fermentation/Yeast – 12 %, Distillation – 20 % Aging Technique – 50%, Bottling/Processing – 5%. All being their relative % responsible for flavor.

A3:You never know, but any plans like that are proprietary.
-----

So! Maybe it won't be long until we get a fresh crop of well-aged ryes; this is very good news.

Jefferson's 10 Year-Old Rye Whiskey Review

The Third President of Canada?

Today we have a review of a rare beast in the American market:  an affordable rye with a bit of age on it. Nearly everything else in current production is 6 years old or younger or else carries no age statement. Though we will likely have a resurgence (and, I hope, a glut) of older rye offerings once the current stocks mature, for now the pickings are slim. However, there remains a great, white, northern hope: Canada.

But this has an image of Thomas Jefferson on  it and is produced by a Kentucky company. Read the fine print: IMPORTED BY CASTLE BRANDS, PRODUCED IN CANADA.

Now wait. I know what you are thinking. Canadian "rye" sucks. Mostly you are correct. This is for a number of reasons:

• Many colloquially refer to Canadian as "rye" even though it often contains a majority of other grains and so often bears little resemblance to an American straight rye.
• Most Canadian that is imported to the States is "blended" whiskey, with as little as 20% of what we could call whiskey (in their industry "flavoring whiskey"), and the balance made of "grain neutral spirits," which makes the stuff essentially whiskey-flavored vodka.
• Having produced the dubious whiskey-flavored vodka, Canadian is typically diluted down all the way to 80 proof, as apparently the taxation becomes ruinous above that point.

Pretty dismal. And it's mostly our fault. For years the major market for this stuff was south of the border where palates asked for "smooth" and easy to drink spirits that were usually mixed with soft drinks. But we don't judge American whiskey on blended crap, nor do we dismiss all of Scotch after trying some Johnny Walker Red. What would it taste like to try the unadulterated "flavoring whiskey," maybe at a respectable proof? Apparently, Wiser's, Alberta Premium and Forty Creek are putting forth fine efforts in this area, though only the latter is officially available in the US (again at 80 proof). But oddly enough, hope is not lost, as a number of American bottlers have released Canadian rye, though it is not always easy to tell where the juice is coming from. The best hint is the small number of 100% rye whiskeys currently on the market. Other than microdistillers (including the excellent Old Potrero), this stuff is all Canadian. They include:

• Whistlepig 10 year-old Straight Rye Whiskey, 100 proof (now available around $60; 11yr/111 proof for $111). Bottled by Whistlepig Farms (VT)

• Masterson's 10 year-old Straight Rye Whiskey, 90 proof (now available around $60). Bottled by 35 Maple Street (CA)

• Jefferson's 10 year-old Straight Rye Whiskey, 94 proof (available in the $30-40 range). Bottled by McLain and Kyne (Ky)

• Pendleton 1910 12 year-old Candadian Rye Whiskey, 80 proof (available around $35). Bottled by Hood River Distillers (OR)

All of these likely come from Alberta Distillers, though none of them disclose the actual source. Alberta is said to be the only possible source for 10 year-old 100% rye. The Pendleton is the odd man out as it is older, lower proof and is not labeled as "straight" rye, which gives me concerns about used cooperage or perhaps the addition of flavorings or grain whiskey (which are legal in Canada), so we will defer discussion for now.

Of the "straight" offerings, I have had the WP in a bar and am about to review the Jefferson's. As these likely all come from the same place, the Masterson's, at the lower proof and equal price to WP, is a bit of a hard sell unless there is some interesting barrel selection going on. Will still have to try it at some point.

So, on to the review:

Jefferson's 10 Year-Old Rye Whiskey, 94 proof (I paid $32.99)

Color: Bright copper, very clear (no mention of filtration either way)

Nose: Warm rye bread, vanilla custard, apples/cider, small amounts of alcohol/volatile chemicals, fresh grain and leather. This is really a lovely nose. Reminiscent of the Saz 18, or what I think it might smell like at this age. Combines the young, bright rye notes of the popular LDI ryes, with the older, darker flavored aged ryes I'm always going on about, though the latter are subtle.

Palate: Very spicy attack with well-controlled alcohol and a candied ginger note. Baking spices, vanilla and caramel follow, along with rye bread and leathery notes. Also a hint of butter. Sweetness is more in line with a bourbon (higher) than most ryes. Weight is medium and overall this gives the (pleasant) impression of chasing candied ginger with cinnamon toast made with rye bread.

Finish: Largely echoes the palate with warming burn then a clean and cool sensation. The ginger and spice linger a bit, as does the sweetness.

Well. We definitely have a winner here. It is not nearly as far evolved in its aging process as the prestige 18+ ryes out there, but this whiskey has many similar qualities, and combines them with the pleasant characteristics of more youthful ryes in a very successful way. In truth, I'm not sure I would have guessed that this was even 10 years old, though, and I assume the climate in Alberta is a good reason for that.

In any case, I find this a good deal more interesting than the Whistlepig (which was sweeter and higher proof, but more one dimensional; still a fine desert whiskey), and at $33 this is just an insanely good deal for rye whiskey. I'm going to bunker a few more of these guys and laugh every time someone brags about their $100 rye "from Vermont."

For more info on the increasingly interesting Canadian Whisky market, see: http://www.canadianwhisky.org/

Sazerac Rye Review

To wrap up this streak of rye-focused reviews, today we have, from the Sazerac Company,  their eponymous rye whiskey. Distilled at Buffalo Trace and handsomely bottled at 90 proof, "Baby Saz" runs around $30.

The name Sazerac comes intially from a brand of cognac, Sazerac-de-Forge & Fils, imported to New Orleans in the 19th century and used in what was called the Sazerac Cocktail in the Merchants Exchange Coffee House. Orginally owned by Sewell T. Taylor (the importer of the cognac), the coffee house was sold to Aaron Bird, who renamed it the Sazerac House. It passed again to Thomas H. Handy around 1870, who apparently first recorded the recipe for the cocktail, which may have been invented at the House, or by Antoine Peychaud, of bitters fame. The purchase of this business by Handy also marks the founding of the Sazerac Company.

But wait, cognac!? Indeed. Whiskey in America, and for that matter the UK, had been a second choice to brandy for many years until the late 19th century. In 1863, a North American louse, phylloxera, decimated the vineyards of Europe, leading consumers to look beyond the grape for drinking ingredients. A small step for lice, a giant leap for whisky-kind.

So, we have the Saz. This one is, by all accounts, a diluted version of BTAC THH, thus made from the BT rye mashbill of 51% rye, 39% corn and 10% malted barley. This mashbill is similar most American ryes other than LDI. Current Sazerac 18 is different and, as mentioned in the ryeday post, was produced elsewhere. If you calculate proof/$, Baby Saz comes to 3 proof/$, while THH comes to roughly 1.8. So in this sense the Baby is a much better deal, but again part of the beauty of the THH is its barrel-proofness.

In the glass it is a darker and redder whiskey than most bourbons of this age. The nose is pleasantly lifted with a hint of acetone that carries along with it cloves, cinnamon, anise and warm rye bread. There are also some fainter dulce de leche and corn notes if you really get your nose in there. The palate is warm, rather than hot, and almost completely dry. The spices from the nose return, along with peppermint, ginger and vanilla caramel. The finish is quick and leaves a faint apple flavor along with a clean and cooling feeling I associate with good distillation (few tails).

Overall, I like this a lot. It is totally obvious that this is THH + H20, and that is a very good thing for$30. It certainly lacks the pleasantly punishing 130 proof concentration of flavor and alcohol of the Handy, but sometimes I want a whiskey that doesn't require the use of a "safe word." It is in many ways similar to the Knob Creek Rye, minus the love-it-or-hate-it Beam yeast, but drier, spicier and a bit more typical. This is far better sipping than the Willett, for my taste, but this stuff is so spectacular in cocktails that that's where most of it will end up.

So. We have finished the current round of American ryes. Not completely comprehensive, but I'm satisfied for now, with the exception of Russell's Rye (which I'd like to try) and some of the cheaper guys that may yet end up in a bottom shelf tournament (and before you ask, Whistlepig, Jefferson's, and Pendleton are actually Canadian). My final thoughts:

• Willett 3yr single barrel

The Willett single barrel gets a lot of love, as do the Dickel, Templeton, Redemption,  Bulleit, James Pepper and other near-identical LDI ryes. I can say that the Willet was not to my taste on its own, though I would like to try an older barrel before passing judgement. Also, I suspect that I am unusually averse to the Lawrenceburg juice, as I seem to be in a minority here, so I will recommend you try some yourself; it's everywhere lately.

• Sazerac Rye (NAS)
• Knob Creek Rye

These are moderately priced and very well made. I think I tend to like the Knob on its own, where it reminds me of a pleasantly high-rye bourbon. I think it is a bit too bourbony to stand out as a rye in cocktails, however. Just as good on its own, the Saz additionally makes some of the best Manhattans, Old Fashioneds and, yes, Sazeracs that I've had. It is a perfect cocktail rye.

• Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye
• Hirsch 22 Rye
• Michter's 10 Year Rye
• Sazerac 18

These are all perfect or near-perfect ryes. They are expensive and hard to find. In the words of Ferris Bueller, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.


Next up: Children of the Wheat

Knob Creek Rye Review

Continuing the rye theme is this guy, who was on sale at the state store on the walk home from work. Knob Creek Rye is a 100 proof offering distilled at Jim Beam, carrying no age statement. Beam Global is the subject of lots of complaining over the past few days about the decision to decrease the proof of Maker's Mark (who they recently acquired) from 90 to 84. I never drink it anyway, so I don't really care. This will be the Jack Daniel's story all over again, and I expect that, like JD, MM will have no problem selling whiskey to brand loyalists (as opposed to enthusiasts). Every Weller product is a superior wheater in my opinion  as is Larceny from Heaven Hill.

Anyway, this post is about KCR. As opposed to Knob Creek bourbon (which is around 75% corn, 15 % rye, a mashbill shared with Jim Beam, Booker's, and Baker's), this stuff is at least 51% rye (by law as discussed in my previous post). This is reportedly the same mashbill as Jim Beam Rye, the ill-fated Ri(1) and the stalwart Old Overholt, which just lost its age statement (it was 4 years). There must be significant barrel selection and/or age differences at play: I can't get anywhere near Beam Rye, but I still have a fondness for the OO in an old-fashioned. I've not had the new, younger stuff, but the OO I'm used to seems more tannic and older than the Beam Rye. I had Ri(1) a long time ago and ended up giving it away.

This, however, is a different story. I don't know that I would have blindly identified it as a rye, rather than a high-rye bourbon. This makes me think that it is somewhere near the 51% minimum rye in the mash. When first opened, it begins with a nose very similar to  Knob Creek bourbon, Booker's and Baker's, essentially betraying the Beam yeast, though in this application it is not at all unpleasant. As the glass airs out, candied ginger, honeysuckle and spices come through, suggesting a rye after all. The nose is actually, once the yeast blows off, surprisingly similar to Sazerac 18. On the palate it is very round, especially in comparison to the unpleasant sharpness I find in LDI ryes. The palate shows corny sweetness, but this is balanced by firm rye spices that keep it from being a round, sweet mess. In this respect it is far more balanced that the KC bourbon (which tends toward to rounds, sweet mess end). It tastes certainly older than the Willett, maybe 7 years? The finish is very pleasantly drying and brings back the candied ginger again.

Not content to leave things alone, I hoped to create a vatting of 50:50 KCR and Willett Rye, hoping for a 75% rye to combine the best of both whiskeys. The thought was to combine the roundness and depth of the Knob with the more characteristic rye notes of the Willett. Unfortunately, I ended up with a nose full of Beam yeast and a hot palate full of grass... It was worth a try.

Overall, this is a very pleasant drink and is leading my list of inexpensive rye whiskeys. It is certainly more of a bourbon-drinker's rye, as the corn content seems rather high, but if you like bourbon, I think this is as fantastic as it is easy to find (around me it's everywhere). In some ways it tastes like what I wanted Basil Hayden's to be, an upgraded Old Grand-Dad (high-rye Beaminess but with more polish, rather than just more water).This one, unlike the Willett, will be drunk neat.

In coming posts, I hope to wrap up my current streak of rye whiskey with a review of Sazerac 6 (in the mail), maybe an investigation of the effects of air on high-end rye, and hopefully a visit to the nearby Mountain Laurel Distillery, maker's of Dad's Hat Rye. I'm also happy to take suggestions in the comments below.

Poor Man's Handy?

Actually, now that I think of it, that title is terribly open to misinterpretation.

Thomas H. Handy is a young, barrel-proof straight rye whiskey and part of the well-regarded Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Despite its incredible ratings, it has attained the status of a red-headed stepchild in the BTAC, often lingering on shelves far longer than its mates. I am, however, a great fan of the THH, and if there is a better base for Manhattans to take on the train to Atlantic City for a bachelor party, I've not heard of it.

Sadly, I find myself in between bottles of THH. This is bothering me inordinately, as I have all the other BTACs and I tend toward completeism. However, there is none in my house, there is none within walking distance, and my wife has the car today. So, I bring you instead, the Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Rye:

This one is from KBD, run by the Kulsveen/Willett family. This is a straight rye whiskey, which by law must be at least 51% rye and aged in new, charred oak barrels for at least 2 years (among other regulations). From their single barrel series, this Willett clocks in at a very respectable 110 proof at 4 years old and was bought for $33. So far, so good: a young, high-proof rye for half the list price of the Handy.

The liquid itself was "distilled in Indiana," per the label, which means it was almost certainly produced by the romantically named MGP Ingredients (formerly LDI). The "LDI rye," as it is still colloquially known, has a  95% rye and 5% malted barley mashbill. In this case, the malt is included to take advantage of enzymes that reduce starches and complex sugars in the grains to the simple sugars that yeasts ferment into alcohol. Rye itself can be "malted," (malting is just the germination of the seeds that comprise a grain) but barley is typically used as as it is easier for distillers to handle (less sticky, bubbly etc).

At present, there are a number of products that use the LDI rye, here is how they look on paper:

Hmm. I started this table assuming that I would say that the Willett has the best price/proof ratio, but it seems that Redemption wins; I may have to try it. That said, I still like the high proof of the Willett, as, like most Americans, I have access to clean water and can do my own dilution. The high proof also allows the whiskey to shine in cocktails, even when you are not trying to forget you are going to Atlantic City.

Unlike the older, hard-to-find and very expensive ryes I have thus far been posting about, the young LDI is everywhere. I am very interested to see what these will be like at an older age, but what if we're thirsty now?

The nose on this one initially presents with candied and also pickled ginger. Further swirling reveals mostly alcohol but also some pleasantly high-toned floral notes along with an undercurrent of spice. Neat, the palate is quite hot, rather sweet and spicy; it is too hot to really get any more specific. The finish is quick and minty/herbal. Adding a bit of water to this helps on the palate, though the nose becomes more muted. With water, some vanilla and caramel flavors emerge after the initial alcohol attack, complementing the spice and sweetness.

This should be better than it is. However, it is not incredibly pleasant to drink neat or diluted. It is too spirity and young, and has too little density of flavor, as has been my experience with the other LDI rye I have had, Bullleit. When I compare it in my mind to the "baby" Sazerac or THH, I find that the latter two are rounder with deeper and more well-developed flavors. This may be due to mashbill, as the Handy's is much closer to the minimum 51% rye, and so has more bourbon-like flavors, which I tend to prefer at this age.

So, this will be used in cocktails, as I'm sure the overwhelming majority of young rye is. Will have to do some comparisons of young ryes (maybe Knob Creek, Willett and Sazerac) in Manhattans or Old Fashioneds. Since it is too early for cocktails, however, we will have to save that for another time and admit that thought the Willett looks great on paper, it is unfortunately no man's Handy.

Michter's 10 year-old Single Barrel Rye

The undiscussed rye from Ryeday (see previous post) is perhaps the most enigmatic and opaque. Michter's is the name of a closed distillery that operated (first as Bomberger’s) near Shaefferstown, Pennsylvania until it closed in 1989 after filing for bankruptcy. This distillery was well regarded in the northeast as a producer of a sour-mash Jack Daniel’s alternative and is now most famous for having produced the excellent Hirsch 16, possibly the best bourbon I have ever tried, recently made even more famous in Chuck Cowdery's book, The Best Bourbon You’ll Never Taste. (Contrary to the title, I got lucky at a restaurant in Princeton). As you will note, this last was bottled by Hirsch, not Michters, and here is where things get even stranger.

The only empties I've ever saved. The Hirsch 16 was made by Michter's, unlike the Michter's 10.

The current "Michter's" is a brand owned by Chatham imports of New York, who do not distill. Their whiskey is either sourced from other distillers or made by them under contract. More complicated still is the fact that Chatham is rumored to have sourced the Michter's 10 year rye whiskey from Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), who themselves did not distill it, but rather souced it from someone else. This may have been the Cream of Kentucky rye that also goes into Saz 18, or it may have been more of the Medley rye that goes into the Hirsch 13,21,22 etc. 

The Michter's 10, in particular, has the warm and rounded spice notes of the other, older medley ryes, and shares some of the maple syrup nose in the empty glass, but there is perhaps less up-front oak. There are definite notes of fig jam, apple and rye bread on the nose.  There is, in the mid palate, a very similar profile to the VWFRR (I actually mixed up my glasses at one point the other night). If there is a difference in the palate, there again may be slightly less wood, a touch more bitterness and a touch of peanut that led my friend to suggest there could be Beam product present (I'm not so sure about the latter, but would be very happy indeed to learn of an as-yet unintroduced aged beam rye). Similar to the Sazerac, there is a candied quality and lighter body overall when compared to the Medley ryes.  The finish also shares more with the younger-tasting Sazerac, with a candied sweetness and minty sensation on a moderate length finish, compared to the 15 minutes of maple syrup after a sip of Hirsch 22.

Takeout bottles are important when visiting friends with good whiskey

Whatever the provenance, this rye is certainly of a class and character with the Van Winkle, Black Maple Hill and Hirsch ryes. Really, if presented the option I would buy whatever can be found most cheaply. The only older rye that is head and shoulders above this is the Hirsch 13. The Hirsch 22 and BMH23 are by far the smoothest and almost liqueur-like, though whether that is a good thing may be a matter of taste.

This guy is usually about the same price at this point as the VWFRR, but (in most markets) easier to find. Many may object to the opacity of non-distiller producers like "Michter's," but once in the glass I find no problem with this stuff at all. I already have more bourbon and rye in the man-room than my wife finds healthy or sane, but I think I will be adding at least one more of these. 

And to continue the OCD, the current, update on our thoughts about the Rye Venn Diagram:

Ryeday

Having finally declared the Great Dusty Hunt to be dead, we returned to my friend's house/whiskey storage facility.  We decided to try my Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 against his 2012 release Sazerac 18. He also had some Hirsch 22 open. Michter's 10 year old single barrel rye was feeling left out, so we invited him, too:

These guys are all a bit confusing. None of them actually tells us straightforwardly where they were made or by whom. The Michter's is probably 18 years old, despite the 10yo label, and the VWFRR is likely about the same. After some tasting and lots of  obsessing on StraightBourbon (who I'd love to join, but am having some trouble with the ISP email only requirement...) as well as Bourbon Enthusiast (another great resource),  I have come up with the following provisional theory of provenance (please feel free to correct or discuss further!):

I've actually no idea about the Michter's

We did not take notes, of course, and I had to fly to Miami the next morning, but a few impressions predominated. First, the Hirsch 22 is incredibly dangerous. So smooth that a pint glass seems like a fine idea when faced with a bottle until one realizes it's $120. Overall, the nose presented a hint of waxed wood furniture (specifically church pew) along with (perhaps unsurprisingly) rye bread. We agreed that this was as close to overoaked a whiskey as we have had and enjoyed (I find the vintage ryes overoaked), though to be honest it really shows more barrel that anything else. This is only a bad thing if you don't like vanilla, spices and caramel.

The Saz 18, by comparison, seemed very fresh and had far less barrel influence, making it seem  younger. What it lacked in barrel-y smooth goodness it made up for in sweetness, rye spice, mint and focus. The Hirsch could almost have been any extra-old whiskey, but the Saz was unmistakably rye. At half the price of the Hirsch (if you can find it at list price...) this is an incredible whiskey. Had it again at Michael's Genuine in Miami a few days later and found that it even paired well with food. If the Hirsch is a big, slutty delicious California Cab, the Saz is a focused, brightly acidic Burgundy. Would kill a man to try the barrel proof version, but there is apparently so little Saz 18 that we will never see it.

Based on the Venn above, it should be no surprise that the VWFRR was intermediate. This thing is a freaking unicorn. I've found 3 bottles since I started buying whiskey. All the hype of Van Winkle, all the hype of rye, and tiny, tiny production. Labeled as 13 years old, it is, as mentioned, likely far older and is purported (at least for the last few years) to be a vatting of Medley and CoK. Honestly, I was hoping that the VW13 would be as close as possible to the Hirsch 13, which is the finest rye whiskey I have ever tasted. It was close, but I don't think the vatting did it justice. That said, it is probably in my top 3 rye whiskeys. We tried vatting the Saz 18 with the Hirsch 22 (just a small amount) and found the mixture delicious, but not identical to the VWFRR.

As I said, I do not have detailed notes for these, but I think they are all excellent and worth seeking out as, though expensive, they represent the end of a rye era. Whatever the age statements of these ryes, and whatever their actual barrel ages, much of this stuff is actually far older, having been "tanked" in stainless steel vats where they do not age further and from where they are periodically doled out to us. As such, they are essentially Dodos. We shall not see their like again.

Of course there has been much made lately of the rye renaissance, and we are all happy for more rye, but it will be 2015 at earliest before we see a new 13 year-old rye whiskey. I hope the years to come will bring more and equally good mature ryes, but they will not be the same. These guys are all really expensive, but they are getting scarce and not getting any cheaper. To try a bit of distilling history, I would refer Philadelphia area folks to leave the bottles in stores to me and head over to Southwark (with whom I have no relation), who have far and away the most amazing selection of rye I've seen in  any bar in the country.

Next up: Michter's 10 Single Barrel Rye