rye whiskey

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey (2015) Review

One of two rye whiskies in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Thomas H. Handy (THH) Sazerac Rye comes to us uncut and unfiltered.  This year’s edition arrives at a strong 126.9 proof.  The 2015 edition is comprised of 58 barrels of whiskey aged six years.  30.23%of the original whiskey evaporated.  THH is a barrel proof version of the standard Sazerac rye whiskey.

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Johnnie Walker Select Casks – Rye Cask Finish Review
Johnnie Walker Rye Cask Finish

Photo courtesy: Diageo

Johnnie Walker is one of my favorite blended Scotches.  The brand has a variety of different blends, but this release is the start of something different.  Yes, this is a new 10-year-old blend, which is nice enough.  What makes this Johnnie Walker unique amongst its brethren is the implementation of a finishing process.  Cask finishing is nothing new in the world of Scotch, but I believe this is the first time Johnnie Walker utilizes this maturation method.  For the unaware, cask finishing means after a whisky matures in casks for a number of years, it spends a small amount of time in a different type of cask.  It more or less alters the flavor of the original matured whisky.  The first in a new series by the company, this 10-year-old Johnnie Walker is finished in American rye whiskey casks.  The blend is built around Diageo’s Cardhu single malt, which is usually found in most JW blends.

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Colonel E.H. Taylor Rye Whiskey Review

EHT-straightrye

Released back in 2012, Colonel E.H. Taylor Rye Whiskey is the only non-bourbon in the E.H. Taylor lineup.  Also of note, this straight rye whiskey does not share DNA with Buffalo Trace’s Sazerac Rye.  This is a completely different rye mash bill.  This is made entirely of rye and barley.  That’s right, there’s no corn here.  What it does share with its brethren whiskies is the bottled-in-bond label.  In a nutshell, that means it’s 100 proof, at least four years old, and distilled by one distillery in one season.  Taylor, the man, was the proponent of the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897.

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