Rye Whiskey!

If you’ve ever gone out for a drink with me, you know I love rye whiskey. Ordering an old fashioned? Make it with rye. Manhattan? With rye please. Whiskey Sour? Make it with rye! And actually, the old fashioned, manhattan, and whiskey sour cocktails were originally made with rye whiskey until Bourbon popularity slowly replaced it.

When I first started drinking whiskey, bourbon was my jam. It’s easier to drink because it’s sweeter (made from mostly corn mash instead of rye) but soon it became the equivalent of a ‘moscato’ to my palate and the sweetness flattened the taste. Now I know this is HIGHLY controversial and we could debate this for days on end but this is only my opinion. There are some very complex and dynamic bourbons but in the $30-$60/bottle price range, I think you get more bang for your buck going with a rye.

By law (U.S. 27CFR 1.5.22 standards of identity), “ ‘Rye whisky’ is whisky produced at not exceeding 160° proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent rye, and stored at not more than 125° proof in charred new oak containers… Rye whiskey that has been aged for at least two years and has not been blended with other spirits may be further designated as straight, as in "straight rye whiskey”.”

Rye grain offers more ‘spice’ and dry tasting notes. Rye tends to age better and it also develops more as it sits on the palate. Templeton 4 is my usual but Bulleit does well in a cocktail. If you’re sipping rye pretty straight (neat/on the rocks, or with an orange coin), I recommend Michter’s.

Also, there is a pretty fantastic moonshiner song about rye whiskey!

Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, please don’t let me down

I’m gonna take me a drink

Then I’ll roam around

Check on my stills

and see if they’re okay

Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, please last all day

I don’t want to run out of my rye today

I won’t have no more

Or that’s what they say

Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, please don’t let me down

I’ve got to go make another round

Moonshiner Jim Tom: