Recommended Rye

@Victor what do you think about whiskyadvocate? I find their site extremely well made and organised, and very complete too on content... but, I find the actual reviews to be pretty confusing. I know they say that their annual best list is made from blind tasting and taking into affordability and availability into the equation, but it still strikes me as odd when a site on the ONE hand rates an expression as 'pretty ok' i the 89-91 range, and at the same time comes out and denominates it as whisky of the YEAR!

Also, I've noted (and this is of course highly subjective), that their ratings tend to be pretty contrarian to most other places, incl Connosr's. They'll rate RB12 higher than Lustau, AnOa higher than Uigeadail, Rampur given more accolades than Amrut, etc.

Sure, I'll still read it with enjoyment and taste is of course highly subjective... I guess I'm just saying I wish I could 'trust' such a well presented and engaged site more...

@Victor I'll be shocked if you don't love it.

@RikS Every awards system has weird guidlelines and this one is no exception. What makes WA awards strange is that they call it "...of the year" not just because they love it, but also through some vague evaluation of it's importance or something like that (they make it clear that it is not just the highest scoring whiskies in their respective categories). They also deliberately award whiskies that are affordable and relatively available. Which makes this publication, for me, a good consumer guide. Plus it's all subjective, of course (except for the life of me I can't understand how Johnny McCormick can give 88 to The White Walker).

@paddockjudge I also did not think twice about getting backup bottles for the Knob Creek CS Rye and LB II. Seems my quest to procure everything Rye is never ending.

@talexander I guess I do agree on the principle of “best expression, all things considered” (acknowledging that @paddocjudge may take issue with that) - so I guess my objection isn’t principled, but on the basis of the actual whisky.

I for one think that the £10 difference between an oa and uigeadail still makes the latter the better option, all things considered. But hey, as we said, pretty subjective debate....

@archivist, I've been seeing a lot of articles and blurbs on distillery 291's products since you mentioned them here, it seems their star is in the rise and it's well worth looking for.

I certainly concur with the resident rye hounds/gurus of Connosr, if you can find a barrel pick of the Whistlepig 10yr (any other version is MGP juice) then you might be in for a treat.

Another rye that is of interest but I haven't tried yet is Balcones rye, it's a mashbill of 4 or 5 different rye types including some dark roasted rye. The regular version is @ 50% abv but there are some cask strength versions floating around.

@paddockjudge, you guys are killing me with the Knob Creek cask strength rye...I'll pick one up as soon as I recover from my most recent buying spree.

How do folk on here rate Pikesville? It sells for quite a premium (c£75) here in the UK - do you think it's worth it? I'm enjoying ryes more and more and will maybe one day splurge a little extra. This is one that has definitely peaked my curiosity.

@RianC I love it!

@RianC you will have a hard time finding anything but high praise for Pikesville on Connosr. There are a few reviews on Connosr. This is not my favourite style of rye, but I still scored it 90 points. Tom gave it 95 points. Get somebody to give you a taste of it, if you can.

In his 2016 whisky bible Jim Murray named Pikesville the Second Finest Whisky in the World.

Your price is nearly twice what it costs here, so, yes, that is a relatively expensive price available to you. I think that Pikesville would be at that price in the US too, if it were made by a smaller producer than the very large distiller Heaven Hill. Heaven Hill is one of the most price competitive big distilleries in the US.

@RikS I love to give my opinion about Whisky Advocate! Whisky Advocate Magazine is written primarily for beginners and early intermediate whisky enthusiasts. It has great photography, and some excellent timely industry information. I've subscribed to it for about 5 or 6 years now, but every year I re-consider whether I want to keep receiving it. I read it for the industry information, for the nice photography, the occasional very good article, and for info about visiting distilleries and cities with whisky-tourism in mind. I have no regard whatsoever for the tastes and opinions of the regular reviewers or for their recommended buying guides, with the exception of these blind-tasting panel "readily available and readily affordable" lists, which I do consider practical and valuable (in the same sort of way that the Connosr Top 100 Rated List is valuable). Reading Davin de Kergommeaux on Canadian whisky is like reading Pravda. This is strictly fantasyland promotion. Fagetaboutit!

Is Whisky Advocate worth a subscription? Buy a copy of Whisky Advocate and see for yourself.

@Victor Ha! Great feedback , and I have a feeling we sort of have the same impression.

@Victor I like the information about the distilleries and such that Comrade De Kergommeaux provides, but I almost always disregard his scores. My palate is completely different from his. Maybe a 2 or 3 out of 10 on your correspondance scale.

@Victor @RikS I subscribe as well. I think it's a better publication than Whisky Magazine out of the UK. And I agree completely with @Victor 's comments. There's a lot of good in-depth stuff about the US whiskey business, trends, innovations and travel guides. The reviews are rather facile and of course very subjective and all over the place. Davin's Canadian whisky reviews are pure promotion, with no meaningful criticism whatsoever (now that I think about it, I don't recall any negative reviews from any of the writers).

Here's a partial pour list of Whisky Advocate's Whisky Fest Washington, DC being held next Wednesday, April 10, 2019. I got a last minute offer for 2 for 1 attendance, which would mean less than $ 150 each for a VIP ticket. I have until midnight tonight to take the offer. I am not going to, not because I am not tempted by the whiskies on this list, but because I am just not up for it yet, in my current phase of widower-hood.

whiskyfest.com/washington-dc/whisky-list/

If I were going I'd be hitting the Lagavulin seminar, and probably about 15+ of those VIP session only whiskies. (incl Tun 1509, Black Art, old Laphroaigs, Parkers Heritage Collection, Heaven Hill 27 yo, etc.)

@Victor what is whisky 5?

@RikS, I don't know. Odd to see that on the list, is it not? Sort of like a list reading:

"...apples, pears, plums, oranges, paper towels."

@RikS @Victor I don't know what "Whiskey 5" means exactly, but they are all various Diageo products classified via flavour profile...maybe it corresponds to a masterclass.

My most appreciated rye right now is Angel's Envy Rum Barrel Finished Rye...magnificent in my experience!

@paddockjudge I'm wondering where your info on Little Book II came from...I'm researching for an upcoming whisky club meet where we will be presenting Little Book II as our feature bottle of the night. Any help would be appreciated!

RianC: while my palate is less skilled than many within the Connsr community, I would personally describe Pikesville Rye as similar to "a Rittenhouse Rye on steroids". I find both share a similar flavor profile, but the Pikesville Rye is noticeably bolder, brasher, with more bite. Perhaps more than I care to tangle with most days, but still an excellent rye. To be honest though, Rittenhouse Rye is the tipple I tend to gravitate to when not in the mood for a decent Irish or Scottish whisky. And here in Michigan, Rittenhouse Rye is half the price of Pikesville Rye, so I do get more rye whiskey from my budget with the Rittenhouse Rye.

@RianC Heaven Hill produces both Pikesville and Rittenhouse Ryes. In this case, Kentucky distiller Heaven Hill owns the rights to a pre-Prohibition Pennsylvania Rye and a last-man-standing-after-Prohibition Maryland Rye. I've never tasted what Pikesville tasted like back when it was still made near Baltimore, which was as recently as the early 1970s. The story told is that Maryland Rye is softer and with a lower rye content than the typical Pennsylvania, usually regionally named Monongahela rye (from the valley of the Monongahela river in western PA). Heaven Hill, is, however, now making Rittenhouse with near the minimum straight rye grain content of 51% rye. How much does it differ from Pikesville? They do taste different but I have no specific details of the differences in their mashbills or techniques of production. Having consumed for several years the regionally sold, now discontinued Pikesville Supreme 3 yo 40% ABV straight rye, I am amazed how different the 6 yo 55% ABV Pikesville tastes from it. Is it just ABV and more wood influence ? Maybe. I would like to study this subject more, but samples of the old Pikesville Supreme are getting scarce, forcing me to work from memory.

Pikesville Rye has lots of fans. Rittenhouse Rye has lots of fans. Maybe in about 10 years Heaven Hill will bring back the 21, 23, and 25 yo Rittenhouse Ryes. They were marvels in their own category. I hope they do bring them back, but I can't imagine them selling for under $ 300 now or ten years from now.

@dloewen, there's lots on the World Wide Web. Freddie Noe gives some candid info on his desire to be a blender.

The bottle neck Tag pretty much tells it all. I can drop a few bits of information I might have tucked up under my cap.

CC 40 YO corn whisky is the same double distilled corn whisky, aged in used cooperage, that Wiser's puts into their bottles. Wiser's Deluxe is 5-9 years, Wiser's 15 YO has a splash of Rye in it, probably something like the Triple Barrel Rye, maybe 5% of it, but definitely not more than 9.09% by volume. Wiser's 18 YO is all corn as is Wiser's Red Letter (finished for a short time in new oak barrels). Wiser's Seasoned Oak is corn. Wiser's Legacy is 2/3 corn, about 9 or 10 years in used cooperage. This whisky is all aged at Pike Creek, a short drive from the Distillery. More than a million barrels sleep in warehouses at Pike Creek.

CC 40 is not the standard CC barrelled-at-birth whisky found in brown bottles of varying shapes and labels. It is instead corn whisky and probably 100% corn. CC40 was distilled at a time when the Distillery was actually owned by Hiram Walker LTD. Beam Global owns the Canadian Club trademark. Canadian Club is currently a tenant in the Hiram Walker Distillery in Walkerville (Windsor), a place it once owned. Pernod-Ricard is their landlord.

Little Book also contains Alberta 13 YO Rye. Think WhistlePig, Lock Stock and Barrel, Hochstadter's Family Reserve, all of these at varying ages while being higher proof, some at Barrel proof and all at 100 pf or higher. Beam also owns Alberta Distiller's Ltd and this where the aforementioned ryes originate.

Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye is a newer release, 8 years in oak. Yes, it is printed "Cask Strength" on the label, not Barrel Proof or Uncut.

I'll share my hand written rubric, the resulting calculations from my deconstruction of Little Book Chapter 2 in another post.

@dloewen, How much of each subcomponent is there in Little Book 2? We know it is mostly Rye. I think WhistlePig dominates. The proportions listed below are based on a 750 ml bottle. Upper and lower limits are expressed and are dependent upon the specific ratios with 59.4% abv (Little Book 2) being the constant.

@paddockjudge that's some pretty cool detective work there. Do you think that you've narrowed it down to 1 or 2 that are most likely?

@Hewie, good morning! Yes, I have a strong suspicion that (WhistlePig) Alberta 13 YO RYE is the largest contributor by volume. During the last session I was leaning towards Alberta 13 YO 354 ml 47%, Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye 282 ml 38%, and CC 40 YO 114 ml 15%. Without tasting the casks or batches from which the components were drawn it is difficult to say. It is a lot of fun blending various ratios and tasting the different results.

@paddockjudge, I have already been privy to some of your formulae for LB II. I'm curious to know what you think each component is contributing to the smell and taste of the whisky? Also on your humble opinion what do you think the intent of each addition was? I mean by that if the biggest contributor is ADL Rye, what is it about that profile that you think made him want to tweak it?

@paddockjudge According to Mark Bylok’s interview with Dr Livermore, Seasoned Oak has some (Lot40) Pot Still Rye in it, similar to the Wiser’s 35 “formula”.

whisky.buzz/blog/…

@OdysseusUnbound, Yes it does have some rye in it. It remains a predominately corn whisky, even Wiser's Legacy is approximately 2/3 con whisky. There would be no more than 9.09% rye or else it would be NAS whiskey as the rye is certainly younger than 19 YO. Wiser's 15 YO has Rye in the 4-5% range, as per Don.

@paddockjudge Interesting. So the younger rye can count as an “additive” if it represents less than 1/11 of the Blend and is exempt from the “age statement must refer to the youngest whisky in the mix” rule? I did not know that. It makes sense as the CC 41 has Cognac added to it, doesn’t it? I’m assuming it’s not a 41 year old Cognac.

@cricklewood, These component whiskies evolve in an open glass when poured from a 750 ml bottle. I can't imagine the variation in each component whisky when using single barrels of cask strength whisky or small batches (18,000 bottles total run for this blend).

The concept for a Super Premium Blend of Beam North American Whiskies is uncharted territory for a commercial release. Wiser's has done some interesting blending lately with Wiser's 35 YO, Union 52, Seasoned Oak, Wiser's Legacy, Dissertation, etc., however, using Super Premium whisk(e)y from three autonomous distilleries and calling it American Blended Whiskey is nothing short of entering a new frontier. Freddie Noe has a pair on him!...back to the question. I see LB2 as a concept whiskey. Forty blends were attempted in the lab and attempt number 29 (great number, isn't it?!) was given the nod. I don't know if other whiskies were involved in the experimental blending process (e.g. 30 YO CC, 10 YO Alberta Rye, 5 YO Kentucky Rye, or non-cask strength versions for blending purposes), regardless, it is liquid gold.

The resulting blend is a delicious whisky, a bit on the sweet side which in itself is amazing for the huge oak influences and the 59.4% abv. (or 58.45% as determined by the LCBO quality assurance processes). @cricklewood, I will not attempt to describe the contribution of each component part to the blend as a whole because there are some things that can't be explained and must be experienced. I will gladly go through the blending rubric with you, creating various blends in scenarios that yield different results and and unique flavours. I don't think Freddie Noe wanted to tweak any of the component parts, but rather intended to layer the incredible characteristics from three distinctly unique world-class whiskies and create a Super Whiskey. Combining the light fruits and flowers from Alberta and Ontario with the bold accents from Kentucky has created an oak driven, grain highlighted, full flavoured whiskey. It's like walking through Gramma's flower garden while the bbq is sizzling on the deck and a fresh pie is cooling on the window sill, put that in a glass and you've got Little Book Chapter 2.

@OdysseusUnbound, that is also my interpretation of the 1/11 rule. Their are some finer points to it. I am not an expert.