Tincup American Whiskey
A respectable rye
1 1083
Review by @Megawatt
- Nose23
- Taste20
- Finish19
- Balance21
- Overall83
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- Brand: Tincup
- ABV: 42%
If I had paid more attention to the label I might have noticed that this mainly consists of "high-rye bourbon" from Indiana. MGP? Most likely, though the whiskies they are known for are not high-rye bourbons, but high-rye ryes.
Anyway, this one took some adjusting to. This is perhaps my third glass. On the nose, you get lots of rye, and some fresh lumber. Not very bourbony at all. Very clean and fresh-smelling. Very herbal, almost a touch of cannabis oil (not that I would know), and some interesting mineral notes, like wet stone. Also some mint jelly. Interesting and quite complex.
In the mouth it has some bite. At first I found the alcohol overpowering, and the overall impression astringent. I've adapted to it since the first glass but it is still not the most graceful stuff on the market. Medium-bodied with hot, slightly sweet rye notes tending more toward herbaceous rather than fruity. Think of India Pale Ale and you are in the ballpark. A tad bitter. But like the nose, it is still interesting and complex.
The finish is where the oak shows up. Not a lot of it, but enough to allow the flavours to linger on the tongue for quite some time.
Balance-wise, this takes some getting used to but I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Hard to say how much impact that "small amount" of Stranahan's excellent malt whiskey has on the experience but this strikes me as quite different from the other MGP ryes I've had. And make no mistake, this is a rye whiskey. If you like rye and can find this at a reasonable price (I got mine on clearance), I say go for it.
I agree, a respectable rye, reasonably priced.