J.T. Meleck American Rice Whiskey

This review sample was kindly provided by the producer with no strings attached.

It snowed all day yesterday. We ended up with seven to eight inches by the time it was all done. And while I was outside, shoveling out the vehicle and making a spot for the dogs to go potty, I was reminded of my favorite “snow story.”

It was almost ten years ago, and my wife and I were visiting friends in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Their daughter was going to be honored during a parade, and we wanted to be there to help her celebrate. During the parade, I got into a conversation with another little girl, probably 4 or 5 years old, who was bundled up like it was twenty below zero. It was warm enough that I was in a light hoodie. Now, I love talking to little kids, they have such a fun insight into the world around them, so I had fun chatting. Well, we got to talking about how cold it was. And she told me that they “even had snow once.” I mentioned that I don’t really like snow. And that, in fact, it was snowing at my house in Minnesota at that very moment. The look on her face was incredible. She just did not believe me that there could be snow at my house when there was none where we were. Super cute. I haven’t thought of her in years. I hope she’s doing well these days.

Anyway, I was probably reminded of Louisiana because of the fact that I was supposed to be writing about it as I was shoveling snow. A few weeks ago, I received a sample of a rice whiskey from Louisiana. J.T. Meleck American Rice whiskey is a four-year-old whiskey made from a 100% rice mashbill.

What interested me about the product is simply that I love rice. Like, I’d gladly eat it with every meal if those around me would go along with the idea. My favorite is the Carolina Gold rice that I occasionally order from Anson Mills. It is super flavorful in a way that most of the rice I find locally is not. That said, it is a bit expensive, so I only have it every so often. I mean, I still love even cheap, store-brand rice too.

So, I love rice. Did that mean I was going to like rice whiskey? Well, a few years back, when Jim Beam was doing their Harvest Collection Bourbons, which contained alternate flavoring grains, I remembered liking the brown rice one. Though that was a bourbon and not a 100% rice whiskey, I felt confident enough to request a sample. Even if a sample of whiskey is free, I don’t like requesting things that I know for a fact I won’t like. I don’t like to poop on other people’s hard work, so if I know it isn’t for me, I steer clear.

Anyway, let’s move on to what the producer has to say about their product before I tell you if I actually did like it or not.

Whiskeys are commonly made from grains like barley, corn, rye and wheat. Few distillers use rice as part of their mash bill in the U.S., and no American brand has ever crafted a whiskey made 100% from rice, at a commercial level. J.T. Meleck Distillers is the first to craft and market a whiskey made 100% from their rice on a large scale. Every step of the process takes place in Louisiana, from farm to glass. Like other American whiskeys, J.T. Meleck whiskey is aged for nearly 5 years in American oak, 53-gallon barrels.

Now the fun part: how does it taste?

J.T. Meleck American Rice Whiskey

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $47 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.13

Details: 100% Rice. 48% ABV. 4-years old.

Nose: Clean is the first word that comes to mind on this one. I'm getting sweet cherry, mint, and lots of vanilla.

Mouth: This is reasonably delicate but with a pleasant tingle on the ol' tongue. Notes of vanilla and cherry, along with hints of baking spice and mint.

Finish: On the longer side of medium length. Notes of mint and cooked Carolina Gold rice.

Thoughts: As a whiskey geek, I find this fascinating. As a lover of whiskey produced in the American style, I like this a lot. If I were in Louisiana, touring a rice plantation, you know damn well that this would be coming home with me as a killer souvenir. That said, this might be hit or miss for some people. I can see Bourbon-only drinkers not caring for it as a bit delicate. But if you are open to exploration and you find yourself in Louisiana, this is one to check out.

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Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey

I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan. He’s my absolute favorite author. And for me, it all started when I read the Sandman. The Sandman is a comic series from the late 1980s that is gruesome, grotesque, heartfelt, moving, beautiful, and just an amazing journey. I love it. Has been my favorite piece of literature since I first read it.

And now it has been made into an amazing Netflix series. If you are a fan of the comic, you should love this. I’m almost through binging the series, and so far, I’m blown away. This is as good of an adaptation as American Gods was bad (American Gods being another series based on a Gaiman work). It’s beautifully shot and well acted. The story is not in the same order as the comics, but I think that was a good choice when adapting to video. They’re different mediums, and the needed story beats aren’t quite the same. Hopefully, I will finish the series tonight. If not, tomorrow for sure.

So let’s get to tonight’s bourbon. I’ve been wandering liquor stores trying to find things to write about that won’t break the bank. As I did, my eyes fell on this bottle of bourbon from Woodinville Whiskey Co, out of Woodinville, Washington. Now I’ve been aware of Woodinville for many years. I featured their bottle design way back when I interviewed the designer of their packaging, David Cole back in 2013. But somehow, I’ve never tasted their whiskey. That has been remedied. But before we get to what I think of the bourbon, let’s see what the producer has to say.

This truly small-batch bourbon starts with traditionally grown corn, rye and malted barley. All of our staple grains are cultivated exclusively for us on the Omlin Family farm in Quincy, Washington. The grains are mashed, distilled, and barreled in our Woodinville® distillery, then trucked back over the Cascade Mountains to our private barrel houses, where Central Washington’s extreme temperature cycles promote the extraction of natural flavors from the oak. Prior to being coopered, the barrel wood is seasoned in open air, rain, wind, sun, and snow for eighteen months, softening the wood’s harsh tannins. The barrels are then slowly toasted and heavily charred to further enrich the wood’s desirable flavors. This meticulous process yields a truly hand-crafted spirit with aromas of crème brûlée and spice cabinet, as well as notes of rich caramel, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean on the palate with a sweet, lingering finish.

Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Purchase Info: $41.99 for a 750 mL bottle at total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.80

Details: 45% ABV

Nose: Hay, mint, and almond.

Mouth: Honey, almond, cinnamon, and if you hold it in your mouth long enough, a capsaicin-like heat.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Notes of cinnamon, honey, and almond.

Thoughts: This is pretty darn tasty. If you like hot honey, this should be one to pick up. I look forward to trying a few more from their product line. They have a Rye and a Port-finished Bourbon at my closest Total Wine, which I am already planning to pick up. And according to their website, they have Cask Strength versions at the distillery. Well, that seems like a good thing to add to the itinerary for the next time I visit Seattle. I’ve wanted to do that anyway.

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Michter’s US-1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Almost exactly one year ago, I realized that somehow, even though it was once one of my go-to pours, I had never reviewed Michter’s Rye. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I had a similar revelation about Michter’s Bourbon. Somehow, I just never got around to reviewing it. So as I was wandering through the liquor store looking for an “everyday” bourbon to have on hand, I realized that I could also get a little content out of the purchase if I grabbed a bottle of Michter’s. So I did.

That’s right, I bought this instead of the much less expensive Wild Turkey 101 for you. I hope you are happy with yourself.

I kid. I kid. I grabbed it because I hadn’t purchased it in quite a few years, and I wanted something different that wouldn’t break the bank. Here is a little of what the distillery has to say about it:

Truly “small batch” each batch of our US-1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is batched in a holding tank sized to fit a maximum of twenty full barrels, leaving no margin for “blending out” imperfection and thus necessitating excellence from every barrel. Reflecting the spirit of the Bluegrass State, Michter’s US-1Kentucky Straight Bourbon is nuanced, mellow and earthy.

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Michter’s US-1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Purchase Info: $46.97 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.13

Details: 45.7% ABV. Batch #: 21F1851

Nose: Brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, and a slight nuttiness.

Mouth: Brown sugar, nutty/toasty notes, cinnamon, and a hint of mint.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Sweet. Notes of brown sugar, cinnamon, caramel, and mint.

Thoughts: This is a tasty "everyday" bourbon. Maybe even at the higher end of the everyday quality range. Costs a little more than I'd prefer for an everyday bourbon, but it is tasty enough to drink neat and works well in a cocktail. So I'll give it a little bit of a pass on that. I'd probably pounce on it at $35-40, but the $45-50 I paid is pushing it a bit. That said, I did enjoy the whiskey and finished it off relatively quickly, so there is that.

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Sample Roulette: Feeling Frugal

In September, I am going to be foregoing my annual September trip to Kentucky for the first time since 2013. It’s been almost ten years since I last skipped the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, but, in my opinion, last year was such a flop that I just don’t feel like spending a lot of money to do something that I didn’t particularly enjoy. Plus, in September, it will be our 25th wedding anniversary. It seemed like too big of a milestone to spend doing the “same ol’ thing.”

And so we will be going somewhere we haven’t been before. Yosemite, Sequoia, and the wine country of Northern California. I’m sure we will have tons of fun, but I also know the trip will cost a lot more than our usual Kentucky trip. And yes, I’m including the bourbon shopping I tend to do in that total. So yeah, I’m feeling pretty frugal at the moment. As such, I’m going to jump into another edition of Sample Roulette.

These samples were all laid down between 2011 and 2017. The labels were covered up in September of 2020. And they have lived in a box untouched since, except for the occasional adventuresome sip now and then. In June, I guessed terribly. Didn’t get a single one even close. I was even in the wrong continent at one point. Let’s see if I do any better this time.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 1:

Nose: Spearmint, cedar, pencil shavings, and butterscotch.

Mouth: Tingly and a tad delicate. Spearmint, almond, and baking spice.

Finish: Gentle and a little bitter. Notes of bubble gum, mint, and a hint of baking spice.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: This is tasty. Very soft. It feels Canadian. That bubblegum on the finish makes me lean to Wiser's.

Reveal: Cedar Ridge Iowa Bourbon.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Well. Shit. So far, my streak of not even being remotely close is still intact from the last time we did this. I do not remember this being as soft as it is. But then, I am getting old, and I didn't have the best memory to begin with (just ask my wife).

Blind Whiskey Sample # 2:

Nose: Oak is the most prominent note. Followed by caramel, vanilla, and baking spice.

Mouth: Spicy, dry oat notes followed by vanilla, red fruit, and baking spice.

Finish: Warm and longish. More oak, fruit, and baking spice with just a hint of a mineral note.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: My first thought with the heat and dry oak notes was that this could be what's left of one of my early bottles of Elijah Craig 12-year-old. But I don’t remember EC12 having a fruit note. The mineral note on the finish brought me a hint of Dickel. But honestly, I'm kinda stumped on this one. I'm positive this is a bourbon from one of the big guys in Kentucky. I'm going to say Wild Turkey.

Reveal: Old Grand-Dad 114.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Hey! I got the style and state correct! I see this as an absolute win. Sadly, what this means is that Old Grand-Dad 114 has gone way downhill since I put this away back in 2012-2014. Today's Old Grand-Dad 114 is much more dusty-grain forward. This is very rich and oaky.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 3:

Nose: Oh wow! That's a lot of smoke and fruit.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy. Pears, baking spice, and a touch of smoke.

Finish: Medium in both warmth and length. Notes of smoke and pears.

Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Sooo... Big caveat on this one. I actively dislike smoky whiskey. This is a big reason why I could never get into Scotch. So for that reason, I can narrow this down to a few craft distilleries. I haven’t purchased smoky whisky from many places due to my aversion to it. One of those distilleries happens to be my friends at MB Roland. And I haven't bought one of those since they were putting out experimental smoked whiskies. So that is what I am guessing.

Reveal: MB Roland Experimental Aged Black Dog (used barrels)

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Ha! Take that! I had to get one eventually. This is actually the very first thing I reviewed on the site. And boy, I do not like it. I mean, it might be good for fans of smoky whiskey. But as I said, I am absolutely not one of them. I do feel pretty good about guessing it, though. Might just finish the pour in... celebration?

Hmm... if you shoot this, you get a sweet barbeque note. Come to think of it. I think I remember that about it. But we've already discussed my memory so take that how you will.

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Old Pepper Single Barrel Rye

James E. Pepper was a pre-Prohibition whiskey man with quite the whiskey pedigree, at least if you define pedigree as the people he was associated with. His father, Oscar Pepper started a distillery near Versailles, Kentucky that is today’s Woodford Reserve Distillery, hired James Crow as his distiller and by all accounts made some pretty good whiskey. Very probably because James Crow (of Old Crow Bourbon fame) was the developer, or at least the popularizer, of the sour mash fermentation method that is used in making most American Whiskey to this day. After Oscar died, James inherited his distillery but was deemed too young to run it so it was managed by his court-appointed guardian Col. E.H. Taylor (of Old Taylor fame). Taylor did the young Pepper the favor securing money to expand the distillery, but then also ended up losing it in bankruptcy proceedings. The distillery was then sold to Misters Labrot and Graham, whose name still graced bottles of Woodford Reserve up until pretty recently.

Now this is speculation on my part based solely on hindsight of the eventual outcome, but I’d say that the court may have misjudged who should be running the distillery as going bankrupt and losing the business might just be the worst outcome that could have happened to a business. Of course those were turbulent financial times in the US so James Pepper might have faired even worse. Hard to tell from almost 150 years away.

But, regardless, it seems that James may have learned a thing or two about making whiskey through all of this as he, along with a business partner, decided to try again. This time in nearby Lexington, Kentucky. That distillery lasted beyond James’ death in 1906 until Prohibition shut it down. The James E. Pepper brand and distillery passed to Schenley and then to United Distillers during various mergers and acquisitions. According to bourbon historian Michael Veach, the James E. Pepper distillery was shut down in the late 1960s and the brand “disappeared from the market by the end of the 1970s” only to briefly reemerge in the early 1990s as an export-only brand before being abandoned for good.

Which takes us out of the past and brings us to tonight’s whiskey. In 2008, the abandoned trademark for the James E. Pepper brand was acquired by Amir Peay. He and his team started by bottling MGP juice under the 1776 brand name while they got a new James E. Pepper distillery going on the site of the historical James E. Pepper distillery. Here is what the company has to say:

The Story

In 2017 we completed the multi-year project to rebuild the historic Pepper Distillery, which had been abandoned in 1967 for over 50 years. This label is a celebration of that project and where we showcase our single barrel picks, small-batch bottlings, or limited specialty finishes.

Technical

Age statements and bottling proofs are on the labels. Bottled by hand at the Historic James E. Pepper Distillery, using water from the historic limestone well to cut whiskeys to proof. Distilled at various distilleries, including ours (DSP-KY-5), the Lawrenceburg Distillery in Indiana (DSP-IN-15023), and the Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Kentucky (DSP-KY-20037); relevant details can be found on the labels.

My bottle was distilled in Indiana and is 4 years old. Let’s see how it tastes.

Old Pepper Single Barrel Rye

Purchase Info: So, I lost the receipt for this. No idea what I spent on it. But Total Wine sells it for about $40 in Michigan and $53 in Kentucky. So it was probably in that range somewhere.

Price per Drink (50 mL): (based on the figures above) $2.67 - $3.53

Details: 4 years old. Cask 1126. 55% ABV. Distilled at DSP IN - 15023. Bottled at DSP KY-5.

Nose: Cinnamon candies, spearmint, and brown sugar.

Mouth: Very hot. Lots of cinnamon candy right off the bat. following that are notes of cedar, mint, and nutmeg.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Lingering notes of spearmint, cedar, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This is a very tasty rye. Very cinnamon forward until it gets to the finish when the mint takes over. It is very hot, but takes water well. A little water brings out a sweet malt note. All in all, I like this one. Tastes good neat and works really nicely in a Sazerac cocktail as well.

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Sources:
bourbonveach.com: Brand History – James E. Pepper
bourbonveach.com: Lexington Kentucky Distilleries – James E. Pepper
Those Pre-Pro Whiskey Men: James E. Pepper: Was His Whiskey Revolutionary?
JamesEPepper.com: Old Pepper - Single Barrel & Small Batch

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Bourbon Companies Help Yellowstone Recover

I’d like to thank Wyoming Whiskey for providing the review sample of National Parks No. 2 for this story. It was provided at no charge with no strings attached.

As I’m sure you have probably heard, Yellowstone National Park and the communities that surround it are in the process of recovering from devastating floods. And bourbon makers with ties to the park are not standing still in helping out.

Limestone Branch Distillery Donates $50,000 to Help With Flood Recovery

Limestone Branch Distillery, makers of Yellowstone Bourbon, and long-time supporters of Yellowstone National Park have stepped up to help the park and the surrounding communities recover from this month’s devastating floods. Quoting from the press release that landed in my email this morning:

In response to the devastating floods impacting Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas, Lebanon, Kentucky-based Limestone Branch Distillery – makers of Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – has donated $25,000 each to the National Park Service (NPS) and to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) for long-term support of flood-relief efforts.

Additionally, Limestone Branch distillery has agreed to match up to $50,000 in donations made in conjunction with a fundraising event benefiting the Southwest Montana Flood Relief Fund – a joint effort between the Park County Community Foundation (PCCF) and Greater Gallatin United Way – and the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation. The event, hosted by National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), will be held June 28 at the Rialto in Bozeman, Montana.

 “We were saddened to learn of the devastation caused by flooding at and around Yellowstone National Park. Our Yellowstone Bourbon brand shares a long, storied history with the park, and our master distiller Stephen Beam has been an avid supporter of – and visitor to – our country’s national parks for many years,” said Limestone Branch Distillery Brand Manager Caitlin Palmieri Jackson.

Yellowstone Bourbon also has set up a website (www.limestonebranch.com/about/yellowstone-gives-back) to provide additional information about fundraising efforts as well as links to vetted support organizations, where consumers can learn more about donating and other ways to help. For more information regarding the fundraiser in Bozeman, Montana, visit https://e.givesmart.com/events/rJK/.

On a personal note, a good percentage of my own annual charitable donations go to the National Parks Conservation Association. I’m glad to see them putting my money to good use.

Wyoming Whiskey Releases National Parks No. 2 to Support Yellowstone Forever

Now, this particular bourbon was announced prior to the Yellowstone Floods. The bottle was released to celebrate the 150th birthday of Yellowstone National Park. But as the organization that the bottle supports, Yellowstone Forever, is in the thick of things in the recovery efforts I thought it would be good to include it here. Quoting from the press release:

Wyoming Whiskey announces the release of its limited edition National Parks No. 2 straight bourbon whiskey in tandem with the brand's continuing partnership with Yellowstone Forever, the official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park. The collaboration was born in celebration of Yellowstone National Park's 150th anniversary. The Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 2 bottle is the second collectible Limited Edition release in an annual National Park series which debuted in April 2021. It is now available in Yellowstone National Park and throughout Wyoming. It is also available in select U.S. markets and online from ReserveBar, Flaviar and Caskers.

The inaugural release of Wyoming Whiskey's National Parks series contributed over $120,000 to the National Park Foundation in 2021. Wyoming Whiskey continues on a steadfast mission to support our nation's sacred outdoor spaces with this year's initiative and has committed to donating $150,000 to Yellowstone Forever in the park's historic 150th year.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 2

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $69.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: 52.5% ABV. 5 years old. Mash bill: 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. Made from non-GMO Wyoming-grown grains and water.

Nose: Strong oak notes followed by caramel, vanilla, and baking spice.

Mouth: Nicely spicy. Cinnamon, dark chocolate, and ginger.

Finish: Medium to long and spicy. follows the month with notes of dark chocolate, cinnamon, ginger, and almond.

Thoughts: This is absolutely delicious. I really like it. If you have the opportunity. pick this one up. It's delicious and helps a good cause.

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Sample Roulette: Let's Start Summer With Some Fun

Every so often, I feel the need to dig into my box of goodies and pull out some old samples that I put away back in my whiskey hoarding days. Those of you who were part of the whiskey scene in the early 2010s probably remember the days of the falling age-statements and rising prices. You could get a 10 year old bourbon for $25. And it was good bourbon too. But as supplies of aged whiskey started to run low, prices went up and age-statements went away. And so, because I never knew if the last pour in a bottle was going to be the last pour of something that I’d ever have, I started pouring the first couple of pours from a bottle into a small sample bottle and putting it away so that I could go back to it anytime I wanted.

I did that for 6 years. For every bottle I bought. Eventually I ran out of room. I decided which bottles I really wanted to keep and drank or dumped the rest. Then, I did that again a couple years later. In September of 2020 I put painters tape over the original labels so that I could taste them blind. And shortly after that, I decided that writing about it every once in a while would be fun. And here we are.

These samples were all laid down between 2011 and 2017. The labels were covered up in September of 2020. And they have lived in a box untouched since, except for the occasional adventuresome sip now and then.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 1:

Nose: Caramel, dried grain, black tea, cedar, and dusty oak.

Mouth: Spicier than I'd have expected from the nose. Notes of black tea, cinnamon, butterscotch and oak.

Finish: Warm and on the longer end of medium length. Notes of black tea and cinnamon.

Thoughts: I like this one. Lots of caramel/ butterscotch and tannic black tea notes. If I had to guess, I'd guess this is Canadian.

Reveal: Border Bourbon from 45th Parallel Distillery in New Richmond, WI.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Welp. I got that one wrong. I haven't had this since shortly after it was released but it is better than I remember. Might have to grab a recent bottling to see how it is today.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 2:

Nose: Strawberry jam and dried fruits.

Mouth: Caramel, strawberry jam, and baking spice.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Follows the mouth (caramel, strawberry jam, baking spice) and adds some mint.

Thoughts: After I got over the initial shock on the fruitiness of this one, I like this one too. But wow! was that a shock. I'm going to guess this is a brandy of some sort.

Reveal: Collingwood 21 year old Canadian Rye.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: Wow! Whiffed again. My guesses are so far off as to be laughable. I remember this one being floral, but not nearly this fruity. This is a walk down memory lane for sure.

Blind Whiskey Sample # 3:

Nose: Delicate on the nose. Brown sugar and floral cereal grains.

Mouth: Grain-forward. Notes of cereal grains, Cola, red fruit, and cinnamon.

Finish: Gentle and medium length. Notes of almond, cooked cereal, red fruit and caramel.

Thoughts: I have no idea what this is. It's good but I don't think it is a bourbon...pretty sure it is a whiskey though. With my track record on guesses today, I'm nervous to throw one out, but I'm going to say this is a Willett bourbon along the lines of Noah's Mill.

Reveal: Redbreast 12 year old.

Post-Reveal Thoughts: OK. I give up. This is just not my day for guesses. Noah's Mill is the only grain-forward bourbon that I remember liking so I guessed that but after reveal it is so obviously Redbreast 12. The sherry notes are right there for me to see, I just didn’t connect them with sherry.

But that is part of the fun of doing this blind. Sometimes you guess things correctly and other times you have no idea what you are drinking. Today was the latter. I’m just glad they were all good. Sometimes we get bottom-shelf stuff in these and those are much less fun than tasty Craft, Irish, and Canadian whiskeys.

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Cream of Kentucky Bottled-in-Bond Rye

So I went in for a six pack of beer. I was making pizza that night and I really prefer to have beer with my pizza. And beer was all I was going to buy. Honest.

The layout of my local store means that you can easily just not buy bourbon. When you walk in and see the counter. Can’t miss it, it’s an island in the middle of the room. Turn to the right and you’ll see liqueurs and beyond those will be whiskey. Go past the counter and the store is all wine. Turn right and there will be the beer coolers. And I had planned to turn right. The problem with that plan is facing the door as you walk in is the locked “fancy booze” case. Right near the counter and the first thing you see as you walk in.

In that case, was a bottle that caught my eye as I walked past. It was Cream of Kentucky Rye. It was $129.97. Three cents under my “personal price ceiling.” Beyond $130, I’d have to be on vacation and getting a “souvenir” or at the very least check in with my wife, the accountant, to see how things look before buying the bottle. The personal price ceiling was implemented to be an easy way to not be tempted into over-priced whiskey. And yes, I’m aware that it is quite a bit too high to avoid over-priced whiskey. The level is a holdover from when it was set to match the annual cost of the Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch back when people had a shot at being able to buy it.

So what is Cream of Kentucky and why did it make my beer run so expensive? Well, the answer to the first question is that it is an old brand that was revived by Jim Rutledge, the former Master Distiller at Four Roses. That is also the main answer to the second question too come to think of it. I’m a big believer in Jim Rutledge’s ability to make whiskey. So much so that I was one of the backers on the short-lived Kickstarter to help fund his distillery. So as this Rye was the first time I’d seen one of his new brands on a shelf, I knew it needed to come home with me. It was only after I got it home that I noticed that in my excitement I’d overlooked the fact that it was made by Kentucky Artisan Distillery, a distillery that is very hit or miss for me as I don’t really care for their house flavor profile.

So let’s dig in and see how this tastes.

Cream of Kentucky Bottled-in-Bond Rye

Purchase Info: $129.97 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.67

Details: 50% ABV. No age statement so over 4 years old. Made from 100% Rymin Rye Grain.

Nose: Brown sugar, nutmeg, orange zest, and hints of cedar and dried grain.

Mouth: Very spicy. Notes of dried grains, cedar, caramel, and chocolate.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Cedar notes that fade to reveal caramel and chocolate.

Thoughts: This is an ok craft whiskey. I've had better, but I've certainly also had much worse. If I were handed this blind, I would have probably guessed it was bourbon and not rye because it is pretty sweet, but that happens at times with ryes out of Kentucky. It does follow that Kentucky Artisan Distillery (KAD) flavor profile pretty closely, which for my tastes is unfortunate. Not sure if it is the yeast they use or what causes that, but it isn’t for me.

So onto the issue of the price. When I saw Jim Rutledge's name on a $130 whiskey, I had very high expectations. Not just because of the name on the bottle, but because I have a certain baseline expectation for a bottle that costs that much. To say this is a disappointment is an understatement. At half the cost, I'd have been very happy with the experience. I'd have probably still given it a "meh" rating due to it following the KAD flavor profile (remember meh means “not bad whiskey, just not for me”) but I’m more forgiving of whiskeys that cost less. I hold expensive whiskies to higher standards. So, yeah, based on cost and flavor, this gets a “meh” rating.

At the end of the day, if you like other brands made by Kentucky Artisan Distillers (Jefferson's, Whiskey Row, or Corner Creek), you'll probably like this. If you'd normally give those a pass, do the same here.

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