The MGP distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana makes some of my favorite rye whiskey on the planet. I love their 95% rye style. It’s my favorite style of rye. The Kentucky style of barely legal 51% rye is usually fine in a cocktail, or if you are looking for a more bourbon-like rye, but for me? I like my rye to have a bit more rye flavor. And the closer a distillery gets to the 95% style that MGP made famous, the more I tend to like it.
A couple of years ago, MGP decided that supplying the majority of the rye whiskey on the shelves through intermediaries wasn’t enough and they introduced their own brand of rye, named Rossville Union. This rye was a combination of their 95% rye and their 51% rye mash bills. I suspected from my own blending experiments that these would favor the 95% flavor profile as it tends to show through in any blend I’d made. I was pleased to find that I was correct when I purchased it for myself and reviewed it back in June 2018.
So it was with great delight that I read last August that MGP would be extending the Rossville Union line into a private selection program for retailers. And when I saw a pair of them at a local retailer? I just knew I had to pick them up.
Rossville Union Barrel Select: South Lyndale Liquors, Savory.
Purchase Info: $42.99 for a 750ml bottle (on sale) at South Lyndale Liquors, Minneapolis, MN
Price per Drink (50ml): $2.87
Details: 50% ABV
Nose: Mint, cedar, cinnamon, clove
Mouth: Dry and spicy with mint, cinnamon, and clove.
Finish: On the shorter side of medium length. Notes of herbal mint, cinnamon, juicy fruit gum, and cedar.
Thoughts: Very tasty. I like this with a splash of water. Water brings out sweetness and accents the juicy fruit gum on the finish, making it very reminiscent of certain Four Roses bourbons.
Rossville Union Barrel Select: South Lyndale Liquors, Sweet.
Purchase Info: $42.99 for a 750ml bottle (on sale) at South Lyndale Liquors, Minneapolis, MN
Price per Drink (50ml): $2.87
Details: 50% ABV
Nose: Clove, cedar, mint, vanilla and a hint of dill.
Mouth: Sweet and spicy. Clove, mint, caramel, cedar
Finish: On the longer side of medium and warm. Notes of cinnamon red hots and cedar.
Thoughts: Another very good selection. When served neat, I like this better than the Savory. Not really a fan of this one with water though.
But how do they compare to the standard Rossville Union?
The standard Rossville is sweeter on the nose than the “savory” but less sweet than the “sweet.” The mouth of the standard release adheres more closely to the “usual” 95% MGP profile than either of the Barrel Selects. And the finish of both Barrel Selects pours are more complex. Overall, I like all three but the Barrel Select bottles are something pretty special.
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