The Great American Rye Shootout

[Bourbon Joe]

Attached are the results of yesterday's rye tasting. These were probably the best ryes on the planet but I gotta tell ya that the Rittenhouse did not belong in this flight.
Joe

[cowdery]

How about a little commentary, Joe? I see that everything except the Rittenhouse was barrel proof, so I'm guessing you didn't adjust for proof and that is why it stuck out negatively. The Willett and the Red Hook are the same whiskey from different barrels and the Handy is significantly younger than the other three, so the lower proof would seem to be what made the Rittenhouse stick out.

[Bourbon Joe]

Chuck,
It wasn't only the proof, the Rittenhouse taste was badly off note as Fricky went into on the other site. Nobody liked the Rittenhouse and it had nothing to do with its intensity. Stuff was just gross.
Joe

[bourbonv]

Joe,
Describe "gross". Was it a musty taste in the whiskey or was it more of a corky nastry taste from a bad cork? I have had the Rittenhouse a couple of times and found it quite good but too woody for me to want on a regular basis.

[Bourbon Joe]

Mike,
Not being one who can discern the special nuances of whiskey like so many of you, I can only say that my own experience with this whiskey is what I call a medicinal front end which I did not care for at all. Possibly a bad barrel, I don't know.
Joe

[bourbonv]

Joe,
That is interesting and you may be right in that it is a biproduct of the barrel. I will sy this for Jim Murray - he insisted upon a sample from every barrel before he would review the product for the Whiskey Bible. He did say that there quite big differences in some barrels, so maybe this is what he meant.