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Please don't confuse with STRAIGHT rye. Looking for straight bourbon where a big part of remaining non-corn 49% consists of rye.

My favorites so far are EC12, Knob Creek, McHenry Kenna, Blantons and Barterhouse.
What else deserves a permanent spot in my personal bar?

any of the OGD lineup, most of the WT lineup, and a number of offerings from 4R and Old Scout are all high rye bourbons. Of those, my preference goes to WT and OS bottlings

I like both EC12 and Knob creek a lot. I'm hardly a rye expert, but I'll steer you towards Knob Creek Rye. It supposedly has 51% rye and the balance corn so it drinks more like a rye/bourbon hybrid. I'm half way through my 1st bottle of it and like it fine with ice, but it really shines in an old fashioned or manhattan. It's spicy and dry, but somewhat balanced.

One of my budget favorites is Heaven Hills Fighting Cock, they claim a high rye formula and at 103 proof its plenty strong, I find it similar to Wild Turkey 101 which is also a good rye based bourbon that is often on sale here.

Bulleit, Old Ezra 107 are two that haven't been mentioned yet.

The OGD mashbill has the highest claimed rye content at 27%. If my memory is correct, The OF/WR mashbill is next @ 18%. After that there isn't a large desree of variance. I'm sure there are others that I am not aware of, especially NDPs. YMMV

Also the Bourbon can be mashed in a way that emphasizes the rye grain more than it's actual mashbill would indicate. Barton has traditionally produced a more rye forward profile in their Bourbons so the 1792 line may be to your liking.

james e pepper bourbon has a high rye content

So Vital, your faves all have a rye content that is around 13-15%, except for Barterhouse that is at 6%.

So you are looking to expand your stable to higher rye content or you like that ~15% sweet spot?

My fave in the higher rye category is 4Roses SiB (35%) or SmB (nominally 25-30%).
Other high ryes I like are Bulleit (28%), any of the OGD mashbills that are purported at 30% (Basil Hayden, OGD 114/BiB), Old Forester and Woodford (18%).

BillBuitenhuys wrote:So Vital, your faves all have a rye content that is around 13-15%, except for Barterhouse that is at 6%.

So you are looking to expand your stable to higher rye content or you like that ~15% sweet spot?

My fave in the higher rye category is 4Roses SiB (35%) or SmB (nominally 25-30%).
Other high ryes I like are Bulleit (28%), any of the OGD mashbills that are purported at 30% (Basil Hayden, OGD 114/BiB), Old Forester and Woodford (18%).

Hhhhmmmmm... never knew exact percentage, just "eyeballed" it based on spiciness. Out of what you listed I only truly like Bulleit.
Basil Hayden is also good to my taste but I always assumed it was very low on rye since it's very smooth and kick-less. Reminds me of a lot of scotches.

So I guess my 15ish% sweet spot was what I was asking for.

Thanx!

Around 15% is the traditional Bourbon recipe (at least for the legacy brands still produced) so the field is widely open. On thing to consider is the effect of age, proof and barrel selection on taste. For instance, Basil Hayden and Old Grand Dad share the same mash bill, yeast and production techniques, yet the two are distinctively apart in a blind tasting.

As are Evan Williams Black label and Elijah Craig in the same way similar but proof and age make a difference. I've known people who claimed to like one or the other without being aware they are made by the same distillery. One of the great things about Bourbon is we have such choices. Of course that means a lot of tasting but the task must be done.

Well, of course, there are some mighty fine rye whiskies out there too......... among my favorites are the baby Saz and Rittenhouse BIB Straight Rye.

And my favorite straight rye is E.H. Taylor.

Bourbon Joe wrote:And my favorite straight rye is E.H. Taylor.

I have yet to try that, Joe, but knowing how I value your opinions, I will do so. I do like the other E H Taylor releases. BTW, I may have missed the 'Tornado' one because I thought it was most likely a gimmick. Did you try that one?

Mike wrote:

Bourbon Joe wrote:And my favorite straight rye is E.H. Taylor.

I have yet to try that, Joe, but knowing how I value your opinions, I will do so. I do like the other E H Taylor releases. BTW, I may have missed the 'Tornado' one because I thought it was most likely a gimmick. Did you try that one?

Yes, it was very good. Got a couple bottles and finished them all.

Bourbon Joe wrote:And my favorite straight rye is E.H. Taylor.

havent tried that one. I have wishy-washy feelings toward straight ryes, but I must admit that Smooth Ambler's barrel proof Ryes, though not technically 'made' by themsleves, is an amazing drink. But, Ive read rumors that supply issues are plaguing SA on the barrel proof ryes now and its hard to find. I bought the last three Ive seen in Louisville.