Old rye throwdown

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Old rye throwdown

Unread postby Mike » Wed Mar 12, 2014 5:45 pm

The set up: Four rye whiskies whose history is sometimes murky and hard to determine for sure. I have Rittenhouse 21 YO Rye, Vintage 23 YO Rye, High West 21 YO Rye, and Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 YO (reportedly it is really more like 16-18 years old).

I will take a beginning sip of water and after a sip of each whiskey I will take another sip of water before the next sip of whiskey. With nothing further ado, I will offer a short comparison of these renowned whiskies.

Rittenhouse (100 proof) - rich in barrel and grain flavors - restrained spice with nice fruit
Vintage (94 proof) - deep in rye sweetness, barrel tannins, and mild spice
Van Winkle (95.6 proof) - that special old whiskey characteristic of all Van Winkle whiskies, rye is fruity/spicy
High West (92 proof) - softer (it was reportedly aged in used barrels) with more corny sweetness (it probably has less rye grain than the other whiskies).

I think the Rittenhouse has the best balance. I prefer it over the others
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas
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Re: Old rye throwdown

Unread postby Squire » Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:35 pm

Thanks for making the comparisons and telling us about it Mike, Rittenhouse is definitely one of the overlooked brands.
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