Monday, June 24, 2013

Kotas Reviews Bulleit Rye Whiskey

Most of you are aware of my drinking habits. I enjoy rum and gin, vodka and tequila are best in mixed drinks, and I stay the heck away from whisk(e)y/bourbon/scotch. However, in the past few months, on a whim, I sampled some of that "old is new again" rye whiskey that's been making a comeback.

And you know what? I LIKED it. It tasted a lot like whiskey I'd had in the past, but something smoothed out all the rough flavors that I could not stand and made it not only drinkable, but GOOD. And without having to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a "good" bottle to make it drinkable.

This is my review of Bulleit Rye Whiskey. It's pretty subjective, but hey aren't all my reviews? SHUT UP I AM OBJECTIVE. Anyway, onto the review.

I've always liked Bulleit Whiskey's bottles. They have the name of the company as a part of the bottle and I always liked the "old timey" feel that gave them. Their Rye is in the same bottle, but with a green label rather than their usual dusky orange. The label claims it is a "95% rye", which I assume means that the majority of the grain used to distill it is rye (their standard bourbon uses rye as well, at least according to the website: http://www.bulleitbourbon.com/)

Pop the cork and pour it out, it's a lovely dark amber color, so it's pretty in the glass. The smell is very...spicy, with a strong woody odor mixed in with hints of molasses and cinnamon. I tried it neat, because a) I didn't have any ice and b) NO FREAKIN' ICE.

The taste is also sharp, with a heavy peppery note, along with an oaky, not quite smokey top flavor that has a very out of place but interesting vanilla suggestion. Some might call the flavor "leathery", but I do not think that I would. The burn starts off strong and tapers off very quickly.

On a scale of 5 frowny faces to 5 smiley faces, I give it 3 smiley faces. Finding a whiskey that I not only like, but really, really like is a treat, though I find it hilarious that the one I like is now super trendy. I suggest giving Rye a whirl, even if whiskey isn't your thing.

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