Dancing Goat Limousin Rye Single Barrel Select

A selection from Project Mayhem via Gibsonville ABC - "Goatbaaaack Mountain" Batch No. 6718 Aged 6 years in new charred oak with French oak staves Finished 1-2 years in Limousin Oak 55.89% ABV; 111.78 proof Opened for 3.5 months Nose - Pronounced toasted rye bread, red hot cinnamon, clove, white pepper, menthol, bright oak, and moderate ethanol. Palate - Reminiscent of the most intensely gingery ginger snap cookie, leather, wood oil, cocoa, Chai tea with orange spice, black pepper, light caramel, and medicinal cherry. The finish is long and very oily, with dry oak pulp, orange peel, clove, gingerbread, Red Hots, and moderate ethanol. This selection by some individuals in NCWH is an outstanding illustration of both excellent value in cask strength rye from a craft distiller, and also demonstrates what can be achieved with finished rye beyond the standard double oaked or wine finish. I couldn't quite pinpoint this flavor profile until my brother tasted it. He has an interest in wine and has resided in several European countries. His immediate reaction was that it tastes like fine, aged cognac. That is precisely its profile. An American rye take on cognac. The French oak staves and Limousin oak impart flavors not typically found in a double oaked rye. Considering its age, finishing, and proof, $55 is an exceptional value from a small producer in Wisconsin.

This is a single barrel store selection of a 6-year-old MGP 95/5 rye, finished with Limousin oak and bottled at around 110 proof. I'm a fan of MGP rye, and at the sale price of $30, I considered this quite a deal. It's not bad; I do enjoy it. It exhibits most of the typical MGP rye characteristics that I appreciate, such as spice and herbal notes. However, there's an added flavor of licorice, along with a bit of drying oak and bitterness at the end. It doesn't seem particularly sweet, lacking much vanilla or butterscotch. It's neither bright and vibrant nor dark and rich. It's somewhat flat. When compared to all the other MGP ryes I've sampled, this is my least favorite. It appears to me that whatever the Limousin oak finishing process entails is detrimental to my palate.

This was part of a virtual tasting from Dancing Goat Distillery; I got a complimentary 2 oz sample. 102.4 proof. Smell: Figs, raisins, black tea, spiced Christmas cake, pralines, gingerbread, black pepper, light oak, and faint ethanol. Taste: Oily texture, tastes of ginger snap cookies, sweet oak, chocolate oranges, nutmeg, and cinnamon. The finish is medium-long and very oily, with notes of pumpkin rye bread, cocoa, coffee, nutmeg, lower-than-expected tannins, and faint ethanol. I'm not certain about the barrels used for aging or finishing, but some flavors remind me of a port or sherry finished whiskey. I really enjoy it, especially considering the proof and price.

Thick on the palate. Sweet vanilla, ripe cherry, and dark berries come through, followed by zesty black pepper and cool mint. Complex wood flavors abound, with a subtle, aged book-like muskiness, reminiscent of a recently tidied old study. Once it breathes, a lingering finish of toasted marshmallow emerges.

My acquaintance acquired the r/bourbon cherry bitters finish variant and shared a sample with me.... WOW, IT DESTROYS THE PALATE!!! Like cherry cough syrup intensified tenfold. Also contains robust baking spices. It's neither bad nor exceptional, but it's unique!!! This is certainly original and worth trying at least once.

Smells of toasted wood and light rye bread, maybe with a hint of citrus. The taste has spice and char with a black licorice finish. The finish is medium and has spicy rye notes.