Four Gate Split Stave by Kelvin Rye (Batch 10)

Neat. First pour from the bottle. Eager to taste this. I enjoyed the Split Stave bourbon and have found all MGP Rye finished in toasted barrels to be excellent. This one, however, costs twice as much as those other toasted Ryes. The aroma is fantastic initially. There's a wonderful layer of fruit and melon with plenty of sweetness right away, especially pineapple. It truly elevates the MGP rye. The dill or spearmint I usually detect in MGP is muted, replaced by sweetness and burnt butterscotch. Beyond the citrus notes, it's quite dark. Imagine a cinnamon roll with toasted sugar, covered in a vanilla sweet cream frosting. I was mistaken to say the spearmint is absent; it's more like mint chocolate chip ice cream. This might be the best MGP Rye nose I've experienced... The mouthfeel is smooth and rich. Surprisingly, the first taste is bitter chocolate. It's unexpectedly mild in the middle. But then, waves of great flavors emerge. Mint and citrus sweetness collide with toasted marshmallow. The finish is the highlight. Peppery notes are balanced by immense, evolving sweetness. It starts like vanilla frosting but circles back to pineapple. It concludes with sweet mint and rye spice. This process has definitely changed the rye. The rye spice and mint appear at times, but they are enveloped by a sweetness not typical of MGP rye. The nose and finish are incredible. Despite its distinctiveness, I wouldn't call it the top MGP toasted finish rye I've had, which lowers the score slightly considering the price. It's still an amazing drink overall.

Poured neat. Very sweet aroma, with fruitiness and vanilla, almost like the pit of the fruit. The finish is longer, and the spice emerges. A great pour.

Four Gate Tall Green Rye SPTI Stave White American Oak, with notes of marshmallows and spice.

Amazing. Now I get the hype.