Heaven's Door Straight Rye Whiskey

Greetings, esteemed individuals. I trust your week is unfolding favorably and that this finds you in good spirits and health. The draft commences tomorrow, right here in the territory of the 2022 Super Bowl victors. What superior method exists to initiate the festivities than with a pour directly from the heavens...because that is precisely my destination if the team performs at least as well as they did last season. Today, we sample the rye from Heaven's Door. On the nose, this offering provides few indicators of what to anticipate from the palate. I detect a few notes that evoke the apple juice found in a glass jar with a white cap, and alcohol. Beyond that, it completely channels a certain football player... Are there any spices? "Apple juice." Any char, any fruit? "Apple juice." Any hint of vanilla? "You understand my purpose...apple juice." And that concludes the aromatic profile. I genuinely needed to verify my olfactory senses weren't compromised by sniffing a bottle of a different brand. Unlike some other ryes, or even a particular expression that drew criticism, this one simply fails to deliver an engaging aroma. While the nose acts as if the big game holds no significance, the palate adopts a full-on aggressive approach. It begins on the goal line with a subtle taste of ash or charcoal, presumably from the rye. A quick sidestep, and the flavor of apples dipped in peanut butter surges forward for a first down. Will the outcome differ on subsequent sips? No. There it is again. Sidestep, head down, and more peanut butter apples that overwhelm your taste buds, expertly blocked by the rye, leading to a first and goal situation. What's your next move, HD? Introduce spice? Add sweetness? Employ a surprise tactic like a certain coach in a past championship? No... Same strategy, same outcome...well, at least for the Heaven's Door rye, not for the home team. Absolutely nothing changed for me in either the aroma or taste, even after allowing it to rest in the specialized glass for 30 minutes, or consuming half the bottle. Just that same uninspired combination of charcoal to peanut butter and apple that, at 92 proof, offers no burn and makes this a passable sipper and likely a better component in cocktails. If you seek a spirit with no burn, a modest sweetness in the form of diluted apple juice, peanut butter, a touch of char, and in my opinion, a lack of distinct character, this one might suit your preferences. I acquired this as part of a trio pack, including their other offerings, for $60. This made my small bottle of rye cost $20. Would I spend that amount on it in the future...no...not when I can obtain a standard bottle of other rye brands for the same price or slightly more. In my view, a certain coach should have deviated from the established plan against a formidable opponent. The creators at HD should have devised an additional element or at least incorporated some extra character to earn my money (no intentional wordplay intended). 🥃 Happy midweek. ✌🏾Go team.

Score: 15/23 Discovering this is MGP has been a letdown. Nose: It's quite light yet clean. Rye's high content is evident immediately with dill, followed by faint mint and anise notes, then some subtle caramel sweetness. A whisper of wood appears only after persistent searching past the grain. Palate: Light-bodied but not overly boozy. Sweet, mild caramel has a strange graininess, suggesting corn but likely from the barley. A touch of wood and vanilla precedes a sharp spice. Herbal bitterness from anise, dill, and a hint of mint is present. Finish: Sweet, light caramel with lingering ginger, dill, pepper, and an occasional trace of lemon. - Summary - An easy-drinking but unexciting pour. It's light and sweet, yet youthful and lacking complexity. This might edge out Rittenhouse (14/23) but falls short of Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye (17/23). At times, it seems comparable to Pikesville (16/23), but then I find it inferior to Russell's Reserve 10 (15-16/23). Inconsistent preferences are frustrating. Actually, I no longer believe this measures up to Pikesville. It's closer to Elijah Craig Small Batch (15/23), and I waver between this and my Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye Single Barrel 5 Years (14/23). I'm leaning towards a 14 or 15. Currently, it feels like a 14, but considering my recent scores, a 15 seems more fitting. It's a bit disappointing that I enjoy this more than the other main Heaven's Door bottlings, though not by much. Heaven's Door has done a decent job with aged MGP rye. However, I expect more from a craft producer. I'm settling on a 15, but it's a close call.

A balanced Straight Rye Whiskey from the founders of Heaven's Door Spirits in Tennessee, finished in air-dried French "cigar" casks from Vosges, France—these casks are longer with a smaller diameter, intensifying wood contact. It begins aromatically with notes of roses, violets, succulent berries & spice cake; a rich & bold development adds vanilla toffee, damp wood, chocolate cookies, a whisper of mango & white pepper; leading to a lengthy & warming conclusion with notes of clove & mint. July 2020 / August 2022

This could be my top pick from the selection, despite being a bit more straightforward. The double had more complexity. The aroma is sweet. I detect some floral notes. But intensely sweet, candied orange, almost like orange soda. The flavor is also on the sweeter side, with mild cinnamon and peppermint.

Wow, the aroma on this is incredible! Perfumed, floral, caramel, anise, chocolate, orange peel, leather, and vanilla. 4.5 Taste: A bit young, bitter, sweet, oaky, caramel, cocoa, spice, and hints of vanilla and butterscotch. 3.5 Finish: Long and peppery, with light caramel and citrus. 3.25 Overall average: 3.75

I find this whiskey quite enjoyable. It presents a rather gentle yet smooth flavor on the nose. The taste is similarly smooth, featuring a considerable amount of that characteristic rye spice. The finish is somewhat lacking in body but without much intensity. A higher proof bottling of Heaven’s Door rye would be intriguing, but this current iteration is very good.