High West Rocky Mountain Rye 16

Batch 20I11 - 52.3% ABV Palate - (undiluted) Sweet cinnamon spice, strong vanilla, caramel, dark toffee, pleasant soft sweet rye bread with caraway, good rye "kick", dark cocoa nib sweetness with a touch of dark chocolate bitterness, faint cherry (diluted) The spice vanishes, flavors become duller, more oaky, caramel persists, cocoa nib bitterness remains. Aftertaste - (undiluted) Lasting cinnamon spice/tingle, similar to cinnamon/cherry cinnamon candies, dark cocoa nibs (diluted) Lasting oaky caramel, chocolate milk hot cocoa. Rating - 87/100 Concluding Remarks - This was a quite enjoyable mature rye. I'm uncertain where the distillery obtained this particular batch, but it bears some resemblance to another bottle. It lacks the dill/mint notes I detect in some ryes, offering instead a pleasant, subdued, potent caramel sweetness. You don't experience much rye "kick" until it reaches your tongue. Diluting this one significantly reduces its character, so I recommend consuming it straight or with just a minuscule amount of water as it fades rapidly. It was good overall, but unfortunately not outstanding. I'm happy I had the chance to sample it, but if all releases were like this, perhaps I wasn't missing much. It's certainly a tasty rye, but not "mind-blowing" like some other selections have been for me. Would I consume it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically request it? - Perhaps Would I purchase a bottle? - Perhaps IMPORTANT - All evaluations disregard cost. All reviews are done without factoring in price.

The aged smoothness was a bit much, overshadowed by the rye

A combination of rye and a specific brand.

The best Rye I have ever sampled!!