Hudson Maple Cask Rye (Discontinued)

For a rye, which I generally don't favor (unless it's well-aged, like certain expressions), this is a sweet, welcome, and warming sensory experience, especially during winter. The maple and sweetness are prominent upfront, but the rye character dominates. There's no excessive woodiness, contrary to the official description, but a very pleasant taste, a spicy yet gentle burn – an enjoyably warming, sweet yet spicy experience worth repeating.

This is the initial bottling. On the nose, it immediately presents like a Red Hot cinnamon candy, with rye, sweet maple, and a hint of green banana. The taste delivers an oily texture with abundant cinnamon, vanilla, and a significantly astringent quality. The conclusion is moderately long, continuing the cinnamon notes alongside some astringency. I'm not a fan of this one. While I don't dislike cinnamon, this tastes like artificial cinnamon flavoring; it just feels wrong.

Not too bad, sweet yet spicy. I enjoyed it on ice. It bore a slight resemblance to Coopers Daughter. It had an unusual aftertaste that I couldn't quite identify, but it faded quickly. Perhaps that's why I couldn't pinpoint the note LOL.

Year 19, Batch 1, Bottle 8914. Exceptionally smooth. Barely any burn. A little rye spice, with an unusual flavor for rye, possibly from the maple, but it tastes like licorice.

The finish is smooth. The initial flavor is sweet and mapley, as the name implies, with a slight build in the middle before concluding with a deceptively gentle finish that might underwhelm some.

I believe the peppery New York rye complements the subtle maple notes and sugars from the barrel quite well. It has a slight bite and a youthful aroma, but overall it's very smooth for a rye.