Rossville Union Single Barrel Straight Rye (2021 Release)

My local liquor store had their Roseville Union single barrels on sale, and fortunately, they had all three mash bills available. I conducted a blind tasting of all three to see if I could detect any differences. They were all around 7 years old with similar alcohol by volume. A(#3 51/49) Scent: Fresh dill stands out from the glass! Cinnamon, green tea, and a hint of honey Taste: Honey, dill, a subtle cinnamon, sweet oak, very easy to consume, though the finish is short to medium Excellent flavor if you prefer your rye on the herbal side. I only wish the finish was longer 8/10 B (#2 95/5) Scent: charred oak, citrus peel, baking spice caramel Taste: herbal, vanilla, cinnamon, charred oak, This one has some roughness but offered a decent finish and distinct flavors 7/10 C (#1 51/45/4) Scent: fresh mint mojito/dill, honey. A truly inviting aroma! Taste: minty, dill, baking spice, sweet with a bitter oak finish. Frankly, this was the most disappointing. I really dislike bitter oak, and it was quite prominent here. The aroma was great, but it was mostly wood and spice. 6/10 Overall, this was a really enjoyable experiment! I hadn't anticipated that a higher rye content would result in less dill. They were all quite distinct, and honestly, only the first sample would I have guessed was MGP.

Wood notes appear first, followed by an excellent conclusion. It's a pleasantly warm finish, not overpowering. Nice lingering notes of cinnamon and licorice. This selection came from TSR and was 116.8 proof. This rye is a truly delightful surprise.