Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee blended Ryes
Tasted side-by-side with Stellum Black Bourbon. Rested for 5-15 min in a capped Glencairn.
Relatively thin legs and a rich dark tawny color.
This is a big, bold and very herbal rye on the nose. Lots of green notes with fresh thyme, dill, and lemongrass. Distinctly sweet black tea that reminds you of summer. Raw demerara sugar sweetness. Floral honeysuckle. With a touch of water some more cinnamon and ginger scents stand out.
The palate keeps with the sweet tea theme to me. Citrus, lemon zest. Mildly bitter, oversteeped, black or herbal tea. Cereal grains and edible flowers. Water helps soften the harsh bitterness. Some dark maple syrup and molasses comes out to help balance the flavor.
Some mint on the finish. Kind of a mouthwash, spearmint gum flavor. Dried tobacco and barrel char. Baking spices are a bit more faded here. Clove and nutmeg. Unexpectedly earthy walnuts and raw coffee beans. Very delicate dark cocoa. Much shorter than I would have want. The tobacco notes come out more so with dilution but as does the tannic cask influence.
The flavors are all there. It feels like they would be perfect with one another however, something just doesn’t taste right. It’s a bit confused on the palate and the proof I think actually hurts it. There’s just no harmony between the flavors on the palate. Odd as it is to hear myself say, but the Stellum Black Bourbon is a lot better than the rye.
