Bourbon/Rye/American Whiskey

Just getting started here. So many whiskeys to add.

Widow Jane Rye Whiskeys

Notes:  I’d been eyeing these bottles for a while and finally grabbed a couple off MissionLiquour.com when i had exhausted my list of top ryes I was wanting to try.  And after trying these I wish now that I’d started here! 

These ryes are amazing.  The paradigm is a lovely, sweet rye with such a smooth finish.  It has peach, caramel and toast on the nose.

But it is the Apple Wood that takes my breath away.  There is soft wood on the nose as well as apple, peach and cream.  But the palate shines with one of the most round finishes I’ve ever had.  It is sweet, smooth, delicate, gentle.

Russel’s Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Notes:  About 8 months ago I went on a buying spree and picked this up along with about 15 bottles.  I can’t say enough good stuff about Russel’s.  I have not tried anything from them except the bourbon, however.  But with a beverage this flavorful, I feel like I’ve already won — why go any further?

Russel’s is a keeper.  Perfect for sipping with a book in the evening.  It has great, balanced flavors and a warm, thick texture.

Michter’s Straight Rye

Notes:  For a little while Trader Joe’s carried the straight Rye, the bourbon and the sour mash from Michter’s.  I tried this one and the bourbon.  Talk about depth of concentrated flavors.  These guys go all out with their distillation and storage.  The nose and the flavors are powerful, pronounced and the balance is excellent.  This is one of those ryes that I have a backup bottle around at all times!

Sagamore Spirit

Notes:  I bought this blind off the shelf at Raleys in Fairfield, Ca.  And it paid off.  This is a really snappy rye with good balance, slight sweetness, great citrus and fruit.

It was about $40 bucks and I would turn around and buy it again.  As you can see, I’m barely visited with the bottle, so I’ll have more to say about it as I get to know it.

Redemption

Notes:  I have several Redemption ryes here at the house.  I tend toward the one pictured to the right.  Generally, I like higher rye content, but this one is a nice blend — and the Redemption 95% rye actually seems a little harsh to me.  

I like the rye snap to both of them though.  This one just has a rounder, sweeter finish.  And for the price, they are great values.

Redwood Empire

Notes:  Eventually, we will try the whole lineup of High West.  The ones we have tried have been cracking.  Super flavors, no off-notes and all of the bottlings taste very different from each other.

We started out tasting the bourbon, but over the last year I really got hooked on ryes (finally).  I like their rye even better than the bourbon at this point.  These are extremely sip-worthy whiskeys.

Redwood Empire

Notes:  Just love everything that Redwood Empire is putting out.  The flavors are intense, the nose fruity and appealing.  They put out a great range of products.  The bourbons are smooth and intense.  The ryes are zippy, spicy and mouthwatering.

I try to keep two of everything on hand.  Just noticed the cat’s butt in the left side of the photo.  Oh well, ignore her.

Bend Oregon Trip – various distilleries

Notes: we recently visited family up in Bend, Oregon.  And on a Sunday morning we wandered around a lovely farmers’ Market and they had quite a great selection of things for sale.  

One of the things one could taste and purchase was whiskey from some of Oregon’s distilleries.  The image shows selections we purchased from three of the four distilleries that we tasted.

Honestly, they give you a generous taste of each item and many of the distilleries had 4-12 distilled beverages to taste.  And you can taste all of them if you want.  It’s a very civilized place!  I left with a mild buzz.  But I wasn’t driving, so there.

Broken down, Oregon Spirit Rye was our favorite.  It is almost all rye.  And it’s spicy, sweetish and has lovely flavors.  

Broken Top was the next favorite and had a large array of different whiskeys.  Stafford’s Reserve was a lovely bourbon with a good wheat and corn nose.  

These are really lovely to drink and should be sought out.  None of them broke the bank.