Rittenhouse 100 Proof

Rye
Purchase Price: $15
Place of Purchase: Warehouse - New York, NY
Rating: 8.0

Along with flinging money into a black hole meant to bail out bankers and automobile manufacturers and insurance companies, the United States government is also charged with ensuring that certain liquors are “Bonded”--meaning they are bottled and sold at a certain minimum proof. Rittenhouse is a grand old name in rye, and is a serviceable example of this oft-overlooked category, but it suffers in comparison to the identically-priced Old Overholt. You’d think something that is 25% stronger than the normal 80 proof would have a bit more “oomph” but Rittenhouse just doesn’t bowl me over the way my favorite ryes do. Worth a try, though.

Sazerac

Rye
Purchase Price: $27
Place of Purchase: Warehouse - New York, NY
Rating: 8.5

This is one of the more expensive ryes out there before you take the big leap up to extensively-aged single-barrels, but it lives up to its elevated price point in every way. In fact, this is probably the best rye I've tried so far. Great traditional rye spiciness combined with some hints of black licorice (a flavor I have little tolerance for when it’s presented in the form of candy—go figure) and even a bit of anise somewhere in there. Sounds crazy, but the end result is as smooth and luxurious and exhilarating as sitting in your rich uncle’s Maybach doing 110 on a freshly paved road. In other words, serious business. Rye whiskey is the unsung hero of American distilling and this is one of its shining examples.

Michter's Straight Rye

Rye
Purchase Price: $34
Place of Purchase: Warehouse - New York, NY
Rating: 7.8

Michter’s line-up of brown whiskies tend to cost and arm and a leg and maybe even part of an ear. Some things are worth losing extremities for, but this isn’t among that elite group of sacrificial worthies. In fact, this rye (and the Michter’s bourbon as well) doesn’t come anywhere near justifying its inflated price tag. There’s something anemic about it and that’s a trait one just shouldn’t be charged extra for. I find it remarkable that this drink costs twice as much as Old Overholt while delivering approximately half of what that grizzled veteran provides. A fraud? I wouldn’t go that far, but you can get far more bang for your buck elsewhere.

Wild Turkey Rye

Rye
Purchase Price: $22
Place of Purchase: Warehouse - New York, NY
Rating: 8.3

I remember a lot of young people going “wild” for Wild Turkey 101 proof bourbon back when I was in college many years back, but I never really adopted it as one of my own. I used to drink, of all things, Rebel Yell--fascinated by the brand’s insistence that it “not be sold north of the Mason/Dixon line.” (I went to school in Georgia) These days I haven’t had a swig of Rebel Yell in close to two decades and Wild Turkey has this great-tasting rye that has quickly established itself as one of my favorites. This opens with plenty of eye-opening rye notes, moves onward to some exotic spiciness and then there’s some menthol that creeps into the picture, which instantly reminds me of smoking Newports back in the woods in 7th Grade. We’d literally just stand in the woods smoking, as if it were an “activity” or something. I guess it’s a good thing that I presently pass my time with more worthwhile pursuits like drinking!

Jim Beam Rye

Rye
Purchase Price: $17
Place of Purchase: Warehouse - New York, NY
Rating: 7.9


You can’t miss this bottle, the label is as yellow as a Hi-Liter and for all I know might have been the inspiration for that ubiquitous office supply. This is entry level-priced rye, but so are Old Overholt and Rittenhouse and they both offer more rye bite and depth of complexity for roughly the same price. UPDATE: I’ve seen some new bottles of this and it looks like they’ve scrapped that infamous shade of yellow that enabled you to check if it was in stock from the parking lot for a much less obtrusive beige color. And yet another proud tradition is asked to “lie still” while having shovelfuls of dirt thrown over it. A shame, really.

Old Overholt

Rye
Purchase Price: $14 (1 Liter)
Place of Purchase: Warehouse - New York, NY
Rating: 8.5

I love rye, but most people don’t even know it exists or think that it has something to do with bread or something. Balderdash. It exists and it’ll scuff your nose and box your ears if you don’t afford it some of that proper “old school” respect. Rye used to be the number one drink in the nation, back when the world was recorded in black and white and men wore hats everywhere and to me, Old Overholt will always be the classic rye—sharp and spicy and liable to bite if you so much as even look at it sideways. And believe me, that is a hearty endorsement. For a long time, I thought it was George Washington on the label, a misconception bolstered by the fact that the label itself appears as if designed in George Washington’s time. This is priced within reach of just about everybody, including people with squares of cardboard lashed to their feet with pilfered twine, which has given this brand a bit of a downscale reputation over the years. Don’t let this dissuade you from warmly welcoming a bottle into your home. It’s a classic American tipple!