Rye and bourbon -- Opinions on two brands

I’m not much of a drinker. I like alcohol. I actually like it a lot. I just never get around to drinking any. (OK, I did have a beer a couple of weeks ago. And I had one a couple of weeks before that. Drinking more than usual.) Once upon a time I’d drink Laphroaig 10-year old or 15-year-old scotch when I wanted a spirit. Then I discovered I liked bourbon. I have a bottle of Maker’s Mark that’s been sitting around for about a year, just in case I feel like having a ‘drink’.

Today at lunch I went to Trader Joe’s. They have a few whiskeys. (Is it ‘whiskey’, or ‘whisky’? I can never remember.) I asked the ‘crewmember’ who admitted not knowing much about them for a recommendation. He said he’d tried the Bulleit rye, but not the other rye. He said he liked it, and they sell a lot of it. Much more than the other one. (Of course the other one was about $7 more expensive.) OK, I’ll try the Bulleit.

I was also curious about the Kentucky bourbon. I like Maker’s Mark; I wonder how TJ’s brand is? The guy said they ‘literally’ sell about three cases per day, and it’s very popular – though he hasn’t tried it himself. I asked if it was so popular because it’s good, or because of the price. (It’s $14.99 for a 750 ml bottle.) He said both.

I have no idea when I’ll get round to opening these bottles and tasting their contents. As I said, I don’t drink as much as I’d like to. Has anyone here tried Bulleit Rye American Whiskey and/or Trader Joe’s Kentucky Bourbon? What did you think?

“Whiskey” is how it’s spelled when you’re writing about Irish (and sometimes American) spirits. “Whisky” is for Scotch and everything else.

Other than that, I got nothing. I’m not much of a bourbon drinker.

First, whisky is from Scotland and Canada, and whiskey is from everywhere else. Except when it’s defined that whiskey is from the U.S. and Ireland, and whisky is from everywhere else. Except when it’s an American upstart like Maker’s Mark or several others that call it whisky. In other words, most people are convinced there’s a hard-and-fast rule, but it’s actually not so clear cut.

As for the ones you mention, I’ve had Bulleit and like it. I haven’t tried TJ’s. The best thing to do is taste a number of them and see what you like. That can be hard when it means buying a full bottle for every taste, so maybe find a good whiskey bar. If you can find one you like, then a knowledgeable bartender or clerk can recommend others that are on the upper or lower end of the price scale with similar character to what you like.

Here’s a taste test that sampled both Bullit and Maker’s Mark. Not a lot of detailed info, though.

The Bulleit is their rye. :wink:

I’ve never had rye, so I don’t know what to expect. My reference points are Maker’s Mark bourbon, and Laphroaig scotch.

I love Bulleit, I can tell you that.

Rye generally has a sharper, less sweet taste than bourbon. If you prefer sweeter bourbons, rye might not be to your liking. The Bulleit rye will be a good bit spicier and not as sweet as Maker’s Mark bourbon.

There is also rye bourbon, which is a bourbon (at least 51% corn) but with rye comprising some part of the remaining grain bill. This results in a little more assertive spirit than a plain bourbon but a little sweeter than a straight rye. Bulleit bourbon uses some rye, so it’s less sweet than Maker’s Mark but sweeter than Bulleit rye. The Bulleit will be very different from Laphroaig which is dominated by the smokey peat.

Report back when you open it. I’m curious what you think.

I currently have a bottle of Bulleit Rye in the freezer for my Manhattans, if that tells you anything. :wink:

If you like Maker’s, you probably won’t like the TJ bourbon. Maker’s is a wheated bourbon, so it is smoother and mellower. It has also been aged a bit longer. The TJ whiskey is just the legal minimum of age, has a high rye content which will make it spicier, and the lack of age will make it quite rough. Stick with Maker’s or Buffalo Trace.

Same. It’s pretty much my go-to rye.

I’m a big fan of Bulleit Rye as well. We currently have a giant bottle for our Manhattans and Old Fashioneds.

That said, I prefer the Knob Creek Rye. That could very well be the other one mentioned in the OP - it’s about $7-$10 more a bottle than the Bulleit around here. It’s higher proof, and has a stronger, more complex taste.

Still, it’s a close race. I get the Bulleit a lot because it’s easier to find and cheaper. But if you get a chance to try the Knob Creek, go for it.

One thing to think about as far as the Trader Joe’s branded bourbon goes, it’s likely that it’s not always the same stuff. As crazy as the bourbon market is today, non-distiller producers are having a hard time finding consistent volumes of aged bourbon on the bull market. And TJ’s definitely is not distilling. So if you like it at any given point, buy a bunch before their source changes.

Bulleit isn’t distilling either, for that matter. Bulleit bourbon was until,recently made by Four Roses, but they were cut off. No word on the new source yet. Bulleit rye is still made by Midwest Grain Products, same as a great many rye bottlings out there. MGP also makes most of the bourbon for the craft distillers selling bourbon with an age statement greater than the age of the craft distiller’s facilities.

Rye whiskey (American): more than 51% rye with the remainder being corn and maybe a small amount of malt for the enzymes. My favorite. Bold and spicy.

Rye whisky (Canadian): don’t get me started

Bourbon (traditional): more than 51% corn with the balance being rye and maybe a small amount of malt for the enzymes. My #2, especially the higher rye mash bills.

Bourbon (wheated): same as above, but with wheat as the flavoring grain, not rye. Not a big fan. Sweeter, softer that anything with rye. Some might say blander, but that could be just me trying to pick a fight.

Things to try that won’t break the bank…

Wheated bourbon: you have Makers, so there you go
Low rye bourbon: Buffalo Trace
High rye bourbon: Old Grand Dad bottled in bond. NOT the 80 proof stuff. That’s horse piss.
Rye: Rittenhouse

I left the Bulleit rye off, not because I don’t like it, but because it’s not that characteristic of the history of the spirit. It’s 95% rye and the line was set up by Seagrams to be used as a flavor component of blended Canadian whisky. It just happened to be on hand in bulk when the demand for rye heated up again.

Bulleit Rye is actually good old MGP 95% rye, just aged by Bulleit.

So if you want an interesting experiment, get a bottle of Bulleit Rye and a bottle of Dickel Rye and compare. They’re both the same industrial commodity unaged 95% rye whiskey, just aged and treated differently.

Ever noticed that Maker’s Mark spells it “whisky?”

As is Templeton Rye. Templeton is about $10 a bottle more where I live. I guess the Al Capone Prohibition Rye story is worth $10.

Heh. I actually just tried this for the first time today, after accidentally buying the wretched 80 proof stuff a few months ago. This is tasty for a sub-$20 a fifth whisky. I tend to be a fan of the high rye whiskeys vs the wheaters (I like my spirits a bit drier and the wheated whiskeys are just too sweet for me) and the rye definitely came through on the first sip here.

Old Grand Dad Bonded is a well-kept secret. I love the stuff, and as noted, the regular bottling is horse-piss.

Next, look for the Old Grand Dad 114. Even better!

I actually did look for that, but my neighborhood liquor store, while fairly well-stocked, did not have it. I do see that Binnys (our local mega-liquor store chain) does have it. I do like this Old Grand Dad…it puts me in the mind of Four Roses, another “bargain buy” bourbon for me, with a good rye content.

Four Roses can do no wrong in my book. Neither can High West, at least considering their sourced and blended bottlings, but that’s a different price point.