Add me to the list of Thomas Handy supporters. There was a bar down the street from the last place I lived in DC (the Temperance Lounge, unfortunately now defunct) that carried several brands of rye, which I’d never tried before, and Thomas Handy quickly became a favorite. A shot of that with a can of Strongbow for chaser and the evening was as mellow as I needed it to be. I found the tastes complemented each other nicely.
Update: Tried the Michter’s this weekend. Niiiiice! I don’t know if it would replace Russell’s Reserve in the rotation, but it is quite tasty. Sazerac also has a rye out in a weird, fluted bottle. Very tasty! I also scored a bottle of Pikesville, which is a “Maryland-style” rye, whatever that means anymore. At the price (dirt cheap) I’d buy it again. I tried yesterday, but Bevmo was lacking in selection.
Any new tastings by you folks?
Let’s try again, now that winter is poking its nose under the curtains.
Finally found a bottle of the Rittenhouse Bonded. Wonderful stuff. Spicy and warming and rounded and all-around delicious.
Has anybody tried the new offering from beam: Ri[sup]1[/sup]? It had better be wonderful for the price. $52/bottle for rye? Absurd!
I have a bottle of Sazerac that’s been hiding in the back of my cabinet for quite a while now. This thread inspired me to dig it out…apparently I needed a reminder of the fact that I don’t really like rye. The stuff tastes too “hot” for me. I’m a big fan of the Wild Turkey and Van Winkle bourbon lines however. I don’t really know the mash bills of any of my favorite whiskeys, but I think I’m partial to whiskeys with less rye…and possibly more wheat.
BTW…California sparking wines are not Champagne…mescal is not tequila…meritage is not Bordeaux…and Crown Royal is not rye.
Sounds like you like the likes of Knob Creek and Maker’s Mark. Both of these bourbons are heavy on the wheat and light on the rye.
I seem to go in streaks. I’m hitting the rye heavy right now, but but February I’ll probably be back to cursing Tuckerfan for introducing me to Buffalo Trace bourbon. Once the weather turns chilly, the single-malts will come into the rotation as well. There’s a bottle of Macallan’s that’s calling my name.
You obviously haven’t tried to buy a bottle of the 23yo Black Maple Hill rye. I’ve been eyeballing it on the shelf recently, but haven’t quite convinced myself to pull the trigger at $130 a bottle. I do, however, have a couple of bottles of their 18yo, purchased at the much more reasonable price of $80 a bottle. A bargain, I tell you.
When I hit the lottery…
I’ll drink those if they’re put in front of me. I don’t keep them in the house though. The other characteristic I like in my bourbon is a heavy char. Those two taste pretty light to me. The Van Winkles though…wheated bourbons, heavy char on the barrels. Mmmmm
FWIW…tonight, I’ve moved on from the Sazerac rye to my prized George T. Stagg bourbon. Very short pours though. It’s a school night.
I hear that!
Van Winkles is an amazing lineup. Too bad my local bodegas have them so rarely.
I finally found a bottle of Russell’s Reserve Rye last week. Note to self - when someone named silenus gives advice on booze, a wise man will listen carefully. Delicious stuff.
theres something wrong with calling whiskey “yummy”
How about “transcendant?” Or “nirvana-esque?” Or “a delight on the palate of the discriminating booze-hound?”
100% Rye:
http://www.anchorbrewing.com/about_us/oldpotrero_18th.htm
Old Potrero (from the folks that brought you Anchor Steam beer). I need to get another bottle before Thanksgiving.
I think ‘yummy’ is a perfectly acceptable adjective to describe the whiskies that silenus talks about. 
Happy with Jim Rye for now, as it’s the only whiskey I’ve had in some time that doesn’t f with my digestion.