15 STARS First West Rye, along with Triple Cask, are the two latest releases from 15 STARS. 15 STARS First West Rye is a blend of straight ryes that were distilled in Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. Coincidentally, those are the same states where it will be sold. The ryes are aged 6, 7 & 8 years. Read all about it in our review!
Pursuit United Rye Finished with Sherry French Revere Oak is one of the first two whiskeys of Pursuit Spirits new Oak Collection. It begins with the standard Pursuit United Rye mash bill, which is aged and then finished utilizing oak compliments from Innerstave. So, what’s it like? Read our review to find out!
Well, things just keep moving forward at Wilderness Trail Distillery. It seems like just last year they released their Small Batch Bottled In Bond Rye. Now, they are releasing their Small Batch Bottled In Bond Rye that is 7 years old! I have had a lot of Wilderness Trail’s whiskeys, but this is the first of their ryes that I have tried of that age. What’s it like? Read our review to find out!
Kentucky Owl Mardi Gras Rye begins with an 11 year old straight rye whiskey. The rye was then put into barrels that previously held Bayou XO Mardi Gras Rum. The barrels were originally filled in March and then allowed to finish in Louisiana for a little over a year. If you think of Louisiana in the summertime, there’s quite a bit of heat and humidity which should have an interesting effect on the barrels, and it did! Learn more in our full review!
Old Elk’s Cask Finishing Series had its first release back in 2021. For this year’s release, in addition to the return of some old favorites, Old Elk Distillery is releasing their first Rye Whiskey Finished in Barbados Rum Casks! What’s this Old Elk Rum Cask Finish rye like? Read our full review to find out!
The Bardstown Bourbon Company has just released its Origin Series, the first whiskeys produced entirely in-house! The Origin Series Rye is aged for 5 years 8 months and finished in a “zebra” barrel of alternating toasted American oak and cherry wood staves. Read our review to find out what it’s like!
First, Wilderness Trail made some rye whiskey. After the barrels were dumped, maple syrup from Vermont aged in them. Then, after the syrup was dumped, the barrels were filled with 5 year old rye whiskey and aged another 6 months. An voila! We have Wilderness Trail’s first finished whiskey!! What’s it like? Read our Wilderness Trail Maple Barrel Finish Rye review and find out!
Blue Run Spirits recently released their second rye, Blue Run Emerald Rye. Golden Rye, which I have reviewed previously, was their first. In contrast to the Golden Rye, Emerald Rye was contract distilled by Blue Run Liquid Advisor Jim Rutledge at Castle & Key Distillery. In addition, Emerald Rye is bottled at barrel proof whereas Golden Rye was bottled at 95 proof. So how is the new Emerald Rye? Read our full review to find out!
Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil, the creators of the Bourbon Pursuit podcast, founded Pursuit Spirits in 2018. They initially produced select sourced single barrels under the Pursuit Series label, but now focus on their own brand of blended whiskeys, Pursuit United. They released their first whiskey, a bourbon, back in early 2021, followed by their rye, later that year. The Pursuit United Rye that I am reviewing today is their second rye release, designated by Batch 7CC on the label. So how is it? Check out our full review to find out!
So what’s TerrePURE and what does it have to do with bourbon? Well, the TerrePURE process was developed by the Terressentia Corporation back around 2007. The process purifies alcoholic beverages using ultrasonic energy and oxidation. Few details have been revealed except to say that it could remove unwanted congeners (byproducts of fermentation) as well as convert some fatty acids to more flavorful esters. This process would overall “purify” a spirit and make it more flavorful.
Ragged Branch Distillery is located near Charlottesville, VA. As a “farm-to-bottle distillery” they grow all their own grain, on land they either own or lease. Their initial whiskeys were bourbons. However, back in 2015 they had an excess of rye and were deciding what to do with it. Master Distiller Dave Pickerell stated what would seem like the clear choice: they should make a rye whiskey! He formulated a mash bill that is a bit unique, being 83% rye and 17% malted barley. So I was interested in finding out what this somewhat unconventional Ragged Branch Virginia Straight Rye Whiskey was like!
