Rum Cask Finish Rye
Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Barbados Rum Casks
Distilled in Indiana
Finished & Bottled By Old Elk Distillery
101 Proof
MSRP: ~$100
Review
Please enjoy our Old Elk Rum Cask Finish Rye Review!
Old Elk Releases Their First Rum Cask Finish Rye!
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!
The new Rum Cask Finish Rye begins with Old Elk’s 95/5 rye (95% rye, 5% malted barley, distilled in Indiana) matured at least 5 years. Then, it is finished in 14 year-old Barbados rum barrels for 2-5 months.
Tasting Notes – Old Elk Rum Cask Finish Rye Review
Let’s taste it:
🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn
👉🏻Nose: Pine; citrus, like limes; rye spices; wintergreen; mild brown sugar sweetness, lightly burnt caramel; moderate alcohol
👉🏻Taste: Caramel, sweet brown sugar, touch of anise; rye spices are present up front, with cloves the dominant note and becoming more noticeable towards the end.
👉🏻Finish: The flavors continue but are overtaken by rapidly building capsaicin spice joined by some cooling spearmint. Baking spices, and particularly cloves, are there too. Some brown sugar sweetness hangs on til the end as well. Long finish with lingering flavors.
Barbardos Rum And Old Elk Rye In Perfect Harmony
Interestingly, my first thoughts were “Where’s the rum?” But the more I thought about it, it is everywhere. It is adding some sweetness, richness and fullness through the entire pour, almost creating a background of rich butter rum flavors. And the more I sip on this whiskey, the more I kept thinking of butter rum Life Savers with added cloves, lime and a bit of mint all with a medium hot habanero spiced finish. The butter rum isn’t there at first, but it is definitely there the more I sip!
Summary
This is good. Very good. The 95/5 rye is certainly present throughout, and is unmistakable on the nose. However, it is complemented nicely by the rum every step of the way. If you are an Indiana 95/5 rye fan, and are looking for a little twist, you’ll definitely want to give this Old Elk Rum Cask Finish Rye a try! Cheers!🥃
We hope you have enjoyed our Old Elk Rum Cask Finish Rye Review! If you would like to read about the other whiskeys in Old Elk’s Finishing Series, check out our Old Elk Cognac Cask Finish Bourbon Review and our Old Elk Port Cask Finish Bourbon Review!
Thank you to Old Elk Distillery for graciously providing this sample for our review!
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