Square 6
High-Rye Rye Whiskey
Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Distilled at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
95 Proof
MSRP: $89.99
Review
Please enjoy our Square 6 High-Rye Rye Review!
The Second Release from the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
The Square 6 High-Rye Rye is the second release from the artisanal distillery at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. If you haven’t been to the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience in Louisville, it’s worth checking out. In fact you can read more about it and Artisanal Distiller Jodie Filiatreau in the Distillery Reviews section of BourbonObsessed.com!
But back to this rye! Why is it a “High-Rye” rye you may be wondering, since there are ryes out there, such as from a well known distillery in Lawrenceburg, IN, which have a much higher rye content than Square 6 High-Rye Rye. Well, it’s all relative. Heaven Hill’s regular rye mashbill is 51% rye, 37% corn and 12% malted barley. Whereas, the Square 6 High-Rye Rye mashbill is 63% Rye, 24% Corn, and 13% Malted Barley. So, with 63% rye, the Square 6 has a higher rye content. Voila! Hence the name!
Tasting Notes – Square 6 High-Rye Rye Whiskey
Let’s taste it:
🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn
👉🏻Nose: Sweet, almost syrupy brown sugar and a bit of graininess; rye spices become noticeable after I acclimate to the initial flavors; hint of licorice and some unsweetened tea towards the back; deep sweet fruit like figs, slightly overripe pears and dried apricots; relatively mild alcohol
👉🏻Taste: Sweet initially; caramel and simple syrup sweetness; some rye spices, too; the tea, fruit and grain linger as well; however, there’s a surprising amount of black pepper spice which develops fairly rapidly
👉🏻Finish: Spiciness continues to grow. The initial black pepper is joined by a drier capsaicin like spice, along with some char and dry oak. However some of the sweeter flavors remain as well, and all linger for quite a long time.
Square 6 High-Rye Rye is Definitely A Pot Still Rye
There is no mistaking that this rye was distilled with a pot still. It has the distinctive flavors, characteristics and full body, that can generally only be found in a pot-distilled whiskey. However, the sweet almost syrupy beginning in no way portends what is to come. The amount of black pepper and capsaicin spice that develops fairly rapidly towards the end of the sip and into the finish, comes as a bit of a surprise. Although, perhaps it shouldn’t, as this is a High-Rye Rye!
Conclusion
I am a pot still whiskey, fan, and there really aren’t that many pot still distilled ryes out there. Neeley Family Distillery comes to mind, M.B. Roland, and perhaps the original batches of rye from Wilderness Trail Distillery. So it is very nice to see this Square 6 High-Rye Rye Whiskey join this small group. It’s quite a different flavor profile than the traditional Kentucky, Indiana or Pennsylvania rye, but one that I am finding quite enjoyable.
Are you a pot still whiskey fan? Cheers!🥃
We hope you have enjoyed our Square 6 High-Rye Rye Review! If you would like to read more about the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, check out our Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Review and read our interview with the Evan William’s Bourbon Experience’s Artisanal Distiller, Jodie Filiatreau!
Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us?🙂 If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!