Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey Review

Old Elk
Straight Rye Whiskey
100 Proof
Old Elk Distillery
Fort Collins, CO
MSRP: $79.99
Review

From the bottle label: “At Old Elk Distillery, the proof is in the bottle. In his distinguished career spanning more than four decades, our Master Distiller, Greg Metze, has distilled millions of bottles of world-class rye whiskey. Crafted using European rye, passion and zero compromises, Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey is astoundingly clean, complex, and spicy with no bite. This is our Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey. We hope you sip back, relax and enjoy.“

The Specifics

As MGP’s (now Ross & Squibb) former Master Distiller, Greg Metze has ample experience distilling rye whiskey. In fact, as the bottle label states, he’s distilled millions of bottles of rye! However, Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey is the only 95/5 rye to have his name on the label! It’s made with a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, aged for 5 years and then proofed down using Old Elk’s Slow Cut_^tm Proofing process. Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey is then bottled at 100 proof.

Tasting Notes – Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Sweet light brown sugar, lemon and orange citrus, apricot leather candy, rye spices, fresh rye bread, hints of anise ; alcohol vapor is mildly greater than expected for the proof
👉🏻Taste: Moderately sweet simple syrup, light caramel, rye spices, mildly tart oranges and lemons
👉🏻Finish: Tart oranges, considerable white pepper spice; mild simple syrup; fairly long, pleasant warmth

The nose of Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey has plenty of citrus, like lemons and oranges. The citrus is mildly tart, but also somewhat sweet, and is on a background of sweet light brown sugar. In addition, there is also fresh rye bread with aromatic seeds, a bit of apricot leather candy, some rye spices, and a hint of anise too. The alcohol vapor is slightly greater than expected for the proof.

The taste is quite sweet, from simple syrup, but that melds well with the citrus flavors that continue from the nose. Again, the citrus is mildly tart, yet also mildly sweet. Light caramel and spices round out the mix. Heading into the finish, the citrus becomes somewhat more tart orange, and there is growing spice, perhaps white pepper, becoming quite pronounced and lingering on my tongue. Yet, there’s also some continuing mild simple syrup sweetness hanging on. The finish is long and leaves me with a pleasant warmth.

Summary

Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey is a very enjoyable rye. It has the classic rye flavors that one would expect from ryes distilled at MGP. However, it is blended in such a way that the flavors are well-balanced, without that “in your face” character that 95/5 ryes can sometimes have. Instead, it is a pleasant mix of citrus, spice, caramel and sweetness, too. If you enjoy the flavors of rye whiskey and are looking for something new, then you’ll want to give Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey a try!

Have you had this rye? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey Review! If you would like to learn more about visiting Old Elk’s tasting room / cocktail bar in Fort Collins, CO, then check out our The Reserve by Old Elk Distillery Review! You can also read about two more of their whiskeys in our Old Elk Wheated Bourbon Review and our Old Elk Cognac Cask Finish Bourbon Review.

This bottle was graciously provided by the Old Elk Distillery for my review!

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