Castle & Key Restoration Rye 2021 (Batch 3)

Castle & Key Distillery, Restoration Kentucky Rye Whiskey, 2021, Batch 3, Bottle #17680, aged 3.5 years, 52.5% ABV, 105 proof. Tasted neat. On the nose, sweet grain, peanuts, and a little floral vanilla. Light copper color and strong coating legs in the glass. Sweet maple syrup, vanilla oak, ethanol blast, and then leather and dry tannins. A little earthy/funky (acidic and macerated "green," reminescent of the whiff of fresh horse apples), and there's an acridc dry puckering effect in the mouth. That earthyvfunk bumps up against the grain sweetness. Finish is tannic and grassy rye and light spice. Dry and then gone fairly quickly. An interesting 65% rye with corn and malted barley mashbill, but the acrid tannins dominate the flavor. Usually I don't mind that, but as a rye this leaves me cold. It's good, but I'm not as sold as the staff reviewer. Ice mellows the tannins, but also flattens the rye spice. The funk seems more pronounced. Finally, I'm not a fan of/or impressed by the HEAVY faceted bottle with a metal year plaque, band around the neck, and large stopper cover. Too much like a heavy decorative decanter, hard to handle and pour. I'd rather a more functional bottle because I'll be recycling this anyway. REALLY! Then refund me the extra $5 that bottle jacked the price to $46. Now the price is more in line.

Purchased at the distillery on our KBT trip this spring. The grounds are beautiful, a must see if you're in the area. Sampled this in a few Old Fashioned cocktails while we were there and was impressed. I get a cherry & brown sugar on the nose, along with a bit of musty grain. Something a bit different joins on the palate, sort of a floral note. Finish is lingering dry oak. Very nice rye. Entered this bottle in our rye tasting (RWT); most liked it, but it couldn't hang with the Willett, Rare Breed or the Last Feather Cask Strength bottles.

Restoration is thoroughly enjoyable. While some ryes can be a bit hairy or less composed, Castle and Key manages to keep Restoration clean and tidy. While unexpected, it’s a fun and alluring experience that makes me want to keep this one on the shelf more consistently. Considering some of the magnificent products C&K has released so far, I’m eager for what we’ll be seeing in the next 5-7 years. Well done.

This made me want a Reuben sandwich, so it's definitely a good rye whiskey. The nose is rye bread, lemon, brown sugar and herbs. The palate matches, but as you chew on it a bit the brown sugar notes become more prominent. Finally, the oak makes an appearance at the end. Not overpowering, but a nice and welcomed addition. The finish is a lovely, rye, brown sugar and oak mix. Definitely enjoyed.

Hot, baking spices and clove, with a slightly sweet finish.. picked this up and didn’t trigger on distillery. This Rye was I. The barrel when we visited a few years back, LoL didn’t have bourbon or rye to serve when we visited. Need to go back grounds were beautiful!

Nothing like killing time after a softball game sampling some castle & key. Bit of heat bit of spice but smooth.