Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser Bottled in Bond Rye

Rating: 16/23 N: Fairly full and woody, but mellow. There's some nice pear and apple rounding it out with mild vanilla sitting in the background. Some dry tartness and sharp spiciness for sure, as would be expected of a rye. Not an amazing nose, but it's nicely balanced with good scents. P: Not quite as full as the nose suggested. There's plenty of wood, which gives way to bitterness, but also spice with some musty nuance. And some minerals mix in as well with a little bit of vanilla sweetness. That dry rye character is certainly here as well. This is nicely balanced. It might be a bit too tannic and not quite as full as I'd like, but there's enough complexity to keep it going and it nails a nice traditional profile.Faint caramel and a sort of hollow apple flavor at points. F: Tannins, wood, spice. A bit of vanilla and hollow apple come with a gulp of air. This is finish is a tad too austere. - Conclusion - This is a well-executed rye. It leans a bit too heavily into the wood and doesn't develop as much as I'd like, but it's quite enjoyable. It lacks the elegance of Whistlepig Piggyback (16-17/23), but it's quite enjoyable. It's certainly closer to that than it is to my bottle of Smooth Ambler Old Scout Single Barrel Cask Strength 4 year (14/23). It's definitely a 15 or 16 and while I was initially thinking a 15, it's closer to my fresh(ish) bottle of Whistlepig PiggyBack than I'd expected, so a 16 is a very real possibility. I'm inclined to say that because its tannins are less aggressive than those of George Dickel Single Barrel 15 (15/23), this is the better whiskey and it deserves a 16. Big thanks for sharing this one @ctbeck11 ! Catoctin Creek has done a great job here. Definitely a distillery to watch.

Taste- 2 oz Neat in Glen cairn, no water needed Appearance: Reddish to light amber, coat8ng with lush, slower running legs. Nose: Cherry, oak, buttered rye bread, and butterscotch. Thereis also some tremedously delicious milk chocolate. Hardly a bit of ethanol. Palate: Coating buttery mouthfeel. You are hit with chocolate some nice apple and cereal bar up front. Some spicier notes let you know this is a quality rye. There is some dill and a small bit of mint in the background with nice oak, barrel char, and cherry pie topped with butterscotch to greet you. Finish is like an old friend, warm and with open arms. The buttery note you road in on is the buttery note you ride out on. It is superb. Overall: First, I get almost none of the notes from the pro reviewer at all! Second, it is one of the best ryes I have had. I put it in the category of a 6 year WFE, Cornerstone Rye, Michter's 10 yr, or some of the Handy years. Reminds me alot of 2017 Handy as a matter of fact sans the earthiness. I had had the entry bottle- Roundstone Rye.....and hated it. It was thin, solvent like, and just NO. Took me a year to get the courage to try this at it's 99.00 price after Roundstone was so dissapointing. I had a friend whom I traded a bottle of Old Fitz for a Russell's 2002 who also happens to work at Catoctin Creek. The thing about whiskey folks is that we like to talk and share what we love and hate. In the process of our trade we did just that. He gently twisted my arm on this one and I am so glad he did!

Nose: whoa...what an odd nose. Like it almost smells spoiled. I really can’t get past this. Like spoiled milk. I’m weirdly shocked. I mean if they were going for a unique profile on the nose they definitely got one. Palate: holy rye. This thing is so potent and grassy. It’s basically like the double IPA of rye whiskeys I feel like. At least it’s not as bad as the nose. This is truly insane. Finish: some metal-type flavor. Overall: idk whether to give this a positive review or really negative. I’m not a huge rye fan but I’ve tasted ones that I thought were great (M10, THH, even the Crown 16 year Rye). This one is like in its own category of rye I feel like. For the price I definitely don’t love it. Gonna have to try this after it stays open for a while. Would love to know if anyone else gets a weird nose on this though so please inform me?

On the nose, there is burnt sugar with rye grain, oak, and dark fruits. On the palate there is the distinct rye spice with orange peel and oak undertones. The mouth feel is spicy and buttery. The finish is long with a slight bit of pickle brine.

Coming from someone who’s not a bourbon or rye drinker, this blew me away - incredible flavors - good luck finding, it’s NoVa’s worst-kept secret - amazing, amazing rye

Definitely that rye spice but it comes behind a lovely vanilla character. Dry woody finish. A little splurge but I’d buy another glass.