Chattanooga Whiskey 99 Rye

I love rye in all its forms as a sipper and in cocktails. I'm also a fan of the expressions I've tried from Chattanooga, so adding a bottle of their rye to my shopping cart was a no brainer. Tasted neat from a copita sbs with my staple Wild Turkey 101 Rye. There's a color difference immediately noticeable. The C99 is a shade darker than the WT101. On the nose the WT is rich with delicate backing spice notes, carmel, vanilla, slight dill. The C99 is richer in wood and barrel notes, butterscotch, dark rye bread and caramelized sugar. The WT is smooth and dry on the palate offering a dry ginger, vanilla, rye toast opening that is far gentler than its 101 proof might suggest. The mid-palate is rich and the finish is very nice for a budget rye. There's a reason this is in my bar as a cocktail base and neat sipper over such competitors as Rittenhouse, Old Overholt, Old Forester, etc. The C99 offers a similarly smooth entry devoid of "young whiskey ethanol spark". The flavor builds from a creamy intro to a demisec mid palate topped with stewed cherries and very little of the vegetal elements I get from some rye. The C99 has a faster finish than the WT and fades quite cleanly. This is a great rye for a bourbon drinker. This is a great rye introduction. In a Manhattan this is a rich, silky rye that loves Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino and a couple dashes (3) of Angostura bitters. Chattanooga 99 Rye is a very good rye, full stop. This wont kick the chicken out of my cabinet. WT101 rye is about $24 for a 750, this is about $38. It's not 50% better for my money, but it was definitely worth buying a very enjoyable bottle. I might even re-up. It's a good change of pace.

Bottle $40; Batch Number 20H03R; Age statement greater than 3.5 years; Bottle opened 24 hours earlier and 2/3 full; Tasted neat in Glencairn and rested 10 mins. Shows some sweet vanilla caramel with cola (like vanilla cherry coke with hints of nuts if you dig in deep) on the nose with only a slight amount of heat (not overwhelming and somewhat tame for 99 proof). The mouthfeel is a bit oily providing a light viscous coating. The palate follows the nose as it opens with sweet vanilla, then notes of cherry cola mix in, with a touch of sweet orange zest. Rye spice and a little bit of noticeable heat make their showing before it all continues on into the finish. The medium length finish stays sweet with the spice flowing through, and then progressively a malty note introduces itself into the mix. As the sweeter notes start to fade and the spice gives way, the malty notes come more and more to the fore with just a hint of cocoa bitterness lurking, and that is what in time lingers to close things out. Overall, this rye marches to it's own beat. Notes of mint, menthol, or clove that often comes across from other ryes are not really apparent (or if only faintly) here, but instead this leans more to the sweeter side with unique malty characteristics not normally seen. Very interesting, and give it a thumbs up for the experience and value it delivers. Would recommend to try if you want something that is off the beaten path.

Before we start, I'm upset I didn't name my son Grant McCracken...the head distiller at Chattanooga, and the eponym of all my future online alias's. At $40 price for a "craft" spirit, showing up, for me is 1/2 the battle. I have become more acquainted with rye in the last few months, and this is the bottle that I've blasted through the quickest. There is a malted forward nose. You wont mistake this for a scotch, but it is a bastard cousin of a nose. I definitely enjoy the chocolate covered black-berry / blueberry / dark-berry note, which is an undercurrent from nose to finish, but the overwhelming taste is cereal-like, rye spice; go figure. The bottle looks cool, the label is pretty, embossed and shiny, and at a respectable 99 proof, with tasty, addictive characteristics,,, go get you one. Not the end of the world if you don't, we can still be friends. 5.0 - go out and buy all of the stock you can find. 4.0 - must buy at least one bottle before you die. 3.0 - solid, must try at a bar, or mooch from a friend. 2.0 - didn't like it, you may. 1.0 - you may have the palate of my dog, and he licks his own ass.

Disclaimer- this is my third and final review of this whiskey. First rating was a 4.25 followed by a 3.0… Final rating 3.25 Aroma - apples, honey , citrus, kick of heavy rye bread on the back of end. Slight baking spices but I’m reaching now. Every once in a while I get a weird gummy candy note. Taste - meh.. candied fruits, black licorcie and mint. Mouth feel is quite thin. And finish is short and has a black licorice note to it and very malt forward. Heat is quite evident as well. Complexity is lacking Overall- I absolutely love Chattanooga but this offering at the $50-$60 price point is a hard pass for me. Drinks closer to $30-$40 to be honest. I havent done a side by side but OF Rye, Smooth Ambler Contradiction Rye, High West Double Rye, Rittenhouse Rue would probably beat this one out and are $35or less. If you are looking at the $50-$60 range… Rare Breed Rye, Stellum Rye, Pikesville 6 year are far superior.

Nose: At first this one seems pretty simple and sweet, but the more you sit with it, the more comes out. Sweet vanilla, red cherry, and creme brulee are front and center. Deeper in is smoky barrel char, clove, lemon zest, golden raisins, prune, and lemongrass. Palate: In general, it is much darker than the nose with a medium viscosity. Brown sugar, dark chocolate, and dry vanilla slowly turns into a soft malty rye spice accented with sweet spicy chili and more smoky barrel char. Finish: Warm, but fairly short. Dark chocolate, vanilla, and barrel char. Summary: Chattanooga continues to impress with unique bottlings with affordable prices. Their specialty in malting is always on display and for good reason. They've carved a niche in the market for themselves that is nearly impossible these days. I strongly urge anyone to look into them and see the great experiments they release more often than you would assume.

I’m a huge fan of Chattanooga and rarely see these in Texas. I was able to find this when traveling in Florida and had to try it. The nose is really, really good. I could smell this constantly. Hints of pine, spice, sweetness and some pepper. It’s spicy and tasty which gets you excited to taste it. The palate continues the spice and peppery flavors. There is a sweet caramel cut through it but the rye baking spices really stands out. The finish lasts soooooo long. The spice flavor from the nose keeps its presence. The peppery flavor comes full circle and the finish is the best part. So far, I’m loving this rye. It’s really good. Also, tried this as an old fashioned and it was delicious. Had some friends over and they all wanted seconds of this as an old fashioned. Overall, I definitely recommend this if you are a fan of ryes.