Clyde May's Straight Rye

Recipe #003 It's been a little bit of time since I had the American whiskey or bourbon, so I'm going into this mostly fresh, but not with great memories. I get conflicting sources saying the minimum age is 3 years and 4 years (incorrect information on the internet, who knew...), so that's not a great start, either. More than anything, it might as well be a cardinal sin if you're not willing to reveal the mashbill of a rye whiskey; by not revealing, I expect a sane use of no less than 95% rye, with the only reason it's not 100% being because you used barely for distilling assistance. The color is so much lighter than the American whiskey or bourbon, so I'm leaning towards the 3 year age statement being correct here. The nose is noticeably spicier than the bourbon, but the same sweet corn scent is still found here in some regard, which is terribly disappointing. Instead of true cinnamon, it's more like a cinnamon roll, with copious amounts of sugar and sweetener added. I can't remember and am too lazy to look it up, but I believe the Clyde May's brand is charcoal filtered; either way, a faint hint of unwelcome charcoal does also exist on the nose. A bright, citrus-forward profile starts off the taste here, with floral notes existing with the mouth closed, and lemon zest coming up when air is introduced. The body is very light, and since 94 proof isn't that low, I'm starting to accept the reality that this is probably a low rye mashbill. To it's credit, a sharp cinnamon spice does hit around the middle of each sip, but instead of penetrating the gums (as expected from either high proof whiskey or a proper rye mashbill), becomes a ball of flavor on the tongue that can be "chewed" on to release additional spice. This is certainly a new experience to me for rye whiskey, and is actually quite enjoyable until a burnt, charcoal finish shows up and really, truly, refuses to leave. The worst part is that a new sip just restarts the cycle back at bright floral and citrus, leaving you with only a fleeting moment in the middle where you can get a proper rye experience. It's not a law and it shouldn't be (because laws on/against alcohol are unpatriotic as fuck), but if distilleries really care about their customers and want to properly expand, they need to release all information, including age statement and, most importantly for a rye whiskey, the mashbill. After all this bashing against this one, I really hope that it is the case where a really low amount of rye is used, because the alternative means that all the ingredients were right, and the distillery got pretty damn close to ruining some perfectly good rye grain.

The nose starts with a rye spice that is a great split between earthy and floral along with green apple, charred oak, chinese cinnamon and light hints of toffee. It is very much MGP rye and feels more of a common rye than one that is unique to Clyde May's. The palate is very gently with rye spice that, with a bit of a chew, makes it's way to the corners of the mouth while charred oak floods over the tongue. The mouth is filled with floral notes while not much besides some hints of cinnamon make an appearance. The finish is short but spicy with floral rye lasting for a moment while the corners the corners of the mouth stay a bit tingly, although that too quickly fades. The palate and the finish absolutely do not live up to what you experience on the nose, but for a very basic rye there is nothing wrong with this.

Nose - stewed sour apple, white pepper, licorice, bread, clove, butterscotch, vanilla, allspice, eucalyptus, spearmint, light oak, dusty corn, bubble gum, cinnamon, melon, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sour apple, caramel, clove, allspice, cinnamon, licorice, bubble gum, barrel spice, maple syrup, sweet corn, rye spice, spearmint, finishing medium length with rye spice, mint, and barrel char flavors. This is not my favorite rye profile. It’s sweet, sour, minty, and bitter. The flavors are muted and not well integrated. While the bourbon is not spectacular, I much prefer it to the rye.

Uncorking- Nose- Sour green apple, light Mint, pink bubble gum, white pepper, green sweet melon, fennel Taste- Spice and sweet notes, eucalyptus, mint, fennel, some of that pink bubble gum makes its way in, astringent fruit, almost pink grapefruit Finish- cleanses into a mint, with bits of allspice and cinnamon, very little barrel for me but maybe dry hay and grass Overall- it's good but the flavors don't quite marry. If it stayed all in on the earthy grassy notes or over on the fruity side it would be great but instead of complex it tastes a bit confused and holds it back.

Nose: Apricot Palate: Citrus fruit with a hint of sweetness Finish: Medium to long finish, typical baking spices Despite the Indiana source, this doesn't come off as an MGP 95/5 rye. Instead, it's a more muted rye that only makes itself known at the finish. While it sets itself apart from a typical rye, it doesn't do enough for me to set itself apart from the rest of the Clyde May line-up.

First impressions are sometimes complex. At first, I got lavender and honey, with charred berry notes on the nose. With my first sip, that exploded into tons of floral and grains, and a wheaty sensation as it goes down. No real burn here, but a surprisingly warm follow up as it slides from my throat to my stomach. A very unique, but delicious take on ryes!