Elijah Craig Toasted Rye

Tasting neat. Deep/dark rosy brown and good coating legs in the glass. The nose is rye toast with sesame seeds, maple syrup, and green sweet grass. On the palete, sweet agave and maple syrup, cherry, dried fruit, charred oak smoke, grassy mint and rye spice, cinnamon, and a whiff of ethanol in the back. Rich, viscous coating mouthfeel, and a good balance between sweet, spice, and oak. Toasty finish, light smoke and tannic char flavors linger with a soft but pronounced mouth tingle. A little dried sweet-sour cherry at the tail. This is the rye Craig should be bottling as their basic 51% rye mashbill--it has more age, body, and complexity than their current straight rye. It is pricy at $59 compared to other quality ryes, and much more expensive (+$20, too big a jump!) than their basic rye for the extra time rested in a new toasted barrel. THIS (flavor-wise) is the only rye they should be bottling. It's a low rye sweet whiskey, easily approachable for tge rye curious. It makes a good neat sipper, mellows but holds it's toasty flavors and viscosity with an ice cube, and becomes a great Whiskey Smash with sugar, lemon, and my fresh garden mint. Come over, I'm pouring tonight. This is definitely worth trying. Not super complex or chewy, but summer evening ready, especially if you like toasted barrel whiskies.

Sampling an hour after pours of Still Austin Cask-Strength Rye, Jack Daniels Single Barrel, Barrel Proof Rye and Sagamore 7-Year bonded, this presents rather muted (obviously). Interestingly, the nose and palate have taken on toasted scotch characteristics, with the slightest hint of marshmallow on the back end. At a "mere" 49.99, it's worth the opportunity to try and detect the nuanced flavors (Famous Grouse!?!?!) within the Elijah Craig profile...It does surpass the toasted bourbon in both flavor and finish experience... however, it is pretty standard fare (having seen it priced up to $64.99). For an additional $10, the Still Austin and Sagamore are superior in all facets, and make for some hard choices if you're staring at all three on the aisle. Think about supporting the "craft" distilleries along with the big boys like Heaven Hill... those that adore rye are now in a new age of available goodness, and ECTBR no doubt is a solid choice through and through.

Nose is lush and full with wintergreen, basil, rye toast, earthy damp cellar/root vegetable, brown sugar, oak, vanilla custard, and ginger root. Really nice. Ethanol appropriately low. Palate offers the brown sugar from the nose, ginger snap, black cherry, fig, mint chocolate, nutmeg, oak, barrel char, and toasted coconut. Flavors nicely robust for the proof. Quite atypical for a rye, but delicious. Finish is medium length and consists of smoke, toasty oak notes, black peppercorn, cinnamon, and orange zest. Mouthfeel is full bodied and creamy. Oh boy we have a winner here. Sweet and spicy is a great combo and this pulls it off. I know I’m gushing a bit, but this slays many a whiskey which are double the price. At $54.99 it’s an insane value and I’m going to buy a bunch of backups right now before the secret gets out.

The nose starts with toasted oak, stone fruit, earthy rye spice, while smoother notes of vanilla and brown sugar come in the background. There's also faint notes of brine that come out which is mighty interesting for this. The palate is gentle that's spicy, it's a bit of a chew. There is immediate burst of creamy oak and rye spice coming together in a perfect mix. This is incredibly easy to drink, featuring all the notes you'd expect from a traditional ride, but with added richness and smoothness. The toasted finish does indeed make a difference. Toasted whiskeys are at their best when they are kept simple and delicious. I finish his medium long a little chewy, with oak and spice staying in the corners of the mouth. It's very easy to keep coming back to with flavor that seems to never leave in between sips.

Nose: Eucalyptus, baking spices including cinnamon and nutmeg, leading to charcoal with a sweet and almoat jucy note hiding behind it. Taste: Sharp, slightly herbal notes leading to warm sweet molasses hinting towards stewed fruit but nevwr quite getting there, with a pretty woody finish. Not at all a bad pour but not very complex nor as likable as its Bourbon cousin. Its very enjoyable but I was personally disappointed as i love the Toasted Bourbon while typically preferring the complexity of ryes, this however was just a biy too simple with not enough clear influence from the toasting. Worth a try, but there are betrer options for $50 if you find it cheaper id snag it.

Nose- rye bread and caraway seed is pronounced. There is a doughy quality about it Palate- the nose is indicative of the palate with an extra layer of slight dill. I also get some smokiness and then it falls a bit flat. Finish- it is medium to long but ine dimensional. The rye seed prevails Overall- a likeable rye at a justifiable price. I wonder what this would be at a higher proof? Lacks richness. For the price it is a really nice starter rye