Old Pepper Single Barrel Rye (Roc Elite barrel 1387)

The nose starts with buttery charred oak, earthy rye, touches of some and caramel, and overall wrapped up into one great experience. You can get the sense of the individual nuances as well as it all coming together. It definitely builds anticipation to have a taste. The palate is gentle and somewhat dry, filling the mouth with earthy rye and some distinct grainy notes - but not enough to be distracting. Following close behind is that creamy oak, offering a buttery mouth feel. If a dessert could be both spicy and creamy at the same time, this would be it. It is that simple and has an uncomplicated deliciousness to it. The finish is long and chewy with a lingering earthy rye spice and graininess, absent of the creamy notes. Which is ok, because obviously this is a rye, you want it to be pleasantly spicy which it is. This is a hit.