Stellum Black Rye

Stellum - whoa! This is one of the best smelling bourbons/ryes I’ve ever experienced. Massive oak and caramel and vanilla. Mint and that rye spice secondary… slight cinnamon. Taste - super buttery. The viscosity is massive. Almost chewy. Oak and mint are super well balanced. Light dusting of cinnamon bread, dark fruits, red hot candys. Overall- honestly the balance of the flavors is what makes this such a great offering. Each sip brings forth a new aspect and the finish is long. Problem is you keep wanting to get back into it to find out what other flavors are going to pop. And before you know it, your glass is empty and it’s time to pour another. The price point is steep but this one is honestly worth it.

Sparky and perky nose of rye spice. A quite complex melange of dark bread and dried cooking herbs. Very engaging and inquisitive. A very friendly welcome. The first notes of flavor are as expected. Spice driven, but also with plenty of chewy caramel and chocolate. The rye plays well with its neighbors, making a perfect marriage of the best of a bakery and a barrelhouse. For a rye, this one sings. Really worth the upgrade from the flagship expression, and exceptionally well blended. It would be interesting to find out more about the ratios of the various ages involved in this blend.

Stellum Rye is great to begin with; there are store pick variants of it that are significantly better. But when a bourbon starts from the very premise of making high quality (Barrell) product available at an affordable value (the Stellum line thus far), I think the real question you have to be asking is, “is this really worth $100?” The answer is hell yes. Gets dangerously close to the rare air of Old Carter Rye/Michter’s 10 year Rye, which is a way of saying this is just a slight notch under the absolute best I’ve ever had. If you come across one, pull the trigger immediately.

Stellum Rye was my favorite $50ish bottle in 21', so my curiosity got me for this older bottle. NAS, and at 114 proof, made by the Barrell guys. This is an amazing Rye, super buttery, creamy palate, pepper and a light amount of dill.. This is a premium rye, worth every bit of the 100$ MSRP.. I liked this alot better than T.H Saz, and more than Barrell Rye #3 which is similarly priced.

Nose: A dose of mint and baking spice. In contrast to its bourbon counterpart, the rye has a viscous mouthfeel. Buttery, caramel, vanilla, blossoming spice. Minty, spicy finish holds on for quite a while, but never too minty. This could be a flag bearer for a solid, nicely aged traditional rye.

Boatloads of flavor here. Smells of spice. Was too hot at start for my taste; needed ice to melt down for about 10 minutes. After that, had some flavors of spice. Smooth. Nice mouthfeel. Don't feel that price is too much for this.