Templeton Rye Barrel Strength (2022 Edition)

Open 2 months Nose - Pralines, candied apple, dried tropical fruits, light dill, vanilla wafer, herbal tea, clove, and light ethanol. Palate - Delicate and creamy caramel, peanut butter, green apple, dill, fresh mint, clove, cinnamon powder, ginger snaps, and dry oak. Finish is medium-long, creamy oak, peanut brittle, baking spices, strong herbal blend, and medium ethanol. Soft, creamy, and refined are the three adjectives I'd use to describe this rye. To me, this drinks like an older, lower proof rye. It's not a standout, but at $60 it's an excellent value. A lot of MGP ryes in this price range will likely be younger, hotter peppery, and herbal, e.g., Stellum or James E. Pepper. This is more elegant and smooth and competes with Smooth Ambler. I'd still buy a Smooth Ambler pick if I could only choose one MGP rye under $60, but this is probably my second choice.

Nose- gentle sweet cinnamon, faint floral/fruity orange blossom. Dry oak. Theres a strange muskyness/funkyness maybe banana Palate- dry sweet cinnamon tangerine zing, quickly followed by that classic peppery rye spice, and a bit of heat. Fades out into a moderately long nice finish. Fruity and oaky on the back end with a slight floral note, quite nice. It starts dry, but the finish is kinda sticky and thick keeping the fruity/floral flavor around forever. I might not spend the $60 bucks on it but its close. I stole this @ $35 bucks on clearance. Would place it at $45-$50 for a fair price. Overall- one of the more dynamic Ryes I've had.

Bringing in the new year by opening a new one. I loved the 10 year so figured this would be another solid offwring from Templeton. First off i love the new bottle design it looks really good on any shelf and is indicative of whats inside of it…..good product. If you like MGP and you like their ryes this will be right up your alley. To be honest it was a bit hot the first couple pours but only sitting a couoke weeks its already simmering down. As the expert review states add a few drops or a small cube to hour glass and this stuff shines! For $60 i feel this one is a bargain that I’d purchase many times over if i see it. 1/15/24

Bottle kill. This has truely blossomed as i moved through the bottle (with a little help from my friends). It is still savory and spicy, but in the best way with some added sweetness. The notes of rye grass, eucalyptus, dill, which are really not my favorite anyway, are still there but have have been muted. The baking baking spices, vanilla, caramel and sugar cookies are brought to the fore. The ethanol and heat are gone, for the most part. Still finishes long with savory and spice plus some vanilla and caramel. Makes a great old fashioned. I like this way more than I first did when first opened.

Aroma - man.. maybe the most underwhelming rye aroma to date. Getting cinnamon, vanilla, dark berries, slight honey note That’s all. Taste - Follows the nose but it is definitely better. There’s a bit more rye profile here on the palate and the finish is more on the medium-long side. Lots of cocoa powder on the finish as well. The alcohol presence is nice. Lacks complexity but nice balance of flavors. Overall- Balance and flavor is nice, but the price point ($70-$80) leaves a lot to be desired to be honest. Recommendation - try before you buy

This is savory and spicy with notes of rye grass, eucalyptus, dill, baking spices, vanilla, black pepper and sugar cookies. But it also has too much ethanol and heat for my taste. Finishes long with more savory and spice. I feel like I should like this more than I do.