Stopped off at the local liquor purveyor tonight on my way home from the fencing club looking for the new fall 2014 release of Jefferson's OCEAN. Still not there yet. But he had a set of RYE WHISKEY that I picked up. Not cheap. Not outrageous either. These are 1/2 bottles, BTW, not full 750ml but rather only 375ml bottles. It is NOT bourbon. Bourbon has to have at least 51% corn in the mash, this stuff may not have any corn? Don't know, it doesn't say. But its got plenty of rye.
Broke open the "NEW CASK" tonight for a sip, poured just 1 ounce into a juice glass. No ice. Not one of my regular taste tests. Just wanted to sip a bit to see what this stuff is. What I found out was that it is a very spicy rye. Very spicy but not a whiskey that has a harsh taste or a harsh burn. In fact the burn is more of a warming glow. The peppery spice, however, tingles in your mouth long after the warmth in your belly is calmed.
This is an interesting drink. Not something I'd go to for a soothing drink, the rye's spicy character is a little too intense for that. If you like peppery drinks this might be a great choice for you. I don't dislike it. I like it. Don't love it. I'm looking forward to trying a real taste test of it, probably with the aged cask as a comparison.
I would REALLY LIKE A COUPLE BOTTLES OF THE MAKERS MARK CASK STRENGTH IF ANYONE CAN HELP OUT. (Sorry all caps accident)
found a couple sets of the woodford reserve masters collection aged cask rye and new cask rye. I bought all they had. I have had these before and was very impressed. Works out to just over $50 per 375ml bottle.