Knob Creek Rye is a blend of rye whiskeys that have been aged up to nine years. It pours a light amber color in the glass and has distinctly spicy aromas of rye grains and strong oak. The nose hints at sweet vanilla undertones, which open up on the palate, along with notes of cherry, charcoal and tobacco. It remains rich and full-bodied from open to close, and finishes with a warm, lingering spice.

That’s some good rye. At 100 proof, it’s more spicy than hot, and like the bourbon, it’s easy to drink straight. That said, rye whiskeys always have good application in cocktails, and Knob Creek Rye is no different. Mix it into Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, or try it in an Old Pal Cocktail, a drink which begs for a 100 proof base.

Well done, Knob Creek. It’s been a good 20 years, and between the Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon and new Knob Creek Rye, that’s a solid trio.

Knob Creek Rye Whiskey will be available in select markets starting in March 2012 and will be released nationally in July 2012.

Stats:
- 50% Alcohol by Volume
- $35.99

Like that? Drink this:
- Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon Review
- Bulleit Rye Whiskey Review
- Jefferson’s Straight Rye Whiskey Review

Jefferson’s founder and master blender Trey Zoeller combed through many barrels of aged rye whiskeys before settling on the right components for Jefferson’s Rye. Let’s see how he did.

On the nose, Jefferson’s Rye is full of sugar and spice. In this case, brown sugar and cinnamon, plus hints of caramel and nutmeg. Drink up to find toasty grains, honey and creamy vanilla, all wrapped up in a cocoon of cooling mint. The whiskey finishes smoothly with hints of toffee and pepper.

Overall, it really is quite similar to WhistlePig, but at a more affordable price point. Both are whiskeys worth knowing, but we’ll give the nod to Jefferson’s for affordability.

An interesting note – Jefferson’s presumably comes from rye whiskey stocks that are primarily used in small quantities for blending into Canadian whiskeys. It’s great to see brands like Jefferson’s and WhistlePig featuring these barrels as straight ryes.

Stats:
- 47% Alcohol by Volume
- $40

Like that? Drink this:
- Bulleit Rye Whiskey Review
- Templeton Rye Whiskey Review

The golden amber spirit has aromas of oak, dark fruits and mellow vanilla. Take a sip for an instant hit of cherry on your tongue. The taste moves toward nuts, toffee and spice, plus some more fruit. It finishes dry and chewy with lasting notes of maple and oak.

At 90 proof, Bulleit Rye is still very smooth on the palate with no discernable burn outside the peppery spice. It’s great for sipping neat. Pouring over ice mutes some of the spice, allowing more of the sweetness to come through. Cocktail wise, it was very nice in an Old Fashioned, both with the traditional Angostura bitters and also with Urban Moonshine’s Maple Bitters.

Overall, Bulleit Rye is pretty impressive, especially at its modest price point. And best of all, its significant rye content adds enough bite to distance it from its bourbon brother.

Stats:
- 45% Alcohol by Volume
- $28

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The cocktail is one of those drinks where the creator must have rummaged through his booze stash and fridge, found it to be lacking and said, “what the hell, let’s give this a shot.” Composed of rye whiskey, dry vermouth and pineapple juice, it doesn’t seem particularly appealing, but therein lies the appeal.

The drink is a great mixture of sweet and dry. It’s got that familiar, bracing bite of rye, and it’s rounded out nicely by the vermouth. It’s stout enough for veteran whiskey drinkers, yet an approachable cocktail for novices.

The Algonquin Cocktail

1 1/2 oz rye whiskey
3/4 oz dry vermouth
3/4 oz pineapple juice

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Templeton was purportedly a favorite of Al Capone and became very popular during Prohibition. Fast forward several decades, and the first legal batch of Templeton was bottled in 2006, still adhering to that same Prohibition-era recipe. While rye whiskeys only need 51% of their makeup to be composed of rye grains, Templeton is comprised of a mash that’s more than 90% rye.

On the nose, Templeton Rye has aromas of toasty grains, creamy toffee and some peppery spice. Take a sip to find a rye whiskey that’s remarkably smooth, especially considering its high concentration of rye. Templeton has flavors of caramel, dried fruit and buttery biscuits. In a word, delicious. It’s very thick, almost chewy, but smooth on the palate, with a tamer bite than most ryes. It finishes long and warm, with creamy flavors giving way to a slightly bitter spice.

Rye is the traditional whiskey of choice in cocktails like the Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Sazerac. Templeton works great in all three, but it’s certainly worthy of sipping on its own.

Stats:
- 40% Alcohol by Volume
- $40

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The Old Pal first appeared in the 1922 edition of “Harry’s ABC’s of Cocktails,” a drinks compendium compiled by the head barkeep of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. It’s stout and delicious – the perfect combination to brace yourself against a cold day. Or just your run-of-the-mill weekday.

Old Pal

1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
3/4 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce Campari

Stir all ingredients with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

If you like the Old Pal, try the Boulevardier, which subs bourbon for rye and sweet vermouth for dry.  It’s rich, complex and packs a great boozy wallop.

Photo: Thirsty in LA

WhistlePig Rye is dark golden amber with aromas of oak, pepper, cinnamon and honeyed vanilla. It tastes of caramel and vanilla, with some nutty flavors as well as an interesting background of mild mint. It finishes moderately long, with pleasant flavors of toffee and butterscotch. It’s very rich and smooth on the palate, with no harshness going down. A drop of water opens the whiskey up, revealing another layer of flavors, including baking spices like clove and nutmeg.

I was almost hesitant to mix this whiskey into cocktails, since I’ve been happy drinking it straight (and because of its steep price tag), but I’m glad I did. It made a lovely Manhattan — complex and spicy with sweet, woody undertones. The Old Fashioned was equally good.

WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey is a unique spirit in a world of very affordable, quality ryes. But the world needs another good rye, and this is it. It’s a great representation of what a good rye spirit can be, without any corn or other grains diluting the rye and detracting from its natural flavor.

Stats:
- 50% Alcohol by Volume
- $70

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Jim Murray described Sazerac’s 18-year-old Rye as “reaching previously unknown heights,” and mentions that by being named the world’s top whiskey, Sazerac 18 has “set the bar for rye whiskey, and it will be fascinating in forthcoming years to see what is bottled to at least match it.”

Regarding Amrut Fusion, Murray said, “It makes no matter where in the world a whisky is made. If it is magnificent, then it stands a chance of being recognized in the Whisky Bible Awards. Amrut has been bottling astonishing whisky for a few years now. But this particular bottling just made my hairs stand on end. It is hard to find a whisky with better balance. India has unquestionably arrived as a whisky nation.”

While many rare, expensive whiskeys comprise the winners, there are several inexpensive, household names representing various categories.  For example, Johnny Walker Black Label was named best blended Scotch aged 5-12 years, and Jim Beam Rye was awarded best rye aged 10 years or younger.

The full list of winners includes Murray’s top-rated whiskeys from a pool of nearly 4,000 bottles.

But with the onset of fall, one might elect to change up the tried-and-true Manhattan to create a drink even more indicative of the season.  By using tawny port in place of sweet vermouth, the traditional Manhattan becomes a bit more complex and warms the soul as it soothes the thirsty drinker.  Subbing orange bitters for Angostura bitters adds a zesty citrus note to the drink, which balances nicely with the buttery, oaky flavors imparted by the port.

Tawny Manhattan

2 ounces rye whiskey
1 ounce port
2 dashes orange bitters

Stir all ingredients with cracked ice until cold.  Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

With a disapproving nod to the west, Harry’s New York Bar in Paris created the Scofflaw cocktail in 1924, giving a new, tasty meaning to the term.  Traditionally composed of rye, dry vermouth, fresh lemon juice and grenadine, some modern interpretations have substituted Canadian blended whiskey for straight rye and Chartreuse for grenadine.  I prefer to stick with the original recipe.

The Scofflaw

1 1/2 ounces rye
1 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce grenadine

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Photo: Summit Sips