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Rye Whiskey

Feb 04 2015

Mr. Katz Rock and Rye

Spirits Guy Bill Mayeroff returns! Check this particular combo out in his latest review.

Rye whiskey is an old school drink. According to Serious Eats, it was first brewed in colonial America in what became the eastern United States. George Washington even made rye at his Mount Vernon estate. [Editor’s Note: Not sure if there was a Mr. Katz in the White House and whether he was the one who brought the rock candy.]

These days, it doesn’t seem like we think about rye much. Sure, bars may have a bottle or two of Templeton’s on the shelf, but that’s about it. And we don’t drink it even if it’s there. Well, most don’t. I usually have a bottle of rye at home, but even I don’t drink it often.

So when I got a press release from the Brooklyn-based New York Distilling Company saying they had created a rock-and-rye – a mix of rye whiskey and rock candy sugar – I had to ask if they’d send me a bottle to review. I never thought for a second they’d do it, but lo and behold, a couple weeks later, a bottle appeared on my doorstep.

DISCLAIMER: I did not pay for the bottle of rock-and-rye I am about to review.

Mr. Katz Rock and Rye Review

Mr. Katz's Rock and Rye
Mr. Katz’s Rock and Rye

Though I’d had rye whiskey before, I’d never had rock-and-rye before trying Mr. Katz’s Rock and Rye. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean, come on. Rye whiskey with rock candy sugar? I don’t know. I’m not a fan of sweet booze. So I was worried that it would be too sweet.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about.

The first thing that I noticed about it was the gorgeous caramel color. It’s deeper and richer than most ryes; very pleasant to look at. Opening the bottle and pouring a bit into a rocks glass, you get a strong smell of alcohol and spice. It’s almost overwhelming. Almost.

Take a sip and you get a sugary sweetness that lingers on the tongue. It’s sweet, but not cloying. The alcohol scent and cinnamon spiciness cuts through and tempers the sweetness just enough. It goes down smooth with a slight burn at first, but as you drink more, that burn evens out into a very pleasant warmth in your throat and esophagus. It’s a good winter sipper when consumed straight, though it would do well in cocktails over ice no matter what time of year you drink it.

The description on the bottle says the spirit contains hints of citrus, sour cherry and cinnamon. You can definitely taste the cinnamon, but I didn’t notice any citrus and only a very slight cherry scent.

The biggest problem with Mr. Katz’s Rock and Rye? You can’t get it in Chicago. At least it doesn’t seem like it. The New York Distilling website lists shops in New York where you can get it and a few of them will even take online orders. But shipping booze across state lines is a legal mess and not many shops will do it.

The moral of this story is this: Get yourself some Mr. Katz’s Rock and Rye if you can. And if you do, tell me where you got it.

Metasip Grade: B+

Written by Bill Mayeroff · Categorized: Rye Whiskey, Spirits · Tagged: Brooklyn, Mr. Katz's Rock and Rye, New York Distilling Company, rock and rye, rye, Rye Whiskey, whiskey

Nov 22 2014

Quick Take: Mora’s Savvy Spirits Whiskey Club

Another Quick Take: and sorry if you whiskey lovers feel ignored. You shouldn’t be.

Ah, whiskey. Or whisky. Either way you spell it – well, Mora’s Savvy Spirits has a Whiskey Club to check out. NOTE: all the links below are affiliate links, so we’ll be compensated if you sign up.

Here goes…

Bourbon Club $72/month

Quick Take: Mora’s Savvy Spirits Whiskey Club

So we have a really hard time trying to keep track – Mora’s website has a crazy number of things on its website – all sorts of clubs to take advantage of, and here’s an affiliate link to the main site: Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits. (Tequila club? Not for me…yet. But I’m starting to head down that road. One of these days…)

We’ll admit that our whiskey skills on the site – and Dave’s own whiskey sampling – remain to be, uh, refined. But we’re getting there – and some of these reviews from our Metasip community might help us along:

Bulleit Rye Whiskey

Auchtenoshan American Oak

Granted, we don’t know if these end up in the monthly club at Mora’s – but given their track record with these clubs, the staff knows what they’re doing there.

Take a spin through the site and, of course, if you order something, let us know how it is!

 

Written by Dave Van de Walle · Categorized: Rye Whiskey, Whiskey · Tagged: Quick Takes

Jul 30 2014

George Dickel Rye Whiskey

George Dickel Rye

Our resident Whiskey Guy is “Tampa Jim,” Jim Alexander, who tells me he can’t drink beer. Since Dave can’t drink whiskey (that often, at least), here’s Jim’s take on…George Dickel Rye Whiskey.

I have a big soft spot, going back a good 35+ years, for the products from the George Dickel distillery. Their #8 was, along with Jack Daniel’s Old Number 7 Black Label, seminal in my introduction to whiskeys as a young man. This rye whiskey is produced for George Dickel by MGPI in Indiana then sent back to Dickel to be run through their Lincoln County Process. This one is George Dickel Rye Whiskey, and let’s drink up!

George Dickel Rye Whiskey Review

Taste

As with many self respecting ryes, George Dickel Rye Whiskey starts off with a nice spicy nose.  What follows though gets a bit muddled. There’s some maple but the heavy oak makes this rye pass across the tongue in rougher fashion (a tad thin I would add) than is desired but, it still manages to finish reasonably well. Something of a conundrum.

Profile

45%ABV, 90 Proof

Value

$26.95,  750ml

Metasip Grade: B

George Dickel Rye is a respectable whiskey and a heck of a good bargain. It is, for my tastes, better suited for use in cocktails than it is for the sittin’ and sippin’. Pretty good for daily spillage.

Written by Jim Alexander · Categorized: Rye Whiskey · Tagged: Dickel, Rye Whiskey, whiskey

Jul 05 2013

Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey

Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey
Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey

Bulleit Bourbon is known for their, well….. bourbon. They ventured into the rye whiskey field in 2011 shortly after they were added to the Diageo portfolio of distilled spirits. So,we have  a small batch (read: craft) spirit produced by a consumer goods juggernaut who promised to be hands off in the distilling decision making.  Here we go again…. or not?

Taste

First thing’s first. Out of the gate you get a pronounced, and spicy, rye punch. There is no mistaking this rye for anything else. The punch is short lived and mellows surprisingly fast and well. Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey comes with no alcohol burn. None at all. It is one smooth whiskey that finishes very clean. None of the lingering back of the throat bouquet you find in its bourbon brother.

Profile

45% ABV, 90 Proof – No kidding. This is your father’s whiskey.

Value

$27.95 Retail, 750 ml

Metasip Grade: A

Seems Diageo was good for their word, leaving the product up to the distiller. At under $30 a bottle, Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey is a steal. It compares favorably to rye whiskeys with better pedigree and costing significantly more money. I keep this one in my cabinet at all times.

BTW, I liked it so much, I created my own recipe. Here goes:

Old Jim Fashioned

  • 2-3 fingers Bulleit 95 Rye
  • Lime Peel
  • Ginger Ale
  • Peychaud’s Bitters

Pour the Bulleit over ice, zest the lime peel into the glass (put the peel in for good measure), give a few good splashes of bitters and top with your desired amount of ginger ale.

Written by Jim Alexander · Categorized: Rye Whiskey, Spirits · Tagged: bourbon, rye, whiskey, whisky

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