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Bowmore Darkest and, OT: Sazerac Straight Rye Whisky / George T. Stagg

Hi there,

Some of this is a little off-topic, but I'm sure most of you won't mind because the discussions have gone in this direction many times recently. I've been looking for the George T. Stagg that many of you have been raving about, without success. This past Thursday I bought a bottle of the Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whisky (18 y.o., distilled Spring 1984, bottled Fall

2002). This is a beautiful whiskey! It's very smooth and spicy...very complex. I taste anise, cinnamon, vanilla, and wood. It's 45% ABV. I drank some straight (I usually don't drink American whiskey this way), then with an ice cube. The price was $43 U.S. for 750 ml. I highly recommend the Sazerac Rye to anyone who enjoys American whiskies and to any who are curious about Rye. I just learned that Sazerac (New Orleans, LA) owns Buffalo Trace Distillery. Buffalo Trace produces George T. Stagg, so now I know to ask for it at my local liquor store where I purchased the Sazerac. Previously the only rye I'd had was the Wild Turkey Rye 101 proof, which was very nice...but the Sazerac is much better. (the Wild Turkey Rye was $22 for 750 ml).

I also had s chance to revisit the Bowmore Darkest this weekend. This bottle has been open for a little under a month now. I somewhat liked it the first time I tasted it, but my main complaint at that time was that the sherry was too dominant, and the Islay character was buried by the sherry. At that time I had to concentrate in order to find any Islay in it. Well things were different this time: I was hit by the Islay character immediately...both in the nose and in the palatte...long before the sherry. The sherry seemed much more subtle, and I enjoyed this whisky much more this time around.

Sean

Reply to
Sean
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Hi Sean,

I agree about the Sazerac 18. Lots of depth and complexity. It's unusually old for an American whiskey which must add some of the depth. Even at $43 USD it's inexpensive compared to scotches of a comparable age, and locally it's even cheaper at about $35. It has a bit of bourbon-like character but the rye is very evident.

If you haven't tried it, and if you can find it, the Canadian whisky Lot No. 40 is worth a taste. Unlike typical American ryes it's made entirely from rye grain. American ryes are sort of a sub-class of bourbon, where rye takes the place of one of the other grains and accounts for 51% (or more) of the grain in the mash bill. Some, maybe most, American ryes actually contain more than 51%, but the remainder of the grains are the usual choices for bourbon: some combination of corn(maise), barley, and/or wheat. (Old Potrero is an exception.)

Bart

Reply to
Bart

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Hi Bart (it's good to see you back after your few weeks away),

I haven't seen the Lot No. 40. The only Canadian rye I've seen is Old Overholt, which I haven't yet tried. Old Overholt is about $12 for 750 ml in my area, so there is no excuse for my having not tried it! Thanks for the Lot No. 40 recommendation, I'll ask about it.

I've wanted to try Old Potrero Rye for quite a while now. One of the stores I go to regularly had a spot and a tag on the shelf for it...but the shelf was empty. I asked the manager about it and I was told that they stocked it only because the distiller (Anchor Steam, which is primarily a brewery) pressured them to carry it when they ordered Anchor Steam beer. They said that they didn't plan on getting more. Boo hoo hoo for me...I'll have to check at my other favorite store for Old Potrero.

Sean

Reply to
Sean M.

Minor correction: Old Overholt is not canadian rye. It is one of two Jim Beam straight ryes, along with the eponymous Jim Beam rye (square bottle, yellow label). Both sell for $10.99/750 mL here (MA) and are 40% ABV (80 US proof). For what it's worth: also available on occasion are Wild Turkey straight rye ($22.49/750 mL at 101 US proof) and, rarely, a bottle of either Pikesville Supreme straight rye (80 US proof) or Rittenhouse straight rye (80 US proof) appears. Usually around $11 per 750 mL bottle for either of the latter two. The Van Winkle Family Reserve 13 YO straight rye is great (95.6 US proof) for only $27.99. The 12 YO Old Rip Van Winkle Old Time Rye (90 US proof, $23.99) is now all gone, but it was great as well. The annual Sazerac 18 YO straight ryes are now selling for around $43 here, if any are still on the shelves. Finally, Old Potrero single malt straight rye, in one of its many variant "essays", is $58 here and, IMHO, not as good as any of the common straight rye whiskeys, but YMMV. There are a few more straight ryes that exist, but finding them is hard. Cheers, Ed

Reply to
EVoigtman

Old Overholt is distilled in Kentucky, not Canada. Good 4 year old Rye, great price.

Reply to
Mac Guffin

Thanks.

I understand that Lot No.40 isn't available now in some locales, but there's still lots of it available locally. I don't know if it's still being produced.

Some early poster once described it as "the Laproaig of Canadian Whisky". It's not peated, of course, but it's strongly flavored and so is one of those 'Love it or Hate it' whiskies. If you like rye whiskies I think you would love it.

Old Overholt (affectionately "Old Overcoat") is American, as Ed pointed out - and surprisingly tasty given its price.

I haven't tasted it yet myself. I'll get around to it eventually.

I'm hoping there will be some slightly older versions in the coming years. There seems to be a bit of a consensus that it's more "interesting" than "good" in its current incarnations and for the price of a really nice single malt I haven't yet explored whether that consensus could be wrong.

Bart

Reply to
Bart

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Hi Ed,

I'm in MA too and $43 is the price that I paid for the Sazerac 18 y.o. rye in North Reading. I have the Wild Turkey rye. Thanks for the info about the other ryes.

I think that part of my confusion is due to how Whisky Mag refers to this:

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"Brand: Old Overholt Expression: Canadian rye Type: American whiskey./Rye Region: Canada"

I'm still a little confused about the Old Overholt. What am I missing here?

Thanks, Sean

Reply to
Sean M.

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