Private barrel pick by a local store. NAS, 132.9 proof.

Aroma: Super maple-y, honeycomb, with some concord grape in the background. Very rich and sweet.

Taste: Big tannic barrel char, dark chocolate, raisins and some cocktail cherry notes, and a wave of booze in the finish.

Overall: This is a bruiser and has a lot of manhattan-esque flavors. Great barrel.

Rating: 7.6 Great

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Makers Mark Private Selection Queen City Liquors 110 proof

Background: This is my second Makers Mark Private Selection that I have tried within the past couple years. Due to so many stave profile combinations, I am unsure if any two private selections will have the same exact taste. I don't remember on the top of my head on what the first Private Selection tasted like; however, I remember it having the classic Makers Mark profile with more candy apple-forward flavors which I thought tasted nice. Let's get into this specific Private Selection:

• Nose: caramel, vibrant fruit smells like candy apple, oak wood, spice
• Palate: spice at first, hint of cocoa, caramel sugar, oak
• Finish: spice on tip of the tongue for few seconds then disappears. You can taste the flavors but after a few seconds, it disappears. Flavors doesn’t linger very long/short finish
• Rating: At most 7/10, does not taste it’s proof which to some, that could be a good thing. It’s a good bourbon that lacks depth. Love the flavors, just wish the finish was longer. Again, I am not sure if other Private Selections with different stave profiles affect how long the finish lasts. As long as these Private Selects stay under the $80 price range, I believe it is worth drinking on occasion

For review #16 we are looking at some finished rye. Let’s dive in!

Background…

The 3 in the name of Virginia’s RY3 (I don’t know if it’s pronounced just rye, or Rye-3,) is indicative of the 3 different sourced rye whiskeys that they use. According to some sources across the web, they use 2 different rye mashbills (95/5 MGP and 100% Alberta Rye) that are about 4 years old, as well as a 12 year old light whiskey. (99/1 corn) This is then all blended together, and then finished in various ways. RY3 is headed by Matt Wizig, who was a former master distiller for Joseph Magnus. This specific bottle is blended and then given a “brief finishing period” in toasted barrels. I was given this bottle as a gift from a friend who knows I am a big fan of rye whiskey, so let’s dive in!

The Stats…

Price: MSRP is about $70

Proof: 117.8 (59.2%)

Mash bill: Blend of 95% Rye, 5% Malted barley; 100% Rye; and 99% Corn, 1% Malted Barley

Age: Rye mashbills are about 4 years old, the primarily corn/light whiskey mash bill is about 12 years old

Batch No.: PPH006

REVIEW

Nose…

Upfront the secondary barrel is evident. I get some oak and barrel char, along with a maple syrup and cooked brown sugar sweetness. There is a subtle fruitiness in the background as well.

Palate…

A caramel BOMB. Tons of pleasantly rich cooked caramel, like you melted down some caramel and mixed it with a touch of butterscotch. There is a vanilla wafer note in there as well. In the background there is some baked apricot, but the palate is primarily caramel+brown sugar. Slight dill throughout. Medium body, nice but unremarkable mouthfeel.

Finish…

Pleasantly long. This is where the pour really reveals itself as a rye. Some black tea + rye spice reveal themselves right as you swallow, then the black tea and spice take a backseat as the pour heads into more of a caramel covered brownie crust note.

Final Thoughts…

The first thing I thought of after finishing this whiskey was “Damn, this would be FANTASTIC with a cigar.” Overall, I really enjoy this pour. I see myself coming to this more as it gets colder outside. This is the first bottle i’ve owned of RY3, and i’m glad that I received it as a gift. I’ll definitely keep an eye on their stuff in the future. I see this at a lot of places marked down quite a bit from its initial retail price of 70ish to about 60-55$. I think it’s a good value for $70, but a great pickup at $55. If you enjoy caramel bombs or finished rye, this is for you.

Pros: Lots of caramel, easy drinking, just enough rye spice to make things interesting. Approachable for those who are traditionally opposed to rye. Great value, especially if on sale.

Cons: The caramel/brown sugar is so strong that it is a little difficult to pick out other notes, hurting the complexity of those pour

Overall Score: 7.95/10

I got my first bottle of rare breed a couple of years ago towards the beginning of my whiskey journey and it clobbered me in the face with proof. This was when I’d only really been drinking Scotch, Irish and Japanese whiskies. My eyes had not yet opened to the wonders of bourbon and rye.

I’d seen wonderful reviews on YouTube from the likes of SLB and The Bourbon Junkies and thought I’d be able to handle 116.8 proof compared to the sub 95 I was used to at the time, got sucker punched by ethanol and stuck it back on my shelf for a couple months and decided to ease myself into bourbon with some Eagle Rare, Woodford Reserve DO, etc.

Upon coming back to this about 6 months later… let’s just say I’m on my third bottle now.

The Review!

116.8 proof and purchases for £55

Nose - Medicinal cherry, pecan pie and light brown sugar. I still get punched by a bit of ethanol on this bottle.

Palate - Orange zest, peanut brittle, tart stone fruit like a sour cherry or crunchy peach.

Finish - Oaky, nutty and long. Like when you eat a bag of roasted peanuts too quickly and keep finding little bits in your teeth for the next half an hour.

This is a great, easily findable bottle, and at £55 an absolute bargain. It’s not my favourite profile for a bourbon and I still get a bit of punch of oak from it that some days I enjoy more than others. One of the very few whiskies I enjoy more over a big block of ice, it brings out a sweet nuttiness that I feel you only get on the finish neat in a glen.

7/10. And don’t be snobby about it, give it a try over ice, it’s delicious I promise x

I’ll be enjoying this with some Cyberpunk 2077 tonight, anyone else enjoy gaming alongside a good dram? Cheers boys and girls ❤️