Try Rye!

[Woodsheal]

Rye was once the quintessential American whiskey, until being supplanted by bourbon in the decades after Prohibition. It's enjoying a bit of a resurgence these days. My favorite is "Old Overholt" which features a traditional Monongahela rye recipe dating back to when it was first distilled in Broad Ford, western Pennsylvania, in 1810.

Legend has it that "Old Overholt" was Doc Holiday's whiskey of choice, and it was once so ubiquitous that you see it parodied as "Old Overcoat" in some old Warner Bros. cartoons!

Anyways, it's a very enjoyable dram (less sweet tasting than bourbon) and in the case of "Old Overholt" - dirt cheap! Give it a try, and think back on the glory days of the Whiskey Rebellion..!

[sydnie7]

I went through a "rye" phase while in college. I was a journalism major, and one brother-in-law gave me a pint of Old Overcoat to go along with the snap-brim fedora and Press Pass image. Rather liked it, and chose it over my usual bourbon-and-branch for a while. Haven't had either in a number of years but should the occasion arise I'll keep it in mind. Good memories, thanks!

[usonian]

I love rye whiskey, and Old Overholt is a great value for the price! Definitely less sweet than bourbon, and I suppose you could describe it as less subtle than bourbon as well - not a bad thing, just different. If you've never had a properly made Manhattan with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters you owe it to yourself to try one. A Manhattan is way too sweet (IMO) when made with bourbon as most places do these days, but just right with rye. Unfortunately most bartenders in my neck of the woods look puzzled when I ask if they have rye... if I'm lucky they'll say something like "uh, we have Canadian whiskey" but most of the time the only American whiskey they'll have is Jack Daniels or bourbon.

Last summer I got to try Catoctin Creek Distillery's "Mosby's Spirit", which is an unaged rye "white whiskey". It was a real eye-opener; it is a lot smoother and has a lot more flavor than you might expect when you're used to whiskey that's been aged in charred casks.

[Tobus]

I love rye whiskey too. I originally bought some for making a Manhattan and an original Sazerac, but have really expanded its use. For some reason, it's really hard to find around here.

I use Bulleit rye (it's got a green label, as opposed to the orange label on their regular bourbon). It's good stuff!

[masonpiper]

Turned my son on to it, and while there are a few high end Ryes, he keeps asking for Old Overcoat. as I have always called it, even when I was in the bar biz. 3 of his hunts now carry it, and more and more kids are drinking it...kinda cool good on ya for bringing this up

[Piper]

Last year my son bought me a bottle of rye whiskey made at Mt. Vernon, supposedly following Washington's own recipe. It's in the white, they were sold out of the aged bottles almost as soon as they hit the shelves. Not bad at all. A nice occasional change from the single malts.

[brewerpaul]

If by the rare, and I mean very rare chance you cross a bottle of Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye sell whatever it takes, stand on the street with a cardboard sign asking for money, look behind your couch cushions, pick pockets.... everything short of robbing a bank. Ive tried many rye whiskeys but Van Winkle has always won out on the richest rye flavor available. When I brewed I could buy this stuff for 35 bucks a bottle when I needed it. Now liquor stores may get one or at best two bottles a year. Last bottle I had was 4 years ago when I walked into my HyVee store and there sat one. I told the guy, SOLD. He said he would get more but I assured him I bought the only one he will see that year.

Further into rye consumption Ive had all the newer ones available and each has its merit. Some very flavorful some out there for the trend. Ive even had Old Potrero distilled by Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing fame. He is the guy that helped revive the small brewing by buying the failing Anchor Brewery. The Old Potrero is rye as rye was in the 1800's, 100% rye mash. I found it quite good.

This past month I bought some Buffalo Trace White Dog Rye Mash. This stuff is in small bottles and is 125 proof. You do have to cut it with spring water or a piece of ice. It does have a nice rye flavor that is not lost in the corn and barley. It is also a clear rye straight off the first runnings of the distillery. It was an enjoyable bottle of rye.


Now to take this a bit different direction and still be on topic of rye I brewed over 5 different rye beers from 1194-2002 before rye brewing became popular. Rye is used as 60% of the mash in brewing traditional Roggen Bier in Germany. It would be fermented with the Wiezen style yeast for a rich summer brew. Along with this style I brewed Rye ale, a Brown Rye Ale, Rye Bocks, Rye Porters and more. Rye adds a richness and spicy flavor not only to the whiskey but also to a beer.

One last comment is about Manhattans. Yes Rye is the traditional way to make them and does make the best. If you want a nice dry one just use rye, bitters and shake in ice. Swirl the sweet vermouth in the chilled glass and toss out the extra. Pour in the rye/bitters mix and enjoy. When no available Ill settle for a Makers Mark Manhattan but by far rye is the way to go.

[Destin_scot]

I have to agree about rye, it's got a unique spiciness that is missing from many other whiskys/whiskeys. Don't know of any that are greater than 90% rye grain though, (they usually use at least 10% malted barley for the starch converting enzymes), would love to look at the Mount Vernon Rye Whiskey recipe.

I usually drink most of my whiskys/whiskeys neat or with a little water and ice.

[brewerpaul]

Per Anchor Distliling:

"This release was distilled in a small copper pot still at our distillery on San Francisco's Potrero Hill, from a mash of 100% rye malt. Rye was the grain of choice for America's first distillers, and using a mash of 100% rye malt produces a uniquely American whiskey."

This is for Old Potrero rye. They use malted rye for the conversion. The big issue with rye is it doesnt have a husk which is used to create a filter bed in the malted grains allowing lautering or rinsing of the grains of all the good carbohydrates and flavors. Im sure they may either force the lauter like the Germans do or use rice husk which add nothing to the final product. I brewed with a 40 percent rye mash and even then had slow run offs of the wort used to make the beer/whiskey. Rye is also a very hard grain, even when malted, so it is hard to crush. Being a hard headed German I felt the work was worth the end product, people loved the rye ale. Hmmm call ends tomorrow, I see a bottle of rye whiskey in my near future to celebrate the end of 4 days/nights of call... Prost

[ronin6290]

Now I must try. It's time for a wee change of pace and you fellows have spiked my interest! Rye it shall be next. I do like spicy notes. Bourbon can be a little one dimensional to me. Then again I've not sampled a lot of bourbons but I'm not to big on sweet. I do like the vanilla notes in Bourbon that transfer to Scotch well. Do Rye whiskies have some of those notes? Rye sounds a little more interesting and complex from what I'm hearing. I'm looking forward to sampling it.