Mitchters 10 yo Straight Rye (2nd review)

On July 19th I invited some BOTLs over for a Rye tasting. We tasted 5 different rye whiskies before getting down to the serious drinking smile.gif In the order of tasting with notes from the participants. The tasters were myself, Tone-ny, rob300c and Cigardawg. All samples were reduced to 90 proof and the other three didn't know what they were sampling until I reveled it at the end.

The Tasting notes form was broken down to:

Color
Body
Nose
Tasting
Finish
Overall

I will be following that format here too so without any more delay here is the fifth review.

3. Mitchter's 10 yo Straight Rye. 92.8 proof, no additional packaging, available nationwide, about $70. Another marketing ploy playing off the Michter's name this time. Those who follow these things more closely then I say that this is the same as the Pappy Van Winkle 13 Rye. While the label may say 10 years old it is in reality 18-19 years old just like the Pappy.



Color
AVB: Medium amber
Tone-ny: Amber
rob300c: Light amber
Cigardawg: Light amber


Body
AVB: Fairly thin legs
Tone-ny: Medium
rob300c: Not much
Cigardawg: Thin, not very vicious


Nose
AVB: Sweet honey & oak, menthol
Tone-ny: Cherry & oak
rob300c: Pronounced cherry, vanilla & menthol
Cigardawg: Initial alcohol astringent nose with a little sweetness. High wine notes a little vanilla and more sweetness as it breathes


Tasting
AVB: Light rye with a sweet earthiness. Oak but in moderation with good vanillins. Nice spiciness.
Tone-ny: Smooth warmth, sweet fruit and vanilla
rob300c: Rye, smooooooooth!
Cigardawg: Sweetest of the five, some rye spice but with honey,vanilla and sherry? A little oak on the back palate.


Finish
AVB: Somewhat short with little oak and some menthol at the end.
Tone-ny: Well balanced with distinct rye with floral & fruit
rob300c: Short with apple & fig
Cigardawg: Sweet finish medium long. not astringent, rye shows up.


Overall
AVB: Interesting, need to have more but could be very good under the right circumstances.
Tone-ny: Balanced with strength and fruity finish. Rye shows with a touch of oak then honey.
rob300c: Well balanced
Cigardawg: Good dram but not very rye like. A sweeter drink that goes down easy.


You can read my first review here.

Nice review. I didn't know that many Americans drank rye - it is, of course, "Canadian Whiskey", so I enjoy it, but I brought a bottle of Crown Royal down to South Bend last winter, and it nearly killed my friends. Right now I'm exploring bourbon, as befits my new home. Regards.

Bite your tongue. American straight rye is nothing like Canadian Whiskey. While it was true most Canadian Whiskey was a very high percentage of rye based whiskey that was many, many years ago and Canadian made rye is not the same as American made rye. Modern Canadian whiskey is more GNS then anything else.

Marco-Polo said:

Nice review. I didn't know that many Americans drank rye - it is, of course, "Canadian Whiskey", so I enjoy it, but I brought a bottle of Crown Royal down to South Bend last winter, and it nearly killed my friends. Right now I'm exploring bourbon, as befits my new home. Regards.

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GNS? Some, I suppose, but if you're drinking rye that tastes like neutral spirits, you're hanging out in the wrong part of the gov't liquor store. The stuff that I'm familiar with has a very strong, distinctive bite.

Interestingly enough, some "canadian whiskey" marketed in the US doesn't meet Canadian labelling standards for rye whiskey, and isn't marketed in Canada as a result. Even if it's distilled in Canada. And I think that there are differences between domestic and export for some labels. Caveat emptor, as always.

All Canadian sold in the US is a blend but there is no Rye blended American whiskey. What is available across the border now I can't say but nothing I've had in all my trips across the border was similar to US rye.

Marco-Polo said:

GNS? Some, I suppose, but if you're drinking rye that tastes like neutral spirits, you're hanging out in the wrong part of the gov't liquor store. The stuff that I'm familiar with has a very strong, distinctive bite.

Interestingly enough, some "canadian whiskey" marketed in the US doesn't meet Canadian labelling standards for rye whiskey, and isn't marketed in Canada as a result. Even if it's distilled in Canada. And I think that there are differences between domestic and export for some labels. Caveat emptor, as always.

Click to expand...

AVB said:

All Canadian sold in the US is a blend but there is no Rye blended American whiskey. What is available across the border now I can't say but nothing I've had in all my trips across the border was similar to US rye.

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If you're ever heading out into the prairies where most of the rye is grown, give me a buzz. I'll ask around (my wife is from Winnipeg, or Winter-peg as you prefer) and see if I can get a few recommendations. As for US rye, I've made a note of your reviews and will definitely try a bottle. For comparison's sake, of course ;-)

The only Canadian that I know of that would meet the definition of American 'straight' rye is the original Lot 40. Forty Creek's Three Grain -- which I very much enjoy, by the way -- is 'straight', but not a 'rye'.
Canadian 'rye' and American 'straight' rye are just two different animals. Forget terminology, and look at the regulations. Not the same.