It's a Laphroaig Cask Strength Taste Off! Batch 005 versus Batch 006

Some of you may be wondering, "How many times is this bastard going to review Laphroaig CS batch 005?!"  I'm all out of that whisky now, so this will be the last time, I promise.

Laphroaig CS Batch 005 was an odd misstep in a very high quality series of whiskys.  A big raw Kildalton malt in your face, the Laphroaig CS was always reliable in its first four numbered batches (and in the batches that came before the numbered ones).  Batch 005 was weird.  It wasn't particularly peaty, but was oaky and sweet instead.  Air and time in the bottle did not help it one bit, though watering it down to 48% did assist a little.  The fact that Batch 005 dropped at the same time that Laphroaig began expanding their range with more oak and wine focused NAS releases was additionally concerning to some of us Laphroaig fans.  So we waited, dearly hoping to find out that Batch 006 would be better, or else we'd all have to start shilling out $120 for Lagavulin 12.

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BATCH 005

Distillery: Laphroaig

Owner: Beam Suntory
Type: Single Malt
Region: Islay
Maturation: ex-bourbon barrels

Age: minimum 10 years
Batch: 005, Feb 2013

Chill-filtration? No
Caramel colored? Probably not

Alcohol by Volume: 57.2%
Sample taken from my own bottle

NEAT
The nose begins with vanilla cookies and a mossiness reminiscent of Compass Box's Peat Monster.  Then there's cinnamon, band aids, anise, and a teeny bit of kumquat.  Then grass clippings with brief moments of peaches and flowers.  Overall, it smells very sugary.

Small notes of salty seaweed and cinnamon start off the palate only to be run off the whisky road by some ash and LOTS of sugar.  There's a vinegar tang to it.  Maybe some menthol.  Peat encased in a sugar glaze.  The politest, though tooth-rottingest Laphroaig CS ever.

The finish is sweet, heat, and peat, in that order.  Some lemon sourness in the back, or maybe that's the vinegar note.  Salt and menthol.  Decent length.

WITH WATER (~48%abv)
White flour and peat candy in the nose.  More barley, less vanilla.  Peach candy, maybe some blackberry candy too.

The palate gets very green, like vegetation, moss, and an herbal bitterness.  Candied smoke.  Aggressively sweet.

It finishes sweet and tangy with candied smoke.

COMMENTS:
Huh.  This time when I dropped it to 48%abv it became even sweeter than when neat.  When it's neat it's just not very Laphroaig-ish, let alone cask strength Laphroaig-ish.  Just a young sugar bomb of unknown origin.  The oak is loudest in the nose, though a little tamer than the last time I tried it.  It's not terrible, but there's not much to recommend about it unless one is dying to have a super sugary Laphroaig.  There are so many better cask strength peaty options out there, and not only from Laphroaig.
RATING: 80 (with or without water)

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BATCH 006

Distillery: Laphroaig

Owner: Beam Suntory
Type: Single Malt
Region: Islay
Maturation: ex-bourbon barrels

Age: minimum 10 years
Batch: 006, Feb 2014

Chill-filtration? No
Caramel colored? Probably not

Alcohol by Volume: 58.0%
Sample taken from OC Scotch Club event

NEAT
The nose is very farmy at first.  Then it opens up after a few minutes.  Limes and mango juice.  Mothballs, hydrocortisone cream, and Bengay cream.  Aloe and pine needles.  Rotting seaweed.  After 20+ minutes in the glass, the whisky develops a sour milk note that slowly changes into vanilla frosting.

The palate is sweet and spicy and toasty.  More of the classic Laphroaig reek than the 005, but it's still toned down.  It's very vegetal, maybe even seaweed and fresh cabbage.  Oooh, finally, the iodine!  Then wood spice and lots of acidic lime juice.

Lots of salt in the finish.  Smoke and seaweed.  A bit acidic, a little sweet, and some vanilla hiding in there.  Good length.

WITH WATER (~48%abv)
A nice fruitiness now appears in the nose, mingling with a soft peating, reminiscent of the official 18 year old.  Some cinnamon custard.  Both doughy and salty.  A dingy medicinal note in the back.

The palate becomes very focused.  All sharp tart lime notes and raw biting peat.

Earth, salt, and cigarettes in the finish.

COMMENTS:
Though the names "Almost There" and "Work In Progress" belong to other companies' whiskys, they would be appropriate for this batch of Laphroaig Cask Strength.  This was a good rebound following batch 005.  It has a bit of the pure Laphroaig character that previous batches featured.  There's less oak and sugar than the 005, though it's not totally absent yet.  But it's getting much closer to what Laphroaig fans look for and expect.  I like it much better when it's reduced to 48%abv, but it finishes well either way.
RATING: 86 (with water)

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FINAL THOUGHTS:
Yes, #006 is a full step up from #005, thank goodness.  There's still room for improvement (like please tone down the sweets!), but I'm going to try to be an optimist here and hope #006 is a sign of better batches to come.  Oliver at Dramming.com had good things to say about Batch 007, so maybe things are on the right path.  In any case, if you're a Laphroaig geek and you have the opportunity to choose between a bottle of batch 005 or 006, I recommend going with the latter.  Or maybe you can dive blindly into #007.  If you've had that batch, please let me know in the comments what you thought of it.

Ardbeg Dark Cove Committee Release versus Ardbeg Uigeadail

Subtitle: Michael puts his whisky where his mouth is.

I've spent a lot of digital ink poking fun at Ardbeg's annual special releases, specifically how not special they are.  Year after year, these releases with silly names (and sillier stories) hit the shelves priced 50-100% more than Ardbeg's regular range, yet fall far short of the regular range's quality.  But I've been over this many times, so rather than repeat myself I'll direct you to this extended rant and my review of Ardbeg Perpetuuuual Disappointment.

Rather than do another bitchfest review without real context, I decided to do a blind taste test between this year's Ardbeg Bright Shiny Thing Dark Cove and the regular range's Ardbeg Uigeadail.  They're bottled at almost the same ABV, both made up of a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, and neither have an age statement.  But Dark Cove costs almost twice as much as Uigeadail (or 50-75% more depending on where you're located, or 200-300% more in the secondary market).

I obtained the Dark Cove committee release sample via my friend Brett when he threw it in as a surprise addition to a sample swap.  The Uigeadail (bottled in 2014) is from Florin's bottle which he gave away when he was reminded that he didn't like Ardbeg.  Many thanks to Brett and Florin!

ARDBEG DARK COVE COMMITTEE RELEASE
Distillery: Ardbeg
Ownership: Glenmorangie Plc (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy)
Type: Single Malt
Region: Islay
Product: Dark Cove (committee release edition)
Age: ???
Maturation: "dark sherry" and ex-bourbon casks
Bottling year: 2015
Limited release: ???? bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 55.0%

ARDBEG UIGEADAIL
Distillery: Ardbeg
Ownership: Glenmorangie Plc (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy)
Type: Single Malt
Region: Islay
Product: Uigeadail
Age: ???
Maturation: ex-oloroso and ex-bourbon casks
Bottling code: L140281507 6ML
Bottling year: 2014
Alcohol by Volume: 54.2%

My blind tasting glasses were marked A and B.  Let's see which is which:

WHISKY "A"

NEAT:
Nose -- Starts off with tennis ball peat, sugary smoke, cinnamon, and a'Bunadh-like rich sherry. It smells like Peatin' Meetin', which is a thing you should attend.  Then there's a sandy beach, prune syrup, a little bit of new oak, peated mixed berries, a small pretty flower blossom note, plums, and hay.

Palate -- Mmmmm.  Thick.  Salty.  Sugary smoke, as on the nose.  Chili oil heat and a slight umami note.  Dried berries, apple juice, and peated molasses chews.

Finish -- Very long.  Salty bitter chocolate.  Soot, brown sugar, an ethyl bite, and a cloud of smoke.

WITH WATER ~47-49%abv:
Nose -- Becomes very farmy and picks up some cereal and yeast notes -- Ardbeg via the Isle of Mull?  Raspberries, cinnamon sticks, wood smoke, oceany peat.  After 10 minutes the farm notes fade away and salty peat takes over.

Palate -- Water seems to close it up, rather than open it.  It's tighter, bitterer.  Sherry has been washed away.  Vanilla, cinnamon, and lots of moss.

Finish -- Peated vanilla, cinnamon, and salt water.

COMMENTS:
If I know Oogy, this is Oogy.  The nose is massive and complex for what is likely young whisky.  The palate is simpler but really hits the spot.  Water seems to split its personality -- good strange nose, bland plain palate.  So, forget the water.  This is a good drink, not as awesome as in years past (if this is indeed Uigeadail), but still one of the best sherried peated OBs out there.
RATING: 88

Then there was...

WHISKY "B"

NEAT:
Nose -- Less outright sherry than in "A".  Still has that tennis ball peat, and rubbery peat too.  It has the cinnamon too, though here it's joined by apples and pears.  There's a louder alcohol element and some of the 10yo's sootiness.  After 10 minutes, the whisky abruptly shifts gears into something very different.  An intense barbecue note, with wood smoke and charcoal, bursts forth.  There's burnt veg, burnt chocolate, and huge caramel sauce note.  But then after 30 minutes, that enormous charred landscape is smothered by new oak -- ultra levels of butter, vanilla, and bland caramel.

Palate -- Curious large notes of white fruits. Much less sherry than "A" again.  It's super spicy (think wasabi + cayenne + Red Hots candies).  Then there's char and ashes.  Spearmint leaves, sugar, and a mild Oloroso.

Finish -- Pool chlorine and peat.  Sugar, pepper, ash, and lots of ethyl heat.

WITH WATER ~47-49%abv:
Nose -- It changes again.  Pencil lead, peach scented markers, spearmint, charred meat, but much less peat.  Some tangerines......but then the oaky vanilla returns.

Palate -- Very sweet.  The spice and the mint remain.  Mild peat.  Honey.  Sugary caramel.

Finish -- Sugar, salt, peat, ethyl heat, cinnamon, and mint.

COMMENTS:
To be honest, it was once I tasted "B" that I knew "A" had to be Uigeadail.  This must be Dark Cove.  For all the marketing talk about the "dark sherry casks", there really isn't a whole lot of sherry going on here.  But there is a lot of influence coming from new oak or rejuvenated oak or super-charred first fills.  Like "A", this is much better without water.  The palate is fun, but the finish feels very young and rough.  The nose is puzzling.  That middle section, between the 10 and 30 minute marks, was fantastic, like Supernova but better.  But after that, it's just gloppy.  If only it could harness that inferno throughout, then we'd be looking at something special.  So overall, it has some good to excellent parts, but the oak and (the probable) youth get in the way.
RATING: 85 (bouncing between 79 and 89)

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Reveal:
"A" = Uigeadail √
"B" = Dark Cove committee release √

Again, though I was somewhat sure "A" was Uigeadail at the start, the palate and finish on the Dark Cove that gave it all away.  And, just to be thorough, the Uigeadail was a micro-shade darker in color than the Dark Cove, the supposed "darkest Ardbeg ever".  Maybe they mean the darkest ever Ardbeg bottle glass?  None more black.

Let's ignore all the dumb "dark" talk, shall we?  The Dark Cove has its moments, and if you can get it to sustain that scortched earth thing longer than I did, and can keep away all that oak stuff, then you will like it more than I.  I'd certainly rank it higher than Perpetuum and Auriverdes (god, these fugging names), so there's that.  But Uigeadail is still better, easier to find, and at half the price.

ARDBEG UIGEADAIL (2014)
Availability - Most specialty liquor retailers
Pricing - $55-85
Rating - 88

ARDBEG DARK COVE COMMITTEE RELEASE
Availability - Winesearcher shows 20+ US stores carrying it as of today
Pricing - anywhere from $100 to $200 on the primary market
Rating - 85

Four MGP Ryes and Two Judges

The Two Judges, my much better half and I:

Not pictured: Willett

The four MGP ryes:
--Single Cask Nation's MGP 8 year old Rye, barrel #52
--Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 year old Rye, barrel #849 for K&L
--Redemption 7 year old Barrel Proof Rye, batch 6
--Willett 6 year old Family Estate Single Barrel Rye, barrel #122

With this being Kristen's birthday week I elected to review this string of MGP barrel proof rye.  Why?  Because my wife and I both enjoy the stuff.  And I'm not sure if I can say that about many (or any) other whiskies.  Before I did my four tastings, Kristen tried them (via small pours mind you, because damn) all side by side and ranked them by preference.  Here are her notes:

Kristen's notes:
Single Cask Nation's MGP 8 year old Rye, barrel #52 -- "Smells a little industrial, or am I influenced by the sample label's typeface?  Unremarkable overall."  RANK: 4

Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 year old Rye, barrel #849 for K&L -- "Burns longer on the tongue. Cinnabon, is that you?"  RANK: 2

Redemption 7 year old Barrel Proof Rye, batch 6 -- "Burns longer in the back of the throat. A little hotter than I'd like."  RANK: 3

Willett 6 year old Family Estate Single Barrel Rye, barrel #122 -- "Least hot. Smoothest. Smell is vegetal. Cilantro?"  RANK: 1

"On my birthday I'll drink champagne! :)"

Yes you will, my dear.

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So since she's always right, how did I fare?  Here's a summary of my reviews.  For the full reports click the links.  And because I'm silly, I gave these whiskies scores.  Anyway...

Michael's notes:
Single Cask Nation's MGP 8 year old Rye, barrel #52 -- "...very hot and difficult at full strength.  In fact, I didn't want to drink anymore of it while doing this tasting."; "...soooooper woody"; "...adding water...cleaned [it] up reasonably well."
Score: 80, though much lower without added water. -- RANK: 4

Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 year old Rye, barrel #849 for K&L -- "I wouldn't say this Old Scout is very complex, nor markedly better than the former regular 7yo release, but it's reliable as heck.  Could set your watch to it, as the old saying goes."
Score: 87 -- RANK: 2

Redemption 7 year old Barrel Proof Rye, batch 6 -- "This isn't as much of an immediate hit as the Old Scout, but it's close."; "...a little young and rough at times, thus less 'smooth'"; "...the nose is great and the palate is perfectly acceptable, but I do wish there was more going on in the finish. "
Score: 85 -- RANK: 3

Willett 6 year old Family Estate Single Barrel Rye, barrel #122 -- "...in a different league than the other three ryes this week"; "...most exotic nose I've ever experienced on a rye"; "The palate...takes on different personalities...remains totally in balance throughout. The finish brings in new characteristics and flexes plenty of stamina."
Score: 90 -- RANK: 1

On her birthday, I'll drink champagne.  But then it's back to whisky in the morning.

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Well, we agreed.  Which is good.  So, if you won't take my whiskey word for it, listen to the lady.  We've both always loved our Willett ryes, but we've also really enjoyed the Old Scout stuff (including the bourbon single barrels).  On such things historic eternal relationships are based.  Happy Birthday, Kristen!

NOT Single Malt Report: Willett 6 year old Family Estate Single Barrel #122

And then there was Willett.  Of course there was going to be a Willett.  This is Diving for Pearls, so you can be sure of three things when you visit this site.  One, I'll give Single Pot Still Irish whiskeys ridiculously high scores.  Two, I'll bitch about all prices all the time.  Three, there will be Willett.

Once upon a time (as recently as two years ago), Willett Family Estate Single Barrel ryes were 4-6 years old, bottled at 55%abv, and were priced from $40-$55.  At the height of their popularity these regular releases were replaced by barrel proof versions, aged 6-8 years, and priced from $80-$200.  I remember the first time I saw a 7yo Willett selling for $129.99.  I came home and told my wife, "Willett has arrived."  It was now priced for "collectors", or rich dumb shits, or I don't know.  Now considered to be in the same realm as the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and Weller 12, these single barrel Willetts are priced far from the grasp of the original fans.  Much of this has to do with retailers bloating prices.  But it does seem as if the suggested retail prices are as follows: 6yo - $80; 7yo - $90; 8yo - $120.  I bought one six and two sevens, spending more than I ever have (and probably ever will) for an American whiskey, and then I bid Willett adieu.  I covered all of this better in a post last year.

This is my bottle of one of the 6 year old single barrels.  I opened it this winter because we were repeatedly told that El Niño was going to open up the skies and everyone in California needed to build an ark.  And nothing is better than sitting next to a crackling fireplace, sipping Willett with someone you love, while rain thrums against the roof.  So open the bottle we did!  And then it never rained.

Bottler: Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (also known as Willett Distilling Company)
Brand: Willett Family Estate Single Barrel
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey

Age: 6 years

Maturation: New American Oak

Region: Bardstown, Kentucky (Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana)
Barrel: 122
Bottle: no info listed

Alcohol by Volume: 58.2%

The last of the four MGP ryes this week, this is the only one that actually came from my stash.  Specifically, this pour came from about the midpoint.  No water was added

The nose is remarkably fruity at first.  Lots of musty overripe tropical fruits and orange oil.  Toasted oak and toasted almonds arise from underneath eventually taking over, mingling with smaller notes of mint, caramel, and vanilla bean.  With 20+ minutes in the glass, the rye grows darker (if something can smell darker). Burnt bacon and wood smoke notes meet arugula and jalapeños.

Enormous pepper and dill notes are balanced out by brown sugar and dark cherry sweetness in the palate.  Sometimes there's a bright fresh note like lemon-cucumber water, but then that's swooped away by raspberry-syrup-filled dark chocolate.  With time the pepper note moves from black corns to cayenne.  Things get a little earthy and bitter, though again it's met with a fruity sweetness.

In the finish there's toffee and bubblegum, but also peppercorns and a slight herbal bitterness.  Some dark cherry syrup.  Marzipan and mint.  A rye seed or two.  Tremendous length.

COMMENTS:
You know, I'd prepared this whole screed about how this was not only not worth the $200 prices dumb retailers are selling it for, but that it wasn't even worth the $80 I'd paid for it.  But, it is worth the $80 I paid for it.  This whiskey, like a number of Willetts before it, has the It Factor.  It's in a different league than the other three ryes this week, though two of them were quite good.  Is it better than the the ol' $45 4 year olds?  Possibly not.  But if one takes quality into account, those 4yos were underpriced (gasp! I said it!).  Other than the BTAC Thomas H. Handy releases, there was no comparable rye on the market back then, and those THHs started at $80.  Is this whiskey worth $200?  NOPE.  That's not an insult.  This is the first time I've found a contemporary American whiskey to be worth nearly $100.

So, what is this It Factor?  It begins with the most exotic nose I've ever experienced on a rye, but then the nose progresses, developing into new angles, never drifting too oaky or spirity.  The palate also takes on different personalities, but also remains totally in balance throughout.  The finish brings in new characteristics and flexes plenty of stamina.  I have no idea how the Kulsveens do this, but they do it.

Tomorrow, I'll reveal what my wife though of these four ryes, and if we need the UN to help sort out the ensuing conflict.

Availability - This barrel may have sold out, but there are other 6yo Willet ryes out there
Pricing - I bought this one for $79.99, but have seen other 6s selling north of $100
Rating - 90

NOT Single Malt Report: Redemption 7 year old Barrel Proof Rye, batch 6

On Monday, it was Single Cask Nation's single MGP barrel.  On Tuesday, it was one of K&L's exclusive Smooth Ambler MGP barrels.  Today, it's a small(?) batch of barrel proof MGP rye bottled by Redemption, a Bardstown Barrel Selections brand.

Redemption also has a regular 46%abv MGP rye release without an age statement (though I think it's two years old).  They have two different MGP-distilled bourbons as well.  So basically, no MGP would mean no Redemption.  And Redemption, much like Smooth Ambler and Willett, publicly recognizes their product's source and correctly lists "Distilled in Indiana" on their labels.

Today's sample comes to us courtesy of the generosity of Mr. Sku of Recent Eats fame.

Brand: Redemption
Company: Bardstown Barrel Selections (with the barest of bare bones website)
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey

Age: 7 years

Maturation: New American Oak

Region: Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Batch: 6

Alcohol by Volume: 61.3%

For comparison purposes, I tried this rye side-by-side with yesterday's single barrel 7yo Old Scout rye.  No water was applied to either.

The nose is much closer to the Old Scout than the SCN barrel.  Cinnamon bread and carrot cake lead off, then a little bit of whole grain mustard.  There's some rumbly rye spirit throughout, though it's not hot, considering the ABV.  A hint of rye bread and dill.  Bits of plaster and vinyl.  Maybe some dried cheese.  A nice late hit of cloves arrives later on.

Spices in the palate.  Cassia cinnamon, ginger powder, and cardamom.  Then vanilla, maraschino cherries, and a little bit of black pepper.  Robotussin.  Grape juice (weird).  It's plenty sweet and a little warmer than the nose, but still very palatable.

It finishes with black cherry soda, cayenne pepper, tart berries, and some sharp young rye stuff.  The sweetness mellows out.

COMMENTS:
This isn't as much of an immediate hit as the Old Scout, but it's close.  It can be a little young and rough at times, thus less "smooth", yet it's still fun if one's up for an adventure.  I'm always down for some excitement.  For me, the nose is great and the palate is perfectly acceptable, but I do wish there was more going on in the finish.  If this was priced in the $50-$60 range, I'd get a bottle.  But it's up in the $80-$90 range, so I'll leave it on the shelf for someone else.

Availability - Many specialty liquor retailers in the US
Pricing - usually $80-$90, though some places on the East Coast have it closer to $70
Rating - 85

NOT Single Malt Report: Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 year old Rye, barrel #849 for K&L Wines

If you're new to American whiskies, here's the scoop with this rye.  Smooth Ambler is a whiskey company based in West Virginia.  Though they're distilling their own spirit right now -- and bottling some of it -- they started their business by bottling rye and bourbon that was actually distilled by Midwest Grain Products (MGP) in Indiana.  This was their "Old Scout" brand.  Their MGP rye was a 7 year old, released in batches assembled from a number of barrels, and bottled at 49.5%abv.  Occasionally they also released barrel proof single barrels of rye (and bourbon).  And sometimes they sold those barrels exclusively through specific retailers.  From what I've read, they've started to run short on all those rye barrels.  In the meantime, they're focusing on releasing their own whiskey.

The rye whiskey I'm reviewing today (7 years old, barrel 849) was one of the MGP single barrels that was sold only through one retailer, in this case K&L Wine Merchants.  I foolishly(?) missed out on securing one of K&L's single Old Scout rye barrels, but luckily Whisky Man Florin did not.  So, many thanks to Florin for this sample.

Brand: Old Scout
Bottler: Smooth Ambler
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey

Age: 7 years

Maturation: New American Oak

Region: Maxwelton, West Virginia (Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana)
Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Retailer: K&L Wine Merchants
Barrel: 849

Alcohol by Volume: 61.7%

For comparison purposes, I tried this rye side-by-side with the SCN rye from yesterday's review.  No water was applied to either.

There's gentler oak and much less ethyl on the nose of this rye compared to that of the SCN rye.  It starts with caramel sauce and salty air.  Then cinnamon and loads of whole cloves.  With time in the glass, the whiskey develops sizable notes of vanilla fudge and cream soda.

Entirely drinkable at this ABV.  The palate starts off peppery and briney, but also has a good dose of brown sugar and snickerdoodle cookies.  Some spearmint leaves too.  A nice bitter bite around the edges, with mulled wine in the middle.  It develops a little bit of a fizzy bitter lemon note after a while.

Caramel, brown sugar, and spearmint in the finish.  A bit more of a spicy zing with time.  And then molasses.  The mint leaves soon turn to mint candy.

COMMENTS:
It's as if this isn't even remotely related to yesterday's whiskey.  I wouldn't say this Old Scout is very complex, nor markedly better than the former regular 7yo release, but it's reliable as heck.  Could set your watch to it, as the old saying goes.  Even with all the alcohol and years of oak, it isn't a palate wrecker like the SCN.  Thank goodness.  If you have a bottle of barrel 849 in your stash, there's no need to hoard it for eternity.  Bust it out the next time you want some fulfilling big rye.  Meanwhile, the rest of us will be without.  :(  Enjoy!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $54.99
Rating - 87

NOT Single Malt Report: Single Cask Nation's MGP 8 year old Straight Rye, cask #52

My wife likes MGP-distilled rye, I like MGP-distilled rye, and we have the folks at Willett to thank for that.  But Willett is far from the only company that ages and bottles whiskey from Midwest Grain Products WonderFactory™.  In honor of my wife's birthday, I will review four MGP ryes from four different companies this week.  She actually had first dibs on all of these, and she provided her own notes and rankings.  On Friday, after my reviews are complete, I'll reveal her rankings and compare our findings.

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First up:  A single barrel of 8 year old MGP rye bottled by Single Cask Nation.  This sample arrived via a swap with my friend Linda who has provided me with a number of great (or at least entertaining!) American whiskey samples recently.  She prefers bourbon over rye, but she and her husband, Brett (with whom I swap scotch samples), are SCN members and are happy to try all sorts of whiskies.  Thanks, Linda!

Distiller: Midwest Grain Products
Bottler: Single Cask Nation
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey
Region: Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Age: 8 years
Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley
Maturation: New American oak
Cask: 52
Limited bottling: 131

Alcohol by Volume: 60.9%

NEAT
The nose is sooooper woody.  As in pulp and bark.  Underneath that it's salty, buttery, and briney.  Next, there's dried cheese, pickles, and something slightly eggy.  Distant dark fruit notes mingle with halvah.  With time, it develops varnish, coconut hand lotion, and fresh oregano notes.

The palate is pretty darn hot.  But there are more familiar rye notes here than in the nose.  Definitely some dill.  Cherry popsicles, marzipan, caramel, and vanilla.  Some generic barrel char.  20 minutes in, a big green herbal note appears.

On the finish, there's heat.  Lots of heat.  Gotta work through that.  Then sugar, peppery rye, sawdust, caramel, and a hint of orange peel.

This was tough.  I have never added water to a barrel proof MGP rye, but this time I felt it was necessary.

WITH WATER (~50%abv)
The nose is nuttier, think almonds and cashews.  Less heat.  Eventually that egg note fades out.  Slight floral note meets a larger vanilla one.  Still some sharp wood/bark notes.

The palate is earthier and more peppery.  Much less heat, though it holds onto the sweetness.  Some drying tannins.  Hints of mint and lemons.

The finish is also less hot, though more drying.  More mint and pepper.  Cherry candies.

COMMENTS:
I know it's sexier to sell (and buy!) whisky at full strength, but some whiskies work better at lower proofs.  This whiskey was very hot and difficult at full strength.  In fact, I didn't want to drink anymore of it while doing this tasting.  When I drank the last quarter ounce the following day, I couldn't finish it off and started feeling like I was already tired of drinking rye this week.  But by adding water and dropping it to 50%abv during the tasting, I found that it cleaned up reasonably well.  The C grade whisky became a low B-.  Not that that's a great grade for an MGP rye from an MGP-biased reviewer, but it's better.  So if you bought this cask from SCN and it's not really doing anything for you, add water, maybe even generously so.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - actually, I have no idea. It doesn't appear in SCN's current or archive bottle pages. If you remember the price, let me know and I'll update this.
Rating - 80 (with water only, 5-10 points lower when without water)