Kentucky Owl 10 Year Rye Whiskey Batch 3
Specs
ABV: 57%
Age: 10 Years
Recipe: Unknown
Distiller: Unknown
Country/Region: USA/Kentucky
Price Paid (MSRP): $180 ($200)
Tasting Notes
Nose: Mint, cinnamon, clove, and allspice. Caramelized sugar, orange and cherry, charred oak and slightly floral. Really lovely and shows the age.
Palate: Thick and heavy mouth feel. Black pepper and cinnamon spice with tons of mint and clove. Pretty much every baking spice you could imagine is present. Orange, vanilla, pine, cocoa, mild anise and then more of that tannic charred oak.
Finish: Long length, quite woody and drying with a slight bitterness, spearmint, brown sugar, and more barrel char.
Rating: 90/100 – Incredible | An all time favorite
This stuff is so good that I want to forget all about the price tag. It’s so rare these days to find double digit aged Kentucky ryes but they have such a wonderful, heavy oak structure. And yet somehow despite the char and tannins, this Kentucky Owl is still so bright and vibrant. Tons of spearmint, citrus, and floral notes keep it lively while blending nicely with the darker chocolate and wood notes. If I had to guess the mash, I’d say somewhere around 70% rye. It has much of the sweetness of a low rye mash bill, but plenty of herbal and spice notes that keep it from tasting bourbony. It definitely leads me to believe that there may be some of that no corn Barton rye in the mix.
Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the price tag. Kentucky Owl gets a lot of flak for their high prices, and I will say that when it comes to their mediocre bourbons, the criticism is well deserved. But this rye is fantastic, and I can count on one hand the number of 10+ year Kentucky ryes on the market. Most of those being unicorns. So while I won’t say that this is a good value buy, for the specs and the quality that you’re getting in this blend I would feel comfortable recommending it for someone looking to splurge on a well aged rye. I think it’s that good.