Disclosure: This sample was provided to me by Oceanside Distillers for review.
Oceanside Distillers Steinmetz Rye Whiskey Barrel 1, 62.5%
Nose: Graham crackers, bread dough and malt, green apple candies, caramel, funky and different
Palate: Thick and chewy mouth feel, much more of that doughiness with the green apple note reemerging, savory, allspice and clove, cinnamon, drinks below proof
Finish: Medium length, cinnamon spice with caramel, cooling menthol, ends with drying young oak
Rating: 83/100 – Excellent | Really quite exceptional
This is a really interesting, funky young rye and I’m digging it. With so many malty, doughy notes I want to believe there’s a good amount of malted rye in the mash, but currently it’s a mystery. At 125 proof, the mouth feel was quite thick and I found it surprisingly low on the heat, with many of the traditional rye spice notes emerging later on. I did notice that my bottle was missing a “straight rye” designation so I hope that’s either an aesthetic decision or something that can be amended in future batches. Overall though a great first rye release that has me looking forward to future batches from Oceanside.
Additional Info: Aged for 2 years in Oceanside California, mash bill is “majority Rye with corn and a splash of barley”, exact ratios undisclosed