The #MiniTasting gang have discovered some interesting Rye on their whisky adventure - New York Distilling's Ragtime Rye was amazing so we've decided to explore the category a little more. We clubbed together to buy a consortium bottle of New Riff's Rye and paired it with a Knob Creek which @ScotchB78 picked up last year in the USA. Let's see what they are like!
| Dram | Knob Creek Rye (Steve's Wines Store pick) | New Riff Rye | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | 57.5% ABV, NCF Mash Bill: 55% Rye, 35% Corn, 10% Malted Barley | 50% ABV, NCF Mash Bill : 95% Rye, 5% Malted Rye | |
| Distillery info | Unblended rye whiskey from a one-of-a-kind barrel chosen by your local retailer based on a sampling of our finest barrels. Color Shades of gold to light amber. Taste Bold rye spiciness with undertones of vanilla and oak. Aroma Expansive notes of herbs and rye with nuances of oak. | Appearance: Extra rich, unfiltered deep amber color. Nose: Spicy and detailed, showing mint, black pepper, and vanilla with hints of orange and oak. Taste: Cinnamon spice, vanilla and sweet toffee moving into a bold mouth feel with rich Rye spice, caramel and toasted oak. Complex flavors drink older than four-year-old. Finish: Bold Rye spice with vanilla buttercream and lingering brown sugar, plus a mineral-grassy Rye tone that fades slowly. | |
| Appearance |  |  | |
| Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling for a while before beading up falling as slow thin legs. | Another dark dram - must have been a heavily charred cask. Swirls leave a thin hairline crack on the glass which takes a while to bead up and fall as slow thin legs | ||
| Nose | Brian | First sniff of the Knob and it's bloomin wonderful - full on Rye notes - huge spice - toffee popcorn and vanilla ice cream. | Doesn't come across as spicy as the SK, a lot more sweet toffee notes and a little orchard fruit. |
| John | Big spicy nose, but creamy too... butter popcorn. Scott now you mention the soapiness I'm getting that but oddly it's not as off-putting as it sounds. | This may be more straight forward but what it does, it does really well... I think what I like about rye in general is that it doesn't tend to fuck about, it is what it is... take it or leave it. | |
| Paul | Cola cubes (always find that on rye), brown sugar, toffee, creamy vanilla, slight nose prickle. There is something a bit green, what's the mash bill? any unmalted stuff in there? | Cola cubes! Its seems simpler than the SK. Sweet spirit, a bit of vanilla, a little bit of toasted cask in there to. Creamy. This seems more rye concentrated! | |
| Scott | Coming in at 57.5% this may need a touch of water to cool the Knob down. On the nose there is an immediate soapy, wet washing type thing for me. After a while though it's full on rye. Dusty, butterscotch, hint of cherry menthol. Chewy fudge and vanilla. Wee hint of chilli in the background. Lovely stuff. | On the nose this does not seem as spicy as Steve's Knob, much sweeter. More in the way of toffee, vanilla and fudge. Rich is how I would describe it | |
| Palate | Brian | Instantly spicy, a little oily, lots of heat. Spicy butterscotch (is there such a thing?) Cherries a little lemon and dried pineapple. Spot on with the cherry menthol - wow this is spicy on first sip! YUMMY! It reminds me of dried pineapple covered in icing sugar that you get in them tropical mix things. | Thick oily arrival, richer as Scott suggested. There is burnt toffee, orchard fruit and drying icing sugared pineapple again. Very warming. The spice comes it later but it's not as much of a kick as the SK was. |
| John | Big thick creamy arrival on this, coats the mouth well and then you get the big spicy kick - nice The Icing sugar is a very good shout Paul - a real dry sweetness | Yes, this is slightly lower ABV that Steve's Knob but I don't think it's lacking anything - I think it's great at the strength it's at... 50% | |
| Paul | Oh! Spicy! Cola, vanilla, sour cherry, lots of icing sugar, little bit of soft lemon. Oily. Hay flavoured spice. Nice that! What's the saying... Don't knock it till you have tried it? Rolling on the floor laughing. It felt like a big pile of icing sugar to me. Like its sticking to your mouth... | It's a lot calmer than when I 1st tried this. After SK it does feel like it is missing a few abv. Cola cubes. There is a bit of spice - sweet spice. Buttered slightly burnt toast. A little bit floral to, maybe fruity. Creamy. Fair bit going on actually | |
| Scott | Getting Steve's Knob in the gob is a pleasurable experience. Big spice hits straight away, which moves immediately to sweet vanilla ice cream with sour cherry sauce. The wood takes over after a while and brings more spicy notes. Definitely got that tingling sensation on the tongue that pineapple brings | Sweet straight off the bat, more cherry menthol from this but nowhere near as spice driven or wood influenced as Steve's Knob This is more of a relaxing, sipping rye. Chewy, toffee apples, and honeycomb chocolate | |
| Finish | Brian | Loads of spice with a little vanilla custard and parma violets floral note YUMMY! | Long lingering spice, a bit more of the floral note than the SK and a drying tropical fruit note - Yummy! |
| John | Great start to our Ryeday... I think we are all in agreement that this is a good one. | ||
| Paul | Hay flavour spice. Touch of milk chocolate, flat cola. Short but nice! | Goes down a lot calmer too. Brown sugar, a touch of sweet spice. Bit fruity. Its simpler, but very tasty. Not sure I could pick between them | |
| Scott | The finish is like the aftermath of eating a chilli. Nice warming , tingling sensation on the tongue. And yes Paul flat cola! | Hint of spice, and strangely black coffee. Nice dram John. Loving the rye | |
| Overall | Brian | Excellent drams! For me the Steve's Knob Creek Rye came out on top - maybe the little bit of extra ABV helped | |
| John | Overall I think this New Riff Rye is really well balanced, I also think it's really benefited from being open for a week or so and having plenty of air in the bottle since portioning it up. | ||
| Paul | Really enjoyed these. | ||
| Scott | Overall a positive experience with Steve's Knob and I'll be sad when it ends. All over so quickly! Overall, I'm not picking! For both having "Rye" on the bottle, they are so different. Enjoyed them both. | ||
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| Photo: @TheWhiskyImage |
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