Well, it’s official, for me at least, the Holiday season is now over. I had my last family gathering this past weekend, I’ve spent all the Christmas tips that clients have given me (my vinyl record collection has just about doubled), and we are now in that time when things return to normal.
Thanks, I hate it.
I love the holidays. I love the Bowl Games, I love the gatherings, I love the lights, and the festive spirit. I love the gifts and tv specials. I even don’t mind the snow as much during December (though Mother Nature did certainly test that this year). Now starts the long slog to spring. When the sky is a uniform gray and the cold gets oppressive. The good news is that the days are getting longer, little by little. The light will be returning to our lives. And then…we get to complain about the heat.
Woo!
Anyway, one holdover from the Holidays is tonight’s whiskey. It arrived in between snowstorms along with other holiday packages. It is the last release in Uncle Nearest’s explosion of new products that they’ve had over the last few months. This rye, like the others before it started life in Canada, British Columbia according to their website. It then spent a bunch of time in New York state and then moved to its final resting spot in Tennessee before being bottled for us to enjoy. This release is a distillery-only release and is priced at $89. So, let’s see how it tastes.
Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Rye
Purchase Info: This sample was provided free of charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $89 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.93
Details: Barrel number 001. 60.5% ABV.
Nose: Caramel toffee, cedar, allspice, and a touch of spearmint.
Mouth: Hot and spicy with notes of cola, toffee, cedar, allspice, and cinnamon.
Finish: Warm and of medium length. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, and cherry.
Thoughts: This has all the strong caramel and toffee notes that you find in really good Canadian whisky. It's hot as you would expect from 121° proof but it takes ice well. I really like this one. And even my wife who doesn't really like rye whiskies likes this one. The caveat is that she does really enjoy Canadian so that can kind of help you gauge the direction of the flavor profile. This is going on the special shelf as I want it to last.
Comparison to Uncle Nearest Rye: Nose very similar. The mouthfeel on the single barrel is much oilier and thicker than its lower-proof brother but that is to be expected with a twenty-one proof difference. The flavor notes are pretty similar though.
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