Alias Straight Rye Whiskey is produced at Ross & Squibb in Indiana, using a mashbill of 51% rye, 45% corn and 4% malted barley. Aged over four years in new charred oak barrels, it is bottled at 90 proof and priced at about $28.
As high-corn ryes go, this isn’t anything outside of the ordinary. But it is well-executed and, in a world increasingly filled with pricey new whiskey, a surprisingly solid value.
This is not a whiskey I’d reach for, but it does, oddly, make a decent Manhattan if you use all sweet red vermouth. There are dozens of I’d rather use, but this doesn’t do a terrible job as a cocktail rye. At least it has that going for it.
All in all, I can see why Luxco would want to explore this route, although there’s ultimately not a lot that makes this rye specifically stand out from other Kentucky-style ryes.
