Blue Run High Rye Bourbon Review | The Daily Pour
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Blue Run High Rye Bourbon spirit image
91Excellent

Blue Run High Rye Bourbon

Bourbon Blue Run Spirits
  • Distiller

    Undisclosed

  • Bottler

    Blue Run Spirits

  • ABV

    55.5%

  • Age

    NAS

  • Price $60 to $99.99

Distilled at Castle & Key under guidance from Jim Rutledge, this new whiskey brand features minimal, elegant designs and lofty ambitions. Starting a new whiskey brand in recent years may seem simple, as many, many new brands have sprung up, but the challenges facing startups have never been higher - aged stock is heavily contested, the playing field is littered with celebrity brands, major cash infusions with short exit strategies. Blue Run hasn't always been easy to get; scaling horizontally and vertically in the spirits industry takes both time and mammoth reserves of cash; but as their bottlings become more and more available, it's a good time to give the Blue Run High Rye Bourbon a go. Let's dig in.

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Aggregated Reviews
  • Raided Score: 90
  • The Bourbon Culture
  • By Mike & Mike
  • I was somewhat expecting to find a “Four Roses Jr.” – which didn’t happen – but what I did find was something that should eventually be on the same playing field after it gains a few more years in the barrel.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 100
  • The Whiskey Wash
  • By Jacob Wirt
  • This dram produces no fewer than three distinct aromas/flavors that are major nostalgia bombs for me personally so I’m not impartial here, but even if I’m working to evaluate objectively they are all complementary and gently layered together.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 92
  • Drinkhacker
  • By Christopher Null
  • I was surprised by how on point the whiskey is drinking already, and was ultimately left wanting more. Watch out when this release hits 8 years of age or so — though I’m sure it’ll run $300-plus by then.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 88
  • The Daily Pour
  • By t8ke
  • This is a deceptive pour - as it drinks well beyond what you'd expect for a product right around the four year mark. With larger and larger batches coming online by the quarter, Blue Run's growth will put impressive whiskey in front of more drinkers and enthusiasts by the year. Many folks will balk at a $100 price tag for a new bottle of whiskey, but if there's a brand to take a chance on: this is the one.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 85
  • Breaking Bourbon
  • By Nick Beiter
  • It's still pricey at $90, but the combination of thoughtful blending, low bottle count, and high end bottle design probably won't leave anyone feeling like they've overpaid.
  • Read Full Review

Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.

House Review
  • Nose:

    Honey, rich buttery toffee, orange peel and minerality, bold oak and a cocoa character. The rye is evident, the richness and balance of sweet, mineral, spice plays nicely.

  • Taste:

    Baking spice hits first, satisfying viscosity on the palate, a touch of heat. A touch of nutty funk, a touch of orange peel and minerality, packed with caramel, honey, clove, great oak structure. Sips hang to the back palate. It drinks in vein as a Booker's Jr - a touch of heat but it pays off with big, bold, flavors.

  • Finish:

    Long finish, really dials in on the honey, butter, minerality and tannins. Impressive length, hard not to justify a follow up pour.

  • Overall:

    This is a deceptive pour - as it drinks well beyond what you'd expect for a product right around the four year mark. With larger and larger batches coming online by the quarter, Blue Run's growth will put impressive whiskey in front of more drinkers and enthusiasts by the year. Many folks will balk at a $100 price tag for a new bottle of whiskey, but if there's a brand to take a chance on: this is the one.

  • Score:

    88

  • Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.

  • By t8ke
  • Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources