High Plains Rye is a 48.5% ABV blend of five straight rye whiskeys sourced from MGP, Kentucky Artisan, Middle West and New York Distilling. The whiskeys come from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and New York, each made with a unique mashbill ranging from 51% to 100% rye and a distinct yeast strain. The blend was developed over a year by the J.W. Rutledge Distillery team and selected by former Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge.
The taste is spicy with a nice underlying sweetness and touches of clove, black pepper and cinnamon complemented by red apples, brown sugar, and a hint of molasses. The finish has lingering spices, hints of dried apples, honey, and caramel. Very nice.
There’s a perfumed, almost incense-like quality to the whiskey, surprisingly delicate considering its constituent ingredients, though a toasty granary note — touched with butterscotch — comes back into focus on the back end, offering a fairly blunt, straightforward, and somewhat pedestrian finish.
This is a nice dram and how I would recommend this is for the bourbon drinker who is curious about rye. This hints at the characteristics you look for in a rye without being overpowering.
