Produced by Heaven Hill, this is a rye whiskey bottled at 55% ABV. Once upon a time, in the 1890s, Pikesville was a popular Maryland rye whiskey but was shut down during Prohibition. Today, Heaven Hill makes it. Aged six years, this rye is regarded as an exceptional cocktail whiskey.
It's a jawbreaker: full and hot in the mouth, with sweet grassy spice, bitter rye grain as it progresses, and crackling sugar near the end, just before it all smooths into a savory layered finish. Exciting ride, great ending.
As for its high proof: Firewater this is not. For being so strong, it’s quite soft. I can vouch that it makes an excellent companion to fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies.
This rye clocks in at the right proof, with the right color, and the right flavors to be a solid sipper. But at nearly twice the price of Heaven Hill's Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-in-Bond, it becomes a tough sell, despite the nicer packaging.
This is a really good rye whiskey with a sturdy back bone of rye spice and oak sweetness. We are in an interesting place with several brands now able to release higher proof aged Kentucky Straight Rye whiskey, but most of these are single barrel expressions (so expect variance) or at a premium price point.
Rather, the overall impression is more akin to one you’d find in a lighter style of bourbon (albeit one bottled at a significantly higher proof than usual).
There's a creamy sweetness and cereal weight, that makes for easy sipping, especially with a chip of ice to open it up. Smoky tobacco, leather and dark chocolate round out the finish.
Pikesville Rye is complex, it’s versatile and it won’t break the bank. Great in cocktails, amazing neat and something that brings a whole new level of awesome to the rapidly crowding rye whiskey category.
On paper this may seem simplistic in nature, but in execution, this is one of the best everyday ryes you can currently find on the shelf. Don’t hesitate to give this premium rye a try.
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House Review
Nose:
Brown sugar, clove, cream, mild spice
Taste:
Sweet and mild rye spice, lots of molasses, sugar, cream and clove
Finish:
Medium, hot for the proof. Sweet and spicy. Leaning more towards spice
Overall:
Good but not really a very punchy rye. It's a solid rye, has a nice soft, sweet mouthfeel. Not punishingly harsh or hot but also not wildly complex. To me, this tastes closer to bourbon, than rye. Which is a problem for a product that costs nearer to $50 or $55 near me. I'm going to give this a Rank 5
Score:
80
By t8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
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