Traverse City North Coast Rye is produced by Traverse City Whiskey Co. in Michigan. It is a blend of two in-house distilled rye whiskeys: a standard straight rye with at least 51% rye and a 100% rye whiskey. The blend is aged 3 years in new charred oak barrels and bottled at 45% ABV in a 750 ml format, with a price of about $45.
This is decent, I’m pleasantly surprised by how much spice and sweetness is in this. Once this gets a bit more oak and maturity there’s no reason it couldn’t become one of the best craft ryes on the market.
Look for a mild almond aroma and drying, oaky palate laced with toasted coconut and shortbread, finishing with lemon-pepper sparks. Keep a light hand on the water; too much and it washes out the flavor.
