Proof: 95

Age: NAS

Distillery: NDP

Mashbill: N/A

Price: $89.99

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Nose: Fresh cut apple, allspice, butterscotch candy, honey suckle, lemon, light sweet mint, raisin, cardamom, cinnamon, grassy, toasted vanilla.

Taste: Subtle, warm mouthfeel. Fuji apple, brown sugar, light floral, sugarcane, ginger spice, mint, nutmeg, green pepper, rye grain, cinnamon, rose, green tea, toasted vanilla.

Finish: Medium length. Dessert note led the way with baked cinnamon apples, cedar, toasted brown sugar, and vanilla, leading to more earthen notes such as green pepper and honey suckle. Finish is with a nice spice rack comprised of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and clove.

Not a lot to be desired from the finish, I can appreciate the balance it has without having one note overtake another. This seems like it was well blended, having something for everyone – most definitely a rye for bourbon drinkers first.

Overall: This is a very solid rye. I think it reads a little younger, or at least has some younger rye in the blend. Being NAS, it has to be at least 4 years old, which is where some of those ripe earthen and grain notes are coming from.

This has a good balance of sweet and spice in the profile, it just falls a little short on most of the boxes for me. I can see why people love this rye, but at $90, I would have to pass and reach for a Russell’s or Knob Creek rye for half of the price. With rye, I want a long finish and a good bit of earthen spice, this has some very sweet notes, almost feels like a hint of sweetener on the finish when the baked pie note hits.

Being a “craft” brand, I did take that into account for scoring the price, but this just falls right in the ‘average’ category for me. I would buy and keep a bottle around if it was closer to a $60 price point, but for people seeking another great craft rye whiskey, look into Woodinville Rye.

Rating:6.7/10

Value Rating: 6/10

Total Score:6.35/10