Rye of the year 2023

You say you love Rye, but do you love it so much that you’ll spend $$$ to tell people on the road?

2023 was one hell of a year for the Rye whiskey category. While Bourbon still remains king in the marketplace, Rye is where it’s happening. Major distilleries continue to invest in Rye and have released some exceptional bottles. Micro-distillers have come of age and have taken all the lessons learned and made some things that no one else does or can. The artistry of “craftsmanship” has come alive in 2023 and will no longer live quietly in the shadows of the major distillers.

Yes, there are more and more sourced brands popping up (not just celebrity junk). Yes, there are more and more wild finishes out there. Yes, some of it is really good (RY3 Cigar Series). Some of it is strange and will struggle in the marketplace. If we ignore all the sourced brands for a moment (and I am) we can see that GREAT Rye is seemingly everywhere, there’s more on the way, and that’s terrific for us Rye Insaniacs. Micro is the future of Rye, and it’s here now.

Beam flexed their Rye muscles for the last several years, this one was under the radar because it wasn’t a unicorn.

Before we get into the Rye of the Year 2023, let’s go over some criteria for consideration-

• Must be a bottle I purchased with my own scratch (no media samples / bottles).

• No single barrels (This eliminates the excellent RY3 toasted barrel that won awards at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival that ironically I helped pick.).

• No Unicorns (This eliminates some very good Ryes from SazCo and Willett).

• No limited editions like Parker’s Heritage Rye.

• Cannot be sourced (which eliminates Pinhook vertical, Sagamore 8yr, Proof and Wood, RY3, etc..).

• Must be available widely before the ball drops at the end of the year (Yes, that means the extraordinary Overholt Cask didn’t “win.”)

• Must be available at MSRP.

Disqualified on account of being a unicorn and hardly available anywhere for MSRP. Better luck next year SazCo.

With all that being said, I went back through all my photos (as Spectre says, I never delete anything) over the last 12-months, looked over my notes, and discovered that the best things I had all year were Rye’s. Here are some quick highlights-

• Knob Creek 7yr was phenomenal and a really nice Beam Flex.

• Still Austin released not just the best Rye out of Texas, but one of the top Rye’s I had all year.

• Proof and Wood dropped an insane Tumblin’ Dice Rye.

• Pinhook Tiz Rye Time true vertical series is some of the best blended Rye on the market.

• RY3 delivered three incredible bottles that stood out in a saturated sourced market. Toasted, Madeira, and the indescribably good Cigar Series.

• Overholt released arguably one of the best Rye’s I’ve had since Owl batch 1 (which I am now convinced was sourced from Beam).

Another of the very best Rye’s I had in 2023. RY3 Cigar Series, cigar not included but if you ask Karthik, he’s always carrying.

Ok, I can hear you already shouting “GET ON WITH IT!”

Without further ado, my Rye of the Year 2023 goes to Distillery 291 out of Colorado for the one Rye I couldn’t stop thinking about after I first tasted it out of a metal flask at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival kickoff party- All Rye.

This astonishing Rye whiskey is 100% malted Rye (WAIT AN AMERICAN SINGLE MALT?!!!!) that is finished with toasted aspen staves. It’s a limited edition so this breaks my rules for best of right? More on that later but yeah, you’re RIGHT. It’s rule breaking, rebellious, assertive, and bold. It doesn’t live by rules, it just lives! This is a whiskey that loves hard, without regret. To call this complex isn’t telling the entire story.

Rye of the year 2023. A mind bending release.

I have to say that while I tasted it out of a flask first (Michael Myer’s very own), and then from Ryan at the 291 booth during the New Orleans Bourbon Festival, I then purchased not one, but THREE of these bottles. I have now consumed two of them, so I have a lot of experience with it (unlike some others that do one big blind tasting ONCE to get their results. Hey, to each their own).

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of 291. Hell, those bottles have more medals than an Argentine General, and I find that 291 is more deserving of said medals than any actual Argentine General. Colorado style whiskey is like Texas in some ways, it’s agressive and in your face, but where Colorado shines, and Texas struggles, is that Colorado knows how to tone things down when needed without losing the character that makes their style so unique. 291 has been taking some huge swings with their whiskey over the years, and their willingness to innovate and not follow trends is refreshing. They aren’t following others, they’re making their own way. Some hit, some don’t, but such is life. They keep going relentlessly pursuing excellence and difference.

One of the biggest shocks for me over time spent with All Rye wasn’t how good it is, but how the raisin notes didn’t make me pour it down the drain. Many of you readers know that I despise Satan’s greatest trick - the raisin. It’s gross. Makes me wanna vomit on a good day. This release has me appreciating the raisin in ways I never had before. I’ll still never willingly eat one ever again, but the notes work here.

It must be said that All Rye isn’t a “bourbon drinkers” rye. This is pure unapologetic Rye whiskey done in a European style, but made in a way that only 291 can. This is not a Rye you can compare any other styles to. This ain’t Maryland, Kentucky, or Indiana. This is Colorado, and All Rye demands that one recognize that this distillery is doing some innovative things.

The notes of malted Rye are quite fun, lots of creamy vanilla (think Cream of Kentucky Rye if you’ve had it), layered rich almost burnt caramel, and some dark fruits like the aforementioned raisins, and plums/prunes. I kept going back to this bottle over and over again which is remarkable considering how much great whiskey I have immediate access to in my own home.

Tip of the cap to the team at Distillery 291 for the incredible work on this product. It’s unlike anything else out there right now, but buyer beware, it’s different in all the right ways.

All Rye at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival. Also, Ryan’s elbow.

You’re probably wondering how a limited edition can win considering my criteria? Well, because you can still get it. You can get the winnng batch 1 on 291’s website, or Seelbach’s for batch 2.

I’ll end with the thought that if 291 doesn’t make this a permanent annual release I might have to make a Michael Myer’s voodoo doll.

- Mickey Pinstripe