Rye

Recently saw a blurb about new George Dickel Rye in Cheers Magazine.  Looks to be 95% rye, which sounds good to me.
 
I'll be on the look out for it, haven't seen it in two stores so far.  i'm sure they can special order it.
 
Here's an article from Cocktail Enthusiast:
 
http://cocktailenthusiast.com/2012/10/19/george-dickel-rye-whisky-review/
 

Will try to track down a bottle in Delaware

For a change of pace you can try a rye beer. August Schell's Brewing Co. in New Ulm, Minnesota makes such a beer. I tried it and liked it. It is a regional brand from the second oldest brewery in the United States.
 
Schell's Emerald Rye

I have not found one liquor store in the greater Baltimore / D.C. area that has the George Dickel Rye.  I called a distributor and they even said it is on backorder.
 
Suprisingly, a liquor store in Minnesotta, Merwin's (link below) would ship it to Maryland but now I don't see it on the site.
 
One of these days I'll find it.
 
http://www.shopmerwins.com/

I tried Jim Beam's Rye. It was good, I guess. I drink bourbon regularly, I think the Beam is a good attempt at making Rye accessible to a wide audience. A fantastic Rye is from a distiller in NY State, believe it or not, called Tuthilltown, in the central Husdon Valley area near Poughkeepsie. 

lynndunham


Sundancer, you paint the most beautiful pictures - must be nice to have such a great view from your deck! I just checked my bottle of Jim Beam Rye and decided a drink would be appropriate. I'll skip the cigar though! I seem to remember that the Manhattans I loved when going out to dinner in the 60's were made with rye. Don't taste the same any more. Think I'll try to make one with my rye when I get some fresh bitters. Does anyone know how long bitters keep in the fridge? Mine must be at least 15 years old.

 
IMHO 15 years may be a tad too long.  I would recommend a fresh bottle.  But I do love a good Manhattan!

Rye is really the best way to enjoy a Manhatten, in my opinion

Phildelmar


Rye is really the best way to enjoy a Manhatten, in my opinion

Agreed, as well as some other related cocktails.  I particularly enjoy the Little Italy (Rye, Cynar, Sweet Vermouth) and the Red Hook (Rye, Luxardo Maraschino, Punt e Mes).

In my experience bitters keep forever in our pantry - no need for refrigeration. BTW: Fee Brothers in Rochester , NY s a great source of off-beat flavors of bitters.
 
Cheers, John  

I was finally able to score a bottle of the George Dickel Rye.  It came to $18.52 including Maryland's increased  9% sales tax.
 
I tasted it along with Pikesville Rye.  I really did not notice much difference. 
 
I don't know if Pikesville is 95% (or a great percentage) rye, but to me, with my taste test of rye neat, it was pretty much identical to Dickel Rye, and $5 or so cheaper.
 
I'll have to do a comparison with Manhattans, though if neat was similar to me, I don't think cocktails will be different.
 
One positive the Dickel had over Pikesville is that Dickel has a cork stopper and Pikesville is a screw-off cap.

Glad that others are experimenting with Pikesville.. It really is a bargain

Tell you in a few days. I'm going to a St. Paddy's Day event at a local Irish gastropub called the Dublin 4. One of the things they are having is four flights of whiskey. The rye flight is called "You're All Rye-ot". I can hardly wait!

Bought a bottle of the Knob Creek rye.  Had a lighter taste than the Dickel rye.
 
The bottle had a screw-off cap.  I called Beam and they saidthe switched to screw-off caps. 
 
Kind of disappointing to me, though I've broken a few corks from the plastic in my time.

I picked up a bottle of Russel's Reserve Rye a couple of months ago, and I meant to hop on here and mention it after I bought it. Obviously, I forgot.
 
Anyway, it's really good. It has a good bit of bite, for those who like a strong, bitter rye. And it's not horribly expensive, either: about $30.00 for a 750mL. 
 
Also, this isn't a rye, but I was recently gifted with a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon, and it is fantastic. If you ever have the chance to pick up a bottle, I highly recommend it.