EP 18: June Madness - Battle of the Ryes Finale

Michter’s Single Barrel Straight Rye 84 proof (46.99) (KY) : 
Part of the Whisky Row collection in  Kentucky. The Whiskey recipe dates from 1753. Originally known as Shenk’s whiskey when John Shenk founded his whiskey in Pennsylvania. It was America’s first production distillery. Historical lore has this Rye as the whiskey Georoge Washington purchased to give to his men at Valley Forge during the long winters in the Revolutionary war. The company has gone through several name changes and eventually moved to Kentucky. In the 1950’s Lou Forman (Forman-Brown) branded the whiskey with Michter’s name  

Taste/Nose: Rye Spicy, Pepper, Butterscotch, Marmalade ,Port, Grain

Uncle Nearest Rye 100 proof (51.99) (TN):
Uncle Nearest is named for master distiller Nathan "Nearest" Green, a former slave who taught Jack Daniel distilling in the 1800s. 
The brand Uncle Nearest debuted in 2017. Their first three whiskey releases are named after the year Nearest was born (1820), the year he was credited with perfecting the Lincoln County Distilling Process (1856), and the year he retired (1884). In September 2022, Uncle Nearest released its first rye whiskey, Uncle Nearest Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Rye Whiskey.

Taste/nose: buttery, honey, licorice, pear, caraway seed, pine, clove, eucalyptus, dried orange, oak, vanilla, cinnamon, and banana, earthy

Sazerac Rye 90 proof (29.99)  (KY) 
History: Part of the Buffalo Trace family. 
Sazerac Rye dates back to the early 19th century when Antoine Peychaud, a New Orleans apothecary, created a recipe for a medical  elixir containing a blend of bitters and brandy. This became known the first creation of the ‘cocktail’
In 1838, a Creole immigrant named Thomas H. Handy acquired a bar called the Merchants Exchange Coffee House in New Orleans. Handy, recognizing the growing popularity of the cocktail, started serving a variation of the drink using Sazerac Cognac as the base spirit. The cocktail became widely popular, and Handy eventually purchased the Sazerac brand in 1869, changing the recipe to feature American rye whiskey instead of cognac.

Taste/nose: Oak, leather, molasses, all-spice, mint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, vanilla , pepper