Top Shelf vs Budget Rye Whiskey - 100 Proof Blind Tasting
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Buffalo Trace month continues with a big time rye challenge! We recently tried Col. E.H. Taylor Straight Rye and we thought it was tasty. $80 tasty? We weren't so sure. So today we're putting it up against 3 budget-ish ryes to see how it stacks up against some honest competition. We'll taste Old Overholt Bonded Rye, Rittenhouse Rye Bottled in Bond, and Wild Turkey 101 Rye. You're watching whiskey tasting on The Ocho!
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I’m switching from sipping to intaking in hope of acquiring Julie’s extraordinary palate and charm. Congrats on 1.5k guys. Keep spoiling us!
LOL careful while intaking that you don't short circuit! Thanks for coming along for the ride. Cheers!
You both are so entertaining. Julie is a hoot! I love that that she drains her glasses halfway thru. So cool.! Have the EH Taylor but have not yet sampled. Might do the same blind test and see how I compare.
Cheers, Bob! Thanks a lot. Give that blind a try and let us know how it goes!
Sorry but a little disappointed that you didn't unclude Old Forester Rye. It is one of the best bang for your buck whiskeys on the market. It makes incredible Old Fashioned's and also very good neat. I prefer Pikesville over EH Taylor Rye. Thanks for the excellent content...cheers!
We love OF Rye, but unfortunately it has disappeared from shelves here. Pikesville is one of our favorites as well. When we first tasted EH Taylor, we felt massively let down, which is why we put it up against this budget 100-proof competition. While Taylor is certainly a better product, it definitely is not a better value. If we ever do a rye tasting based on price and put the Taylor up against Pikesville, Alberta Premium, Jack 2020 LE, and others in that price range, it'll crash and burn.
The “Punch of Spice” remark sounds like you need to copyright that phrase! Good one! You both had me laughing! Julie stated you not only provide reviews but obscure information to us viewers. Look out you may be becoming connoisseurs of the bourbon trade. I am still on the hunt for my first EH Taylor bourbon or rye bottle here in my state. Great episode and congrats on blazing past 1.5K subscribers!
Thanks a lot, Eric! It's a funny tightrope to walk, because we definitely don't have all the answers, so we don't take ourselves too seriously, but we want to be helpful as well. Glad you're enjoying!
Awesome ryeview! WT 101 rye and Old Forester Rye are can’t beat budgets. Cheers!
Got that right, Adam! Cheers!
I’m constantly amazed at how in depth your flavor note descriptions are! Thanks for the fun video.
Thank you! That cookie note was about 30 years in the making. We're pretty sure Phil time-traveled while tasting that whiskey.
On the scantrom tests we just answered ACDCACDC all the way down
I love the Taylor line, but now you've given me so many other great options to try. Hoping a bourbon friend hangout is in our near future. Cheers!
We love this idea. Cheers!
These videos are getting better and better.
Thanks Andrew!
Freakin loved the video. Great couple comparison of whiskey. Hot takes!
The OCHO!
Getting into rye neat… you both are awesome
Great blind and I would align with Julie on this one. Except WT 101 Rye is not available up here so I can't say how I feel about that one. Thanks for a great video. Cheers!
She's the one with the great palate, so your instincts are correct! Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers!
Yeah, I git it. This is the Grand Old Opery. Right?
Sounds like you're talking about jammy dodgers or archway cookies.
Great video!
You’re probably right! People have been sending us photos of their old timey cookies from local grocery stores lol.
Have Old Forester Rye(Not bad but very different with the high barley%) , tried Pikesville Rye(my current favorite Rye), Tin Cup Rye,(95%/5%) Inexpensive but still tasty. I am in search of a few 100% Rye samples to try. WT 101 Rye came in second makes you wonder if the $80 tag on EH Taylor is worth the cost any longer.
EH Taylor has some subtle characteristics that set it apart, but for value, Old Forester Rye, WT 101 Rye, and Pikesville easily win out. In the future, we won’t keep a bottle of Taylor Rye on the shelf, but we will keep those 3 around.
Was happy to get a bottle of the Taylor at retail. If you can find it for $75 - $80, it's worth a try but not worth secondary prices at all. It doesn't hold up well against hitter ryes.
Completely agree with this. Cheers, Jason!
Good video, and nice tasting notes. The Rittenhouse isn't that subtle neat, but works very well in a cocktail (which is probably why it is a bartender favorite). It would have been nice if you dropped the old overholt and included the Sazerac, since it makes such a great cocktail and it's under $30. I may have to start second guessing Julie's tasting notes, because she thinks green tea tastes ...."medicinally." Ummm, what?! Grassy, green, hay, even earthy, but medicinally?! Maybe she was thinking about Earl Grey. If you're looking for a really great budget rye, you could do a LOT worse than James E. Pepper 1776 Rye (100 proof). It falls into the dessert rye category. Your welcome.
I like her professionalism with the "note" taking. As in spice "note". Right?
I'll stick with my Old Forester Rye.
Im a strong believer in you don't mess with perfection. But the video was very good. You guys rock .
Can't blame you at all for that! We love the OF Rye, but it has completely disappeared in Oregon. We're really happy with the WT 101 Rye. It's a great consolation prize. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Yes i think the next time i go get some Rye ill try some WT , I love the 101 bourbon.
We like the 101 bourbon a lot, and we like the rye even more. Hope you like it too!
Nice review you two...keep up the good work. When you have a chance, try Lot 40 Rye and for something very unique, Balcones Rye (good price point). Cheers!
Thanks a lot, David! You're the second person this week to suggest Lot 40 to us. Looks like we've got a bit of shopping to do. Cheers!
@@TheBourbonVan and the High West Rendezvous and their other rye whiskies...
👍
I only have a Detroit Rye on my shelf right now, but your tastings and notes make me want to go out and grab a few to sip on. I’ve had the Knob Rye, and consider it a solid hitter so that’s on my list. Maybe a Jack SB too?
Haven’t had the JD yet, but it’s on our list. What are you drinking from Detroit? We’re planning a short tour of Michigan later this year and would love suggestions.
@@TheBourbonVan east side. Detroit city distillery, Detroit rye. Two James Distillery, Grass Widow Bourbon. Have them both and I consider them solid. Detroit Rye is a little hot at about 114. Valentine Distillery makes the mayor pingree which I hear is great too, on my list.
Two west side brands on my list that I need to try, Coppercraft Distillery in New Holland as well as Journeyman Distillery, I hear their Featherbone is very solid. Like everywhere, distillery’s are popping up all over the place, so you’ll have plenty to,choose from!
We keep hearing good things about Journeyman. We definitely need to add that to the list.
You guys are amazing!! 🥃
LOL, thanks a lot, Rob!
Absolutely agree with the results. EH Taylor is clearly the best of the 4 .i myself am a predominantly a bourbon drinker but on the occasions i reach for a rye it usually EH Taylor, Willett, pikesville or the old forester rye . Like the content you 2 are putting out very enjoyable and entertaining my only question is where's norman ? Don't recall seeing him in the past couple videos. Probably he's just doing what cats do which is nap most of the day but for some reason his presence makes everything a seem just a bit more enjoyable. People love pets.cats ,dogs etc.
Norman definitely has his own schedule. He's 15, so he comes and goes at his own leisure. Thanks for watching! We're hoping to finally track down some Willett this weekend.
If I’m not mistaken it all gets you to the same place
Taste matters but so does value
By that logic, you can eat peanut butter toast for every meal, but sooner or later you'll get a taste for steak, won't you? The point of the video is to see whether or not the $80 rye was truly better than the $20-30 ryes (and by how much) so viewers could make a more informed decision. It's a tempting bottle to buy when given the opportunity, and we wanted to provide a frame of reference to set expectations about what you really get for the money.
I think you guys might have imbided prior to this filming.
Lots of fun!
Basil Hayden would have made a perfect character in a Fenimore Cooper novel. Who we talking about here?
Good job guys
E H Taylor rye is still a unicorn for me.
Thanks a lot, John. It's an interesting bottle, certainly. In the couple weeks since we recorded this video (it was supposed to come out last week, but we had the 1k livestream), we've really fallen in love with the WT 101 Rye as a daily drinker. Let us know what you think if you track down that EHT Rye!
I will, I haven’t purchased a bottle of WT 101 rye either, so....
Another fun and informative video, but no appearance from Norman ?
@@davidbain8394 For a 15-year old cat, we're surprised he appears as often as he does.
$20 WT 101 Rye.........$80 EHTaylor.......
I have a bottle of Taylor small batch and like it. Haven’t had the straight rye. With the trouble getting Taylor expressions, I would be happy to settle for the Rittenhouse, Turkey, or OF for the price difference and no hassle finding them. But, for $50 and only a little hunting, look no further than the Pikesville. Am curious if you think the Taylor stands up to the pikesville on quality, price, and hassle.
Hey Will, we definitely think Pikesville would win that battle. For this tasting, we stuck with affordable 100-proof ryes. If we would have dropped that 110-proof Pikesville flavor bomb in the mix, it would have absolutely dominated, we have no doubt.
I learned something: androids drink whiskey and are down rye-ght rye-sistant to rye puns.
Look at the person on your left. Now look at the person on your right. There is a 100% chance that both of those persons are androids.
I, for one, welcome our new android overlords.
E.H. Taylor better be better, it is 3-5 times more cost than the other 3.
Dang, that bottle of WT 101 Rye is $45 by me in the Chicago area! Where do you think you would rank the Old Forester Rye in that lineup?***I stand corrected. My main liquor big box store just recently got in standard 750 ml bottles priced at $21.99. For several years they only had that liter for $45. I'll have to run out and get a bottle of the 101 rye now! Thanks to your video.
We're crazy about the OF Rye. It's so distinctive, it would be really difficult to blind it. In terms of satisfaction, Julie puts it just above the WT 101 Rye and I'd put it just behind the WT 101 Rye. OF Rye is more bourbon-like, while WT 101 Rye is a great example of a high rye mash bill done right.
Pikesville Rye 6 year old is 110 proof, but pricewise is still quite a bit less than that EH Taylor bottle and should be a lot more competitive tastewise than the others in your lineup today. Crikey, I just took a quick look and the EHT bottle is hard to find and only store near me has it priced for $200! No thanks. I'll take the Pikesville for $50 and the Old Forester for $25.
When we first tasted the Taylor Rye, we were not impressed at all. That's why we put it up against 3 budget 100-proof ryes. We honestly didn't think it would stand above some budget picks, but we were ultimately surprised. The Pikesville would dunk on the Taylor if it was put side-by-side though. The Taylor is a one and done for us either way. There are too many great ryes out there with far better price points.
Cheers 🥃
Cheers, Tom, thanks for watching!
Looks like you guys had lots of fun doing this one! Of all those, I’ve only tasted the Taylor (from a sample I received) and the Rittenhouse. Really enjoyed the Taylor. I do have a bottle of the Rittenhouse here, and that’s more for mixing. How would you compare the Taylor to Rittenhouse’s big brother; Pikesville??
Great question, Paul. Honestly, the Pikesville takes the cake in our opinion. We had to limit this tasting to 100 proof whiskeys or Pikesville likely would have run away with it. Rare Breed Rye is another one we've fallen in love with recently. We'll have to compare those two at some point to see how they compare in a blind tasting. Cheers!
@@TheBourbonVan I had a bottle of Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye (also a Wild Turkey product). It took some time to open up, but that was really good.
We have not grabbed one of those yet, but we've recently discovered Rare Breed Rye and we absolutely love it. When there's room in the budget again, I'm sure we'll put several Russell's products on the shopping list!
Quick question guys, with all the open bottles...how old is your oldest bottle? I have a few that are three years old that I didn't realize were that old. Trying to drink them before they go bad, which hasn't happened yet. They still taste good fortunately. Thanks!
Good question. Other than a couple really unique special occasion bottles, we don’t keep anything around too long. Probably 12-18 months maximum.
@@TheBourbonVan Well, I have a ECBF C918 that's two-thirds full. Hopefully I can get to it soon
the Colonel reins supreme, no doubt.
It really showed off in this challenge, that's for sure.
@@TheBourbonVan we just got a few bottles in Boulder CO (which is a rare occurrence). Its my wife's fave rye...so now we are in good shape. :) . Bottle was $95 during Holidays and now we got one for $85. totally worth it. We also love the Barrel 4yr cask strength Rye. We use Sagamore Double Oak for Manhattans. Keep up the good work team!
We just tracked down a bottle of Sagamore Double Oak and are very excited to try it. Cheers!
I really appreciate the sexual innuendos. I like you’re style.
Sometimes we can't help ourselves.
as someone whose waayy overdue for a hair cut themselves, I gotta ask, did you cut your own hair my guy? Maybe let Julie take a whack at it next time!! :)
LOL I did. Julie butchered it first just before our 80 proof video. I trimmed it again just before this video. I'm just wearing hats from now on.
Taste is all subjective but to see Rittenhouse in last still surprises me.
Intake practice.
She's an android.
Old Overholdt Rye was a bad choice for this blind. Ezra Brooks 99 Rye would have been a better choice
Ezra 99 didn’t exist when we did this blind.
Guys, E.H.Taylor Rye or Pikesville Rye?
For the price, Pikesville will always win that battle for us.
julie are you a virgo?
I’m sorry Julie, You Might be an Android!
Right?!?!