Finger Lakes Distilling Mckenzie Rye

Appearance: Red bronze in the bottle - yellow winter wheat straw in the glass, flawless purity. Nice edge line on the glass when you swirl it, smooth layer of whiskey on swirling with scattered rivulets rather than legs developing - seems like a rye characteristic to have larger legs along with droplets. First Impression: A lovely if atypical rye bouquet, the sherry barrel influence lends some lovely nuance to the usual rye grain spice profile. Rye spiciness with oak and pepper notes, dried fruit and leather, dried orange peel, nutmeg, dried cherries. Nicely complex bouquet overall. Taste: Nicely weighty body and mouth feel generating warmth wherever it touches. Dried dark fruits (think fruitcake but drier) dried orange peel, hints of cherry, vanilla, oak pepper, and cinnamon. The sherry barrels have also added some unique components, something reminiscent of amarone grappa or pisco quebranta grapes, that give a lovely grapey roundness in taste and aromatics to the overall taste that is singularly unique to this rye. Lingering spicy, slightly sweet finish with a notable dryness on the tongue and pleasant heat to it - nothing like the old style gargling broken glass feel we remember from some old style ryes.