Mon 11 Aug 2008
Image and thoughts on the new (ri)1 rye whiskey
Posted by John Hansell under New Releases, Rye whiskey
Here’s the bottle shot of the rye whiskey I blogged about on Friday. As you can see, it looks like it is designed to make rye look a little more “hip” than existing rye brands. It’s bottled at 46% ABV with no age statement.
I want to be clear that, while it IS a new offering from Beam Global Spirits and Wines, I am told that this is NOT going to be in the Jim Beam portfolio. It will be its own new entity.
I am being asked to hold off providing any additional factual information on the whisky until the product is released in October, and I will honor this.
I was, however, sent a sample of the whiskey, and I just had a taste. I like it. It’s crisp and vibrantly spicy, but with a rich, silky, sweetness that marries very well with the rye. It is exactly what I think it was designed to be: a mature enough rye whiskey that can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks, but with plenty of youth and vitality to zing in a cocktail.
(Incidentally, in case you are wondering, I tried it next to a couple of the other “entry level” straight rye whiskeys to make sure this isn’t all just fancy packaging, and it is indeed a superior product. No, it’s not one of those ultra-aged rye whiskeys on the market, but it wasn’t meant to be either.)
10 Responses to “ Image and thoughts on the new (ri)1 rye whiskey ”
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[...] I want to quote John Hansell, publisher and editor of Malt Advocate magazine, who reviewed (ri)1 on his blog, What Does John Know: It’s crisp and vibrantly spicy, but with a rich, silky, sweetness that marries very well with [...]
I am quite intrigued by this offering! A dramatic departure from the traditional way of promoting American whiskeys, especially rye, and I applaud Beam for reaching for a younger rye drinker. It seems that from the product to the package, they have made an impressive effort to set themselves apart form the pack, and I wish them (and as always, the category) all the success in the world.
I am curious about the details (proof, price) but will bide my time. Thanks for the review, John!
Sam, I can confirm that the proof is 92 and the price is going to be in the upper $40s. That’s a high for an unaged rye whiskey. We’ll see how it all plays out.
Tried a sample last night:
Still, it’s sweet, smooth and as tasty as anything. Love it Neat, and it is probably great on the rocks, but I doubt it has the fortitude to stand up, as a rye, in a cocktail.
Somebody make a Sazerac with it and tell me how it comes out.
I still haven’t tried it in a cocktail yet. Maybe someone else can chime in.
While I wouldn’t call this an entry level rye price around $50 in New York City (granted always a tad higher than the rest of the world), it is smooth with a quite gulpable sweetness. However, I point my “shame on you” finger to Beam (Fortune Brands) for not informing important folks in the biz like me and my good buddies at Brandy Library of what the hell is going on with new releases such as this. Yes, a formal shame on you, dumbasses.
OK, enough of my foul mouth. Here we go. A few cocktail notions:
SAZERAC: I personally prefer a Sazerac with Rittenhouse or Turkey or something at least 100 proof. This just sort of gets lost. I used Lucid for the glass rinse, RI 1 and Peychaud with lemon peel. Eh.
Manhattan: 2 ounces Rye One 1 ounce of Vya Sweet and dashes of Fee Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters with lemon peel. Definitely decent Manhattan. Spiciness shows through. Is it that much better than Russell’s or Turkey or even Rittenhouse in a Manhattan? N-O!
Last, but not least. I love this rye just sippin’ on its own, but this name “Rye One” is the biggest fucking joke I’ve seen on the whiskey shelf. Come on!
LeNell, next time don’t sugar coat it.
I agree with you, though, about the taste. It’s very enjoyable sipping on its own.
With everything aside, it makes things very difficult to sell products to the consumers with zero knowledge about it. Marketing and packaging can only take you so far, I thought we all learned our lessons from vodka producers.
Ethan, LeNell: I think the reason this whiskey needs to be supported with educational information is because the product is (probably intentionally) vague. No age statement, a complete disassociation from the Jim Beam product line, etc.
LeNell,
Thanks for the info. Though I haven’t made any drinks with it, your results were exactly what I expected, based on the taste I had. Quaffable, lost in a sazerac, decent Manhatton…..
So do we know the Rye Content of this stuff?
I made both of those cocktails all weekend using my old favorite, Old Overholt. For The Sazerac used I used Absinthe Brand Pastis (trying to finish this so I can buy some good stuff), and a 4to1 peychauds/ango bitter blend. And every one came out flat. I couldn’t figure it out. Too much water or sugar Is guess. At home one cap full of simple sugar seemed to work perfectly. Here I was muddling the sugar and water to ill effect. I think my ice cubes were too watery. Seriously.
I have been trying to add those Whiskey Barrel Bitters to EVERYTHING lately, since they smell so damn good. And I love Vya. I can’t believe I haven’t tried a Manhatton with both of these ingredients…. Wonder what the Perfect Rye accompaniment would be. I could see a demure one , like Ri1 working..