A little background

Blue Run Spirits was founded in 2019 with a mission to appeal to the true whiskey aficionados. Blue Run Spirits’ Liquid Advisor is legend Jim Rutledge, who is responsible for approving the sourced distillates as well as distilling new make for Blue Run alongside of a team filled with diverse backgrounds. Blue Run Spirits 2021 Holiday Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is the latest in the Blue Run Spirits repertoire, a cask strength limited holiday rye release. The butterfly will be pollock themed for this release. Blue Run is not disclosing the sourcing distillery for this release.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Rich Amber

Nose

Toasted rye, pine, rye spice with hints of baking spices.

Palate

Light on the first sip, you will notice the flavors bloom on as let the rye open up in your glass. More pine and spice on the front end with a berry, cherry, vanilla finish.

Finish

Lingered on the top of the palate. Surprisingly, the finish is on the sweeter side with a pinecone note on the back end.

In closing

Blue Run Spirits 2021 Holiday Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is not a bottle for everyone and Blue Run releases their expressions knowing that. At $139.99 it’s on the higher end of cask strength rye releases but it is the trending price with Blue Run. I am not going to tell you whether $139.99 is worth it for a limited cask strength rye release but I will tell you that their last rye release sold out in less than 3 minutes. Knowing that, the price point is definitely a showstopper for some. I will also tell you, that after tasting it, I would probably purchase it (but I’m a rye gal). I would call this a rye, a people’s rye. If you are new into the rye world, this may not be the bottle for you as it is heavy on the rye profile. This is a rye that rye people seek out because it has the classic rye profile.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Blue Run Spirits. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.