A little background

Heaven Hill has for a long time been producing Elijah Craig bourbon. This has been a staple among many liquor store shelves, as well as home bars. Now, they have finally released the rye counterpart! Elijah Craig Straight Rye is made of a mash bill of 51% rye, 34% corn and 14% malted barley. This offering should soon make its way onto shelves across the United States, and, I’m sure, become a staple rye just as the bourbon has done. Elijah Craig Straight Rye sits at a cool 94 proof, and is sold at an MSRP of $30.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Yellow Gold

Nose

The rye is very heavy on light-skinned fruits and rye spice (I know what you’re thinking, duh). There are some very nice floral notes going on, as well as a very slight touch of dill. The nose is extremely aromatic, and offers no ethanol or young corn presence to denote a too-young whiskey. Very subtle notes of cracked white pepper are noticeable as well.

Palate

The mouthfeel is medium. The notes are pretty sweet, and remind me very strongly of caramel popcorn. The flavors coat the mid and back palate very well, with black pepper spice tingling the front of the palate. Vanilla and corn are both fairly noticeable, and round out the rye spice and black pepper notes.

Finish

The finish is short-medium and only somewhat complex. There are some pretty nice notes of caramel and corn, along with black pepper on the sides of the mid palate.

In closing

Heaven Hill did a very good job creating this rye. This is something that is both accessible and approachable by the general public. It is a very easy drinking whiskey, and because it is a “barrel legal” rye (meaning its only 51% rye) a lot of bourbon drinkers will be able to enjoy this. The flavor is pretty darn good given the price, and I think it will be something many people will begin to either drink neat or use in cocktails. This makes me wonder: will they come out with a barrel proof variant as well?