Riverset Rye

A little background

Riverset Rye is a Straight Rye Whiskey from Big River Distillery based out of Memphis, Tennessee. Along with this rye whiskey, Big River aso puts out a bourbon called Blue Note Bourbon. Riverset Rye is a unfiltered 3-year small batch straight rye whiskey that’s distilled in Tennessee (not by Big River Distillery) and bottled at 93 proof. It carries an MSRP of $40 and is available for purchase online (link below) and in stores in select retail markets.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Browned Butter

Nose

The nose is light and filled with typical rye notes (very heavy on the rye grain). There are faint notes of orange peel, caramel, tobacco, and vanilla. It is not an overly-complex nose, and the flavors are pretty typical of a lower-proof and younger rye whiskey.

Palate

The mouthfeel is fairly thick, more than I was expecting it to be at the proof. Orange peel, anise, raisins are at the forefront of the palate. A nice, warm vanilla coats the mid-palate. It is a whole lot more impressive than the nose. Rye spice appears on the back of the palate to round out the palate.

Finish

The finish is medium in length with notes of raisins, under-baked bread, rye, and warm vanilla. The majority of the flavors on the finish sit on the back of the palate.

In conclusion

This is pretty good stuff! The nose was not that impressive, but my mind was changed about the whiskey upon the first sip. The mouthfeel is nice, and the complexity of flavors held up a lot more than I believed that they would. Big kudos to the distillery who produced this and to Big River for blending it! The price for Riverset Rye isn’t bad either, as I think it beats out most ryes at $30. Although you’re not going to find it on many shelves, you can purchase it from reputable online stores like Seelbach’s.