Prichard’s Rye Whiskey
Initial Thoughts
Honestly, I’ve never been a big fan of Rye whiskey. I’ve always found it to be spicier and drier than bourbon. However, I put my bias to the side for this review. This is the fifth and final installment of the October / November pairing series. As with the other bottles I’ve reviewed from the Prichard’s line, this Prichard’s Rye Whiskey was initially tasted at an event at my local liquor store. Like I said, I wasn’t a huge a fan of ryes going into the tasting, but I was pleasantly surprised. Enough to buy a bottle to give it a thorough review! So here we go.
Looks
This Prichard’s Rye Whiskey bottle looks like the other whiskey bottles from the Prichard’s line (Double Barrel Bourbon, Tennessee Whiskey. Identical bottle, with a similar label. The only thing that is different is that this label is a nice dark red compared to the black and the brown. The back of the label has a nice story to it and I’ll type it out here incase you’re not able to read it in the picture below.
“Songs about whiskey are numerous and Rye Whiskey is prominent among many. Most have heartfelt lyrics like those written by Tim Spencer way back in 1947. “Cigarrettes and Whisk and Wil Wild Women, they’ll drive crazy, they’ll drive you insane.” There’s the old Tex Ritter song, “It’s a whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry, If I don’t get rye whiskey, well, I think I will die.” Folks get passionate about rye whiskey and we decided a long time ago, if we were to make a Rye Whiskey, we needed to be passionate about it too.”
I love the look of this whiskey. In the bottle it has a nice dark red finish to it. I’m sure it’s amplified by the red label. There is just something about the color of this whiskey that looks very intriguing and inviting. Let’s get a glass poured and get to sippin’ what do you say?
Reviewed Neat
Nose
With every new spirit it’s hard to find exact words of how to describe the aroma that it gives off. This Prichard’s Rye Whiskey has the dominate Rye aroma to it. A little spice and some sweetness to it as well. I get a slight hint of apple notes. It’s definitely more pleasant than other ryes that I remember. The alcohol content is not too high and doesn’t singe my nostrils when I nose the glass. I’m always appreciative of that!
Palate
On the palate I pick up some nice spice. Nothing overpowering like I typically experience with rye’s, but its still there. There is a hint of sweetness, which I didn’t expect. I can definitely pick up the vanilla and a slight oaky flavor. Nothing nearly as dominant as bourbon, but still apparent. There is a sweet tang that I’m picking up that I just can’t put my finger on. So I’ll just have to refer to it as a sweet tang for now!
Finish
Mmm, that’s all I want to say about the finish on this Prichard’s Rye Whiskey. It is incredibly smooth, it just coats the tongue and has an incredible mouthfeel to it. The finish is nice and medium to long in length. Not much spice on the backend, but there is a decent amount up front. It leaves my mouth watering for more with a nice buttery coating. Mmm, I could drink this all day long!
Conclusion:
I apparently need to start trying some more rye whiskies if this is how they are supposed to taste! I’ve had some in the past and I was not a big fan of them, at all. This Prichard’s Rye Whiskey however, absolutely blew my socks off! I have thoroughly enjoyed this glass of whiskey. If you’re a fan of ryes I would suggest you try this and see how it measures up to your palate. It seems like the folks down in Kelso, TN got it right again!
Prichard’s Rye Whiskey: 10/10
Jeremy Ellis
Nice review!
Eric Scism
Thanks Jman!
007MI6
Nice. Should not have read this at work at 10:30am (besides the obvious reason, being that I am at work) because now I want a drink…lol You ever tried the Templeton Rye? I have been hearing a lot about that one as of late, but apparently it is hard to find.
Eric Scism
Jerad, you should know better than to read about booze at work! That’s a terrible idea! I haven’t had the Templeton, I’ve heard good and bad things about. I’m def going to pick up the Bulleit Rye soon though!
Capn Jimbo's Rum Project
Nice review, but it’s time we all realized the truth about the new rye craze. It’s new enough that except for one giant factory distiller MGP (the former LDI), it’s hard to find. MGP produces millions of gallons of bulk vodka, whiskey, bourbon and insofar as Prichard and many others – rye.
Most of the rye you see popping up on the shelves – like Prichard’s, Templeton, Angel’s Envy etc – is the same juice purchased from MGP. These promoters make up a slick story (as above) full of so-called history, using words like “custom”, “small batch”, “hand-selected”, “artisan”, etc. but the truth? It’s pretty much the same bulk product, but sold at absolutely ridiculous prices based on the super-premium story.
For example: Templeton: $44, Prichard: $55, Angel’s Envy: $75 – and all purchased from MGP. If you liked the rye, good for you – the MGP bulk is actually pretty nice, produced from 95% rye and well respected. The best deal on the very same rye is Bulleit – same rye, but at only $23, and better yet is bottled at a lovely 90 proof.
Don’t be fooled by vague and misleading copy. Look for the words “distilled by” (instead of “produced by” or “bottled by”) as required by law. Don’t get me wrong – Prichard actually does distill some spirits, and some good ones, especially his “Fine Rum”. But not this one…
Capn Jimbo's Rum Project
As an addenda, it’s important to clarify that sourcing product from MGP, or elsewhere is becoming quite common, particularly for ryes. Thus it becomes ever more important to read the legally required information that appears in small print on the labels. The difference between “Distilled by” and “Produced and/or bottled by” is significant. Some like Diageo’s Bulleit are clever about it and the label states “Distilled by Bulleit Distilling Co in Lawrenceburg, Indiana” which just happens to be the home of MGP. Others will not name the distiller, but will say “Distilled in Lawrenceburg, IN”.
However what you will mostly see is “Produced by” or “Bottled by” – with no mention of distillation. In these cases it’s fair to assume that the product has been sourced from another distillery.
In the case of Prichard’s while his website states “Special select American Rye is used for our whiskey. This product is
then distilled in our copper pot stills and AGED in our small American
oak barrels.” Yet on the legal label all we get is “barreled, aged and bottled by (Prichard)”. Now mind you, when a distiller actually distills his own artisan product he is sure to say so and Prichard is no exception, eg his “Fine Rum” is clearly labelled “Distilled and bottled by (Prichard)”. His Crystal (white) Rum goes even further and adds “Distilled Five Times”. I trust that if Prichard had distilled this rye, that fact would most likely and likewise be proudly labelled.
Based on this it’s fair to wonder just where that rye was distilled? If not by Prichard, the most likely suspect is MGP in Lawrenceburg. Until or unless this producer is more transparent, we may never know who really distilled it. Indeed MGP has been identified by Sku as the likely supplier for over 60 brands, many very well known to us all. You might be surprised.
For those who care Sku publishes that huge list of distillers and affiations here…
http://recenteats.blogspot.com/p/the-complete-list-of-american-whiskey.html
Capn Jimbo's Rum Project
Don’t you wish these had an edit function?
In my original comment I stated “Most of the rye you see popping up on the shelves… is the same juice purchased from MGP.” To be clear, what I meant to say was most is probably the same juice and most likely sourced from MGP. As far as Prichard’s Rye is concerned there “Distilled by” does not appear on the label, thus the distiller of this rye remains unknown insofar as labelling. My apologies.
A visit to Sku’s list is much more thorough insofar as the many brands who likely source their products. Again, sorry and Eric, feel free to delete this whole mess… nice site.
Eric Scism
HAHA no way I’m not deleting this stuff it’s great insight. I know a little about MGP. Trying to keep up with all that’s going on in the industry is nuts! I know they produce a ton of juice and then let new labels make up the marketing story behind it. So long as it tastes good, I’m not a complete snob about where it comes from. They’re making a ton of juice up there, so they must kind of know what they’re doing right?