Monday, October 29, 2012
Jefferson's Rye
McLain & Kyne's Jefferson's Rye is the third of the trifecta of Canadian ten year old ryes that came out last year, the others being WhistlePig and Masterson's. Like the other two, Jefferson's is ten years old and made from 100% rye mash, but it's about $25 cheaper than its competitors.
Jefferson's Rye, 10 years old, 47% abv ($40)
The nose is sweet and piney, like a sugar coated pine needle. The palate is very similar to the aforementioned Canadian ryes with strong, earthy, piney notes and a bit of brine but some sweetness as well. The finish is decidedly spicy and briny.
These Canadian ryes came around at just the right time, during a shortage of aged American straight rye. In comparing Jefferson's to the other two Canadian ryes, WhistlePig is stronger, and Masterson's is slightly more nuanced. When it comes right down to it, though, they are strikingly similar. Given that similarity, you might as well buy the cheaper one, and that is clearly Jefferson's.
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3 comments:
Let me be the curmudgeon this time: I do not get this whisky. It smelled and tasted like neutral spirit to me. I let it sit in the open bottle for a few months in the hope of improvement. But then again, I didn't get Whistle Pig and Masterson's either. The one Canadian rye I really like is Pendleton 1910, which is sweeter, more gentle, and with delicate spicy and floral notes.
There may be some batch variation, Florin, as I've heard others didn't have good experiences either. I must have gotten lucky, because my bottle is minty delicious.
Interesting Sku. This is exactly where I came out on a blind comparison of Jefferson's and Mastersons. I found them to be even more similar in bottom line taste than you imply here. But Jeffersons is $30 here and Mastersons just recently was reduced to $52. Jeffersons on price alone is my choice.
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