Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Rye Wars: Are Bulleit & Knob Creek the Coke & Pepsi of Rye?
There's been a big change in the rye market this year. As I've noted previously, some of the old reliable rye whiskeys have been hard to find. Rittenhouse 100 and Sazerac have become scarce. Wild Turkey 101 was "temporarily" discontinued to make for a lower abv 81 proof version. Into this gap have stepped two major contenders from two of the largest spirit companies. First Diageo stepped up with Bulleit, and then Beam with the new Knob Creek Rye that I reviewed last week.
Faced with the shortage, Bulleit seems to already have become the right rye at the right time. I can't find Sazerac or Rittenhouse many places, but Bulleit is everywhere, including Trader Joe's for $19.99. I've seen it on bar and retail shelves across the country. In a matter of just a year, it's managed to fill the void left by the more established ryes and become the most ubiquitous rye whiskey. Clearly seeing this success, Diageo introduced a second rye, George Dickel Rye. While it carries the name George Dickel, the whiskey is distilled in Indiana at LDI, the same distillery that makes their Bulleit Rye. Clearly, Diageo has made a very calculated bid on the rye market.
Beam's Knob Creek rye is just hitting the shelves in California, but I have no doubt that it will also see big sales. Knob Creek is a top selling brand and Beam was smart to reboot their silly (rī)¹ whiskey under a more familiar label (and at a higher proof). The lighter, barely spicy taste of the Knob Creek will appeal to people who aren't ready for the spicy kick of Bulleit. Lots of people who hear about rye and want to try it, but can't handle the spicy LDI profile will undoubtedly become fans of Knob Creek.
Diageo and Beam saw a vacuum and stepped in. The issue for Sazerac, Rittenhouse and Wild Turkey is how much of their sales will be gobbled up by these behemoths before they can increase supply. My guess is that Bulleit and Knob Creek will quickly become the Coke and Pepsi of rye whiskey, with other brands playing to more of a niche role.
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8 comments:
Interestingly, Rittenhouse is everywhere here in Texas. Can hardly step into a bar or liquor store that doesn't have it these days. We did go through a shortage as well, but seem to be well stocked now.
Seemed like everywhere I went in NYC a few weeks ago also had Rittenhouse 100. Bulliet is a great rye at a sweet price. A nice mixer too for classics. Knob rye is borderline undrinkable to me and definitely not worth the expense.
Sku, Dinosaur, Steve - agreed. Plenty of Rittenhouse in NYC these days - and Bulleit Rye - AND Knob Creek Rye (and awash in Old Overholt). It's rye explosion. You can pretty well guarantee that any decent bartender is going to respond to your request for a Manhattan with your preference of rye (with Overholt as the default and one of the others as a buck or two premium). It's a deeply beautiful thing. I wish I had bought LDI. They seem to be the darling golden boy these days. Weird - weren't they an evil dark secret presence just a year ago?
Oh how I miss sub-$20 WT101 rye.
Right now, I'd say RittBIB and Bulleit are the standard fare, but I believe WT101 will return to usurp Bulleit.
Interesting points. If Rittenhouse is back, it may be just in the nick of time. Of course, as far as I'm concerned, the more rye options the better. I'd love to see more Baby Saz on the shelves as well.
I think Old Overholt and Jim Beam are already the Coke and Pepsi of rye, but Knob Creek and Bulliet could easily be the leaders in the next tier.
Also, Rittenhouse does not enjoy national distribution. Though it is easy to find in some places, in others it is absolutely non-existent.
I did the obvious thing and tried Knob Creek bourbon next to Knob Creek rye. I'd highly recommend trying this yourself! They're strikingly similar - the rye tastes like regular Knob Creek with a bit more spice and young wood, and I guess a bit less caramel. Since Knob Creek is regarded as a good mixer, I imagine the rye will slide right in. Amazing that the rye is younger and tastes not-too-different, with the same proof, yet sells for about $10 more. I wonder how many focus groups and advertising meetings they needed to come up with that price point.
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